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2022 Robot
Developed for the 2022 VEX Robotics game Tipping Point, this robot was designed to score rings, manipulate mobile goals, and climb the platform. It featured a 6-wheel, 6-motor drivetrain with a dual-speed pneumatic transmission, allowing it to shift between torque and speed modes. The robot utilized a 1-motor chain lift with a locking over-center clamp, a secondary mobile goal clamp, and a high-speed ring intake. Capable of carrying three mobile goals simultaneously, this robot won the California VEX State Championship and the California SkillsUSA Robotics Championship, qualifying for the World Championship.
2022 Robot
The robot was entirely designed in Autodesk Inventor, using subassemblies to isolate and refine each mechanism. The design followed a holistic approach, integrating all mechanical systems early to resolve spatial constraints. The final design was a result of extensive prototyping, particularly for the gear shifting system, which was one of the first successful implementations in the VEX community that season.
Chassis
Drivetrain: A 6-wheel drive layout with the center wheel slightly oversized and traction-treaded, allowing the robot to pivot around its midpoint for smoother turns.
Gearbox: A custom polycarbonate gearbox on each side housed three motors and used a pneumatic piston-driven gear shifter. The gearbox shifted between two speeds using a 36T–60T compound gear pair, providing approximately 200 RPM in torque mode and ~333 RPM in speed mode.
Bearing Mounts: Custom bearing holders were designed to support the load-bearing wheel shafts, ensuring smooth motion and protecting the motors from direct shock.
Transmission
The dual-speed transmission used a single piston mounted on linear standoff rails to shift a central gear between two meshing positions. The system was compact, reliable, and allowed for on-the-fly changes between pushing power and traversal speed.
Lift
A single-motor chain-driven lift made of lightweight steel bars provided a full 90° range of motion. The lift's geometry was configured to keep the end effector perpendicular to the ground at all times using a chain-balancing method. The lift could grab mobile goals from ground level and raise them above the chassis without compromising the robot's center of gravity.
Clamp End Effector
Locking Mechanism: A custom over-center pneumatic clamp, constructed from hand-fabricated aluminum gussets, was mounted on the lift. The clamp used teeth and geometry to lock onto the mobile goals securely, resisting pulls and maintaining grip even under defensive pressure.
Mounting: The clamp was connected to the lift in a way that aligned it with the mobile goal’s center of mass, reducing tilt and aiding control.
Mobile Goal CLamp
Purpose: Located near the base of the robot, this clamp used pneumatics to deploy drop-down forks that could secure an additional mobile goal.
Integration: The forks were designed to nest under the goal, lift it, and hold it securely during motion. This allowed the robot to carry a total of three mobile goals.
Intake
Construction: Fully made from laser-cut polycarbonate, the intake used pocketed side panels for weight reduction and rigidity.
Performance: Operated at approximately 1000 RPM, the intake used flex wheels to rapidly collect rings and deposit them onto the designated mobile goal holder.
Mounting: The intake was directly mounted to the chassis, and designed with a curved hood for optimal compression and disc trajectory.
Manufacturing
Materials: Primarily constructed from aluminum C-channel, polycarbonate sheets, and custom-cut gussets.
Processes:Polycarbonate was laser cut.
Metal parts were hand-cut using a table saw and Dremel.
Lathed standoffs were custom-fabricated for mounting and rail systems.
Hand-filing and drilling were used for precision adjustment and fitment.
Assembly
The robot was assembled using 6-32 and 8-32 hardware, with a mix of threaded standoffs, custom-machined aluminum pieces, and standard VEX components.
Due to the tight integration of subsystems, assembly was non-trivial and required careful sequencing and alignment, especially in the gearbox and shifter assemblies.
Pneumatic tubing, limit switches, and wiring were routed with space-saving techniques to avoid interference during matches.
Additional Videos:
Additional Documentation:
2022 SkillsUSA Nations_ MRT Notebook.pdfPage updated
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