Barróg - Featherweight Lifter Build Diary

[Shooty]

Alright, so I've done some re-modelling on the CAD, and come up with some potential new ideas for the lifter. The largest change is an alternate design that would turn the robot into more of a clamper than a lifter. I've replaced the 3 spines with 2 that are still attached to the spine for self righting, and 2 that are mounted onto the body.



The function of these are that a machine will drive up onto the face, and when the lifter raises, they will get caught between the two spines. This shortens the amount of time the weapon takes to be effective, and should hopefully be able to keep the opponent's wheels off the ground. The lifter will still be able to bypass the front spines, allowing for the full degree of motion at the back needed to self right.





All spines, front and back, are now 150mm above the face, and should fit most FW robots. I still have to refine how I mount the new spines internally, although that will probably involve overlapping the front spine mounts and the lifter mounts and threading a few bars through both. I also have to decide whether I stick with this new clamper design, or whether I refine the lifter design (eg. Extend the back spines so that when a machine is tilted off the ground, it will catch between the spines and the face at just a few cm up). Or I could design the machine to work around both and have the front spines interchangeable.





There is also the issue of whether the force exerted (roughly 25kg) will be enough to hold an opponent in place. I've been looking at a more powerful linear actuator on Gimson's website that has over two times the force of the current actuator, and is faster to boot, although it's increased length, weight, and asymmetry would lead to another redesign of the machine. That will probably be done in a few days, but I certainly think it's worth a go.