First Robots Aim High

Personal robots are about as advanced today as personal computers were on the eve of the first IBM PC in the early 1980s. They are still the domain of hobbyists who cobble them together from scratch or from kits, join local clubs to swap code and stage contests, and whose labor of love is setting the stage for a technological revolution. This book will deconstruct the 30 regional winning robot designs from the FIRST Robotics Competition in 2006. The FIRST Robotics Competition (held annually and co-founded by Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers) is a multinational competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. In 2005 the competition reached close to 25,000 people on close to 1,000 teams in 30 competitions. Teams came from Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Israel, Mexico, the U.K., and almost every U.S. state. The competitions are high-tech spectator sporting events that have gained a loyal following because of the high caliber work featured. Each team is paired with a mentor from such companies as Apple, Motorola, or NASA (NASA has sponsored 200 teams in 8 years). This book looks at 30 different robot designs all based on the same chassis, and provides in-depth information on the inspiration and the technology that went into building each of them. Each robot is featured in 6-8 pages providing readers with a solid understanding of how the robot was conceived and built. There are sketches, interim drawings, and process shots for each robot.

"Each outstanding example of engineering and design excellence was reviewed by a panel of experts from industry and academia and judged to be award-worthy in the categories of creativity, design excellence, controllability, and quality. The 30 robots and design teams featured in this book are exemplars: a collection of the finest designs and teams, chosen from over 200 award-winning design teams in the 2007 FIRST Robotics Competition." "Team profiles document the design and development process that turn innovative ideas into sophisticated high-performing robots. Trade secrets are unveiled to showcase advanced technology and provide an intimate understanding of what it takes to design and build an award-winning robot."--BOOK JACKET.

Personal robots are about as advanced today as personal computers were on the eve of the first IBM PC in the early 1980s.

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 23. Chapters: FIRST Robotics teams, Rack 'n Roll, Aim High, FIRST Robotics Competition, Panteras, Lunacy, Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy, D'Penguineers, Logo Motion, Breakaway, Triple Play, FIRST Overdrive, Beach Cities Robotics, FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar, Stack Attack, Double Trouble, Spirit of the United Neretva, Toroid Terror, Co-Opertition FIRST, Chilean Heart, Hexagon Havoc, Diabolical Dynamics, Ladder Logic, Bobcat Robotics, Ramp 'n Roll, Zone Zeal, Zecharia's Angels, Tower Power, Rug Rage, Maize Craze, Miracle Workerz, Robotics Team 159. Excerpt: Rack 'n Roll is the game for the 2007 FIRST Robotics Competition season, announced on January 6, 2007. In it, two alliances of three teams each compete to arrange toroidal game pieces on a central arena element known as 'The Rack'. "Raptor," Team 254's 2007 robot. Robots fall under three different classes restricting their maximum weight and height. These classes are: Robots also must have a maximum starting footprint of 28" x 38" regardless of class. Robots may expand once the match has begun. The game manual includes other rules restricting various aspects of the construction of the robot that have been put in place for the purpose of safety and fairness. The Rack, as shown in the 2007 game manualThe Rack 'n Roll field is dominated by 'The Rack', a large metal contraption with three levels of hanging metal bars, with each level having 8 arms evenly spaced in an octagonal manner. Each arm (known as a 'spider leg') has space for two game pieces. Any more pieces placed on a spider leg beyond the first two are ignored for scoring purposes. At the beginning of the match, the rack is arbitrarily translated or rotated within three feet of the center of the field in order to give some randomness and to encourage autonomous modes that do not depend on dead-reckoning. At the top of...

Personal robots are about as advanced today as personal computers were on the eve of the first IBM PC in the early 1980s. They are still the domain of hobbyists who cobble them together from scratch or from kits, join local clubs to swap code and stage contests, and whose labor of love is setting the stage for a technological revolution. This book will deconstruct the 30 regional winning robot designs from the FIRST Robotics Competition in 2006. The FIRST Robotics Competition (held annually and co-founded by Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers) is a multinational competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. In 2005 the competition reached close to 25,000 people on close to 1,000 teams in 30 competitions. Teams came from Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Israel, Mexico, the U.K., and almost every U.S. state. The competitions are high-tech spectator sporting events that have gained a loyal following because of the high caliber work featured. Each team is paired with a mentor from such companies as Apple, Motorola, or NASA (NASA has sponsored 200 teams in 8 years). This book looks at 30 different robot designs all based on the same chassis, and provides in-depth information on the inspiration and the technology that went into building each of them. Each robot is featured in 6-8 pages providing readers with a solid understanding of how the robot was conceived and built. There are sketches, interim drawings, and process shots for each robot.

A modern and unified treatment of the mechanics, planning, and control of robots, suitable for a first course in robotics.

Ever year, new technologies advance and improve societies. Some of the most influential inventions have occurred in the health and medical field. This book explores important inventors and the inventions that have influenced the medical industry, such as the smallpox vaccine, CT scanners, and DNA cloning.

A report on genius inventor Dean Kaman's FIRST program follows a team of brilliant, misfit high school students through the program's 2009 robotics competition, during which the teens under the guidance of a dedicated teacher confronted other hopefuls in stadiums throughout the country.