Awards
Our Robot
Our robot was designed to be able to carry a trackball and pass it above the overpass and drive around the track. The robot could raise the ball high enough to toss it over the overpass, or place it on top of the overpass. It could also drive quickly around the track to score extra points.
This robot, Das Überstinktier, had a ladder-based lift mechanism that could also tilt backwards when carrying a trackball so as not to damage anything. Trackballs were held with large carbon-fiber claws that could wrap around it. The drive base had two powered traction wheels in the front and two unpowered omni-wheels in the back. This drive configuration was not the best as it did result in fishtailing when driving around corners.
Das Überstinktier
Winner
2008
Microsoft Seattle Regional
Regional Engineering Inspiration Award
Microsoft Seattle Regional
Delphi "Driving Tomorrows Technology" Award
Microsoft Seattle Regional
Underwriters Laboratories Industrial Safety Award
Oregon Regional
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award
Oregon Regional
2008
Overdrive
The game for 2008 was Overdrive. This game was played on a field divided in half lengthwise with a fence that separated the field into Red and Blue alliance zones. An overpass divided the field widthwise that also marked the "finish lines" for the alliances. Teams could place 40 inch diameter "trackballs" on top of this overpass. In the 15 second Hybrid period, teams could score points by knocking their alliance's trackballs off of the overpass, completing laps around the track, and passing trackballs over the overpass. In the teleoperated mode, robots could continue scoring in the same way. At the end of the game, however, if an alliance's trackball was placed on top of the overpass, the alliance would receive an extra 12 points.