Category: Stuff

Stuff. Just stuff. Anything goes.

The ÃœB4RSCOOTER returns to MIT

chorl

For a little while. Over the course of the first semester I was involved in the construction of a prototype folding motor scooter. My contribution ended up being part of the control system for a demonstration stand featuring the primary innovative technology, an in-wheel motor-suspension robot doohickey. The majority of the machine was built in Taiwan, and was shipped from there to the Milan Motorcycle Show in Italy. Only now has it returned to the Media Lab.

Plans to just set the crate on fire were rejected.

 The initial decrate-ifying, which was mostly just ripping off one side of the crate using whatever brute force was available. Normally the panel woudl come off in one piece, but the wood was so thin that it just disintegrated.

There was no fog effect or bright lights. Nor trumpets. Nor suprise confetti.

Ooh, shiny. There it is.

You should have seen the ones at the show.

 As with any proper photography of machinery, there must be women. Conveniently, some from the scooter group were present.

Size doesn't mat....wait a sec.

Size comparison to another motor scooter that was conveniently parked outside. It has the same wheelbase, but appears smaller… mostly because it’s SOLID FREAKIN’ METAL. Instead of that cheesy bubble-shaped sheet metal cover over some tubing. Despite the heavy metal, the whole machine only weighs in at about 120 pounds.

So what’s going to happen to it while it’s in the lab? Control system development. Wheel robot development. Battery experiments. Random upgrades. Hoonage. Stunt jumping, etc…  And I will of course stay with Smart Cities for this semester. Whee!

O GOD FIRST

chorl

The 2008 FIRST game was released yesterday. The season is on! Some of my thoughts:

  •  Car steering could have a huge advantage here. If tank steering is used, smooth yaw control is vital. Omnidirectional drive systems are more complicated than necessary.
  • Multispeed transmissions will be advantageous for either.
  • There will be all-drivetrain bots. This is a good n00b year.
  • I hope they built the end of the rink really, really well. 50 feet is plenty of time to get up to a ridiculous speed even with the limited motor and power systems.
  • It will be interesting to see how people work around the IR board’s susceptance to interference, especially from six remotes.
  • That’s a really, really big ball.
  • A method of throwing the ball a short distance will be advantageous for hurdling the ball. It will be faster than holding the ball and dropping it on the other side of the overpass.

I think this is a pretty good year for the NGHS Robotics team to introduce a bunch of n00blets. There are only a few people out of 25-30 which have any experience at all (the team powerhouses, namely me and a friend, graduated last year). I’ll only be able to coach in person until the 16th, which is after the first week. By then, a design should be hashed out anyway – a solid design is definitely first priority for them.