Balls
Main Article: List of Game Pieces
Examples
Power Cell
Description
(Physical description of game piece)
Challenges
(What made this difficult)
Manipulation Strategies
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Noteworthy Robots
Cargo
Description
(Physical description of game piece)
Challenges
(What made this difficult)
Manipulation Strategies
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Noteworthy Robots
Fuel
Description
(Physical description of game piece)
Challenges
(What made this difficult)
Manipulation Strategies
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Noteworthy Robots
Boulder
Description
(Physical description of game piece)
Challenges
(What made this difficult)
Manipulation Strategies
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Noteworthy Robots
2014 Ball
Description
(Physical description of game piece)
Challenges
(What made this difficult)
Manipulation Strategies
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Noteworthy Robots
Basketball
Description
(Physical description of game piece)
Challenges
(What made this difficult)
Manipulation Strategies
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Noteworthy Robots
2010 Ball
Description
(Physical description of game piece)
Challenges
(What made this difficult)
Manipulation Strategies
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Noteworthy Robots
Moon Rock
Description
(Physical description of game piece)
Challenges
(What made this difficult)
Manipulation Strategies
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Noteworthy Robots
Trackball
Main article: 2008 FRC Season
Description
Trackballs were rubber yoga balls with a fabric covering. Two of the four balls on the field had white dots to help vision tracking.
Diameter: 40in
Weight: 7.3lb
Challenges
The maximum footprint of a 2008 robot was 28" x 38", meaning that the game piece had a larger footprint than a robot. With a weight of 7.3lb, it was also relatively heavy for the smaller motors of the time.
Manipulation Strategies
Size Constraints
Robots mostly took one of two approaches to the size of this ball.
- A manipulator that starts inside the frame perimeter and extends out
- Holding the ball from the top or bottom, where a manipulator could fit within the 5' robot height limit
Hurdling
The most common methods to hurdle the ball over the truss was to lift the ball up and either toss it with an arm, or simply let the robot's momentum carry the ball.
Some higher-tier teams used linear punchers powered by springs, surgical tubing, or pneumatics.
Noteworthy Robots
| FRC1114 | FRC233 | FRC330 |
|---|---|---|
File:Frc1114-2008 FRC1114 had the most dominant robot of 2008 by a wide margin, and won the world championship. |
File:Frc233-2008 FRC233 found an excuse to use a pink arm and were Einstein semifinalists. |
File:Frc330-2008 FRC330 characteristically build a simple, effective arm with a big yellow sprocket. Lost in division semifinals to 1114. |
