Tennis,+anyone?

=**10-s, anyone??**=

__**Method of Destruction:**__
Ball launcher using 2 wheels spinning in opposite directions at high speeds to varying distances from my bot. Projectiles will be glass balls with a "goo" inside. The "goo" will be similar to tile adhesive. Projectiles shot out of a telescopic tube that can move vertically up and down in a fixed area.

__Research on method of destruction__
 * Not much information on how to build a tennis ball launcher. Discussion on Make's web site - http://forums.makezine.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=782 talks about motor selection, wheel possibilities, gas vs. electric (DC powered, not battery powered). What am I taking from this web site: NOT using an electric fan motor for the wheels, as that motor will not provide enough RPMs to hurl the projectiles.
 * Found one article on [|how to build a baseball pitching machine - http://www.ehow.com/how_2383328_build-pitching-machine.html] Interesting to note that it utilizes drills to provide the motors. I don't think my bot will suffice with drill motors.
 * Spoke with Dr. Hudson. Interesting discussion about using hard vs. soft wheels (softer wheels - filled with air - is probably a better option, since this will lead to more contact time with the projectile, and thus a higher acceleration). Smaller wheels will rotate faster than larger wheels (can gear motors so that it rotates faster). Mount the wheels horizontally - parallel to the ground, rather than perpendicular to the ground (as originally envisioned) - will avoid any unnecessary forces (top wheel will also exert a force due to its weight + gravity). The class *should* decide the size of the field, as this will affect any future calculations - size of wheel, rpm of motor, etc.


 * Pro: Able to launch projectiles at a distance (do not need to be up close to other bots to be on offense).
 * Pro: "Goo" should impede movement of other bots, as well as their offense mechanisms.
 * Possible Pro: Could also use telescopic tube as a hammer/battering ram if run out of projectiles.
 * Con: Telescopic tube could be smashed or cut off. If smashed, my bot will not be able to shoot projectiles. If cut off, my bot should still be able to launch projectiles.
 * Con: If another bot were to smash my bot, the "goo" projectiles could explode within my bot, thus disabling my bot.
 * Con: If one "goo" projectile breaks (for whatever reason), the projectiles would get stuck to each other, thus disabling my offense strategy.

__Defense mechanism__
The shape of the bot will be curved in the front where the launcher is. Material for the entire surface will be tungsten carbide. I also plan to put metal spikes on solid tires of my bot so that if it run through a puddle of "goo", it should be able to easily escape it (less contact surface = less chance of it being stuck). Telescopic tube may be extended and used to whack other robots that come too close.

__Research on defense mechanism:__
 * Tungsten carbide: searched for "hard metal" - eventually found @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten_carbide. "3 times stiffer than steel...denser that steel or titanium...used in armour-piercing ammunition"
 * Pro: Hard outer shell - less prone to nicks and dents.
 * Con: Concave design of shell may not withstand multiple impacts. Using telescopic tube as a hammer could result in the tube smashing (won't be able to launch any additional projectiles) or breaking (possibly could launch additional projectiles, but with less accuracy).

__Costs of bot__

 * Glass projectiles: projectiles will be approximately 3 inches in diameter. The shell will break apart so that the tile adhesive can be loaded into the projectile. The shells should be thick enough to withstand feeding through the projectile launcher, yet weak enough to break on impact (or at least have weak points in the structure that it will break on impact). Vendor: @http://www.usball.com/modified_balls/default.html
 * Tile adhesive: OmniGrip Ultimate Tile Adhesive - $17.68/gal. Vendor: The Home Depot Qty: 10 gallons. Total cost: $176.80 + tax
 * Wheels for mobility + nails to avoid "goo":
 * Wheels for projectile launcher: True Temper Flat Free Wheelbarrow Tire - $39.99/ea. Vendor: The Home Depot Qty: 2. wheels Total cost: $79.98
 * Motors attached to wheels for mobility/projectile launcher: Ampflow A-150 Magmotor - $299.99. Vendor: The Robot Marketplace Qty: 5 (3 for mobility, 2 for projectile launcher). Total cost: $1499.95
 * Materials for shell
 * 2 pipes - to provide the telescopic tube
 * Motor to drive the telescopic tube
 * Tungsten carbide for outer shell
 * Batteries to run all motors

__Document how idea of robot originated:__
Just to be different from the other ideas tossed around in class, I thought back to the days that I played tennis. I never practiced with a tennis ball machine, but then the idea stuck. Different possibilities of what kind of projectiles - anything put tennis balls, previously chewed up gum, throw nets - came up. Yet, working with tile adhesive during Spring Break was enlightening - an incredibly gooey substance that never gives up - been stuck in it enough times to attest that it is gooey. The metal spikes on the tires