Silly String Sprayer
Our overall goal for this project was to create a moving robot that could spray silly string.
Planning and Drawings
Our initial design consisted of a drivable robot that that shot Silly String out the front of the machine. We would use a gear and a servo motor to push down the Silly String can at an angle.
Failure and Redesign
After construction and initial testing we found that the driveable base ran fine, but the Silly String Spraying system did not have the force to spray the can. We decided to revamp the system by adding another gear for more torque and switched to a rail system instead of an angled pushing system.
Final Product
Our final product sprayed the entire can at rougly a can in 45 seconds. Though the robot had trouble turning due to its rear wheel drive, it was effective in moving forward and backward.
Reflection
Though our initial plans of creating a VEX flamethrower was quickly shot down, our idea for a silly spring sprayer proved to be a safe and fun idea with a similar concept. Though our first design was quickly built, we found muliple flaws in the system, leading to second design on the same base, providing more torque to push down the can. Programing overall proved to a pain in that we struggled with the proper scripts, but we learned fast and were able to contol a working machine. Though the robot achieved our goals, it still had some flaws, such as how fast a silly string can is used, and it's slow turning speeds. Even through this, the Silly Spring Sprayer provides a safe and fun machine.