Our first day in Thailand ! (not really 😒) – Bender’s arch nemesis cancels Thailand trip 😫

Hi everyone!!!!!

song recommendation of the day: Nutcracker – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Today is set-up day! We are in Thailand as we speak πŸ˜ƒ (just kidding)
Bender’s arch nemesis FLEXO has made its debut in the SART location (in AustraliaπŸ˜₯).
Due to unfortunate events with the ever present pandemic, an executive decision was made that FOILED SART’s plans to attend the competition in person in Thailand. We will be sending our autographs out via mail. Sorry to our fans xoxo #makeitFART

Flexo has been carefully assembled and is wreaking havoc in the SART mazes. Flexo uses its inbuilt camera on the curved back, and 3D printed arm (the design is very human) to work its way through the mazes. The design team worked day and night to accommodate the cameras and incorporate them into the chassis. The cameras are located on the back curve of Flexo and the front edge of the arm. These locations guarantee that there are visuals on both ends of Flexo.

Flexo is the new and improved version of Bender. The sides of Flexo were designed on Fusion and 3D printed in order to achieve a curved front and back and a lighter frame. The curved front and back enables easier movement and ensures that there is minimal hinderance incurred from rough surfaces in the maze. The top and bottom of Flexo is made of acrylic that was laser cut.
In Bender, to access the inside of the robot, Velcro was used to secure the top to the body. In Flexo there are brass inserts along the inside edges of the sides to ensure a tighter seal within the body of Flexo. Comparatively the overall size of Flexo is 17% larger than Bender. However, the weight is significantly reduced due to the chassis being 3D printed.

SART’s designated driver has given his compliments to the mobility of Flexo – well done design team!
“Yeah, this is so much easier to drive than bender!” – Cooper (SART designated driver (SDD))

Flexo’sΒ  arm has been carefully crafted in the Fusion 360 and has been assembled with carbon fiber tubes to act as tendons in the very human, 1:1 replica of Mr Stock’s arm.
Most parts of the arm have been 3D printed, including the state of the art gripper, which handles objects that obstruct the path of Flexo. Due to the materials used in the arm’s construction, the build is substantially lighter and easier to maneuver on Flexo.
In the next coming days STL files for the chassis will be released to the public. Below is a sample of the sketch used to print the sides of Flexo. The design team used Fusion to create sketches such as the one below.

 

 

 

The software team created a code in 2021 for the purpose of hazmat sign recognition. In a real world scenario, in the event of a disaster a robot can be sent in with hazmat sign recognition in order to identify any hazards. For this year’s competition, the software team drastically improved the code in preparation for the new disasters πŸ™ˆ. The code has worked well in previous years, so we are looking forward to a successful hazmat sign recognition process.

  • UPDATE: the robot is currently overheating – due to the well enclosed and rounded nature of Flexo – hardware team will most likely need to drill holes to prevent the imminent threat of global destruction

Shout out to Bender for keeping it real all these years πŸ˜‘

Thanks to our fans @DELL, we never could’ve made it here without you <3

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