The robot will have a launching manipulator powered by a motor. The motor is connected to a gear assembly that contains a shifter to alternate between the motor running the gearing and the gearing being free spinning. The assembly that the gearing would be attached to will contain a wheel and coupling rod, similar to those of a train, and the coupling rod would be tensioned to the front of the launching channel using bungee cords. The coupling rod would fit into a channel made of sheets that accommodates the size of the basketball. The channel will be made so that the basketball can fit with enough wiggle room on each side so that the basketball will have enough room so it doesn’t get stuck, but not too much room that it decreases the accuracy of the shooter and a base plate that can pivot up and down to adjust trajectory.
The intake would move the ball in front of the coupling bar when it is fully cocked back and would set it onto a narrow groove that guides the ball to the appropriate position for optimal results. To launch, the shifter would release the gear assembly to allow it to be in free-spinning mode, which allows the bungee cords to pull the coupling bar forward into the channel exerting force on the ball in one direction, causing the ball to fly forward. The direction in which it is, is limited by the walls of the channel it is being launched out of and the direction the robot is facing. The base plate in the launching channel would be attached to a motorized mechanism that increases or decreases the angle of the plate in order to adjust the trajectory at which the ball leaves the channel.
Through the use of code, the plate’s angle can be remotely adjusted to have control over how far the ball can launch. The launching mechanism will be facing forward in a fixed position on the robot but can change its horizontal angle by changing the direction the robot is facing. The battery that provides power to the system will be replaced each match to ensure that it remains at full charge. Before finalizing the system, it will be fine tuned and tested to be able to constantly actuate reliably for at minimum the amount of time necessary to complete a match, ensuring at no time in the match, would the system not be able to launch balls successfully. We would also work our hardest to ensure most of the friction in the system is reduced to make the system as efficient as possible and make sure the system is more than capable of accomplishing the required task for more than is asked for.
The robot will be able to capture and control objects in the field in the interest of using them in order to score points for their team. The intake system will be comprised of a ”U” shaped section in the front of the robot with sideways high friction wheels that roll into the robot, to effectively and efficiently collect the balls from the field and funnel them into a designated “chamber” inside the robot. An intake system would be responsible for capturing the objects and transporting them to the launching manipulator, while the drive system of the robot would be able to function, moving the objects while they are in possession of the robot.
