THE ROBOT

Chassis

The bottom of the chassis is AndyMark chassis from the kit of parts. The remaining chassis is made from square aluminum bars.

Drive

The robot is driven by the two rear kit-of-parts wheels controlled individually through AndyMark Toughboxes. The steering is performed by the rear wheels and by the steering assembly in the center of the robot.

Steering

The robot is steered by a central crab wheel. The wheel is made using two of the kit-of-parts wheels driven with a single axle. The axle is driven using a globe motor and chain drive. The wheel assembly rotates using a second globe motor connected to an axle running through a bearing block using a gear-to-gear drive, creating a low maintenance system. All parts of the steering assembly are custom machined using a CNC (Computer Numerical Control). The steering assembly is capable of turning greater than 180 degrees.

Ball Collecting and Throwing

Two rotating PVC pipes with flexible tubing teeth collect the balls and move them to the storage baskets, which have adjustable height to feed the the balls into the launching cylinder. The launching cylinder spins, and once it achieves the right speed, the top hatch can open and the balls launch through the air.