The Last Slice Upgrades!

With the Extreme Robots event in Doncaster fast approaching, we've been working on a number of upgrades to The Last Slice.

Last year's switch from belt to gear-driven weapon worked well, but we found the 3D printed gears shredded as they meshed together and didn't last very long. These have been replaced with a set of 3 double-helical gears which should be much more durable, as well as increasing efficiency.

We've also swapped out the drive motors for a pair of XAG A40s, the same ones that drive the spinner. This has made the robot much nippier, it accelerates very sharply which should give us an advantage in the arena.

These motors are now driving the wheels via 3D-printed stainless steel pulleys which replace the previous nylon ones (which melted).

Of course, these additions add weight and we were already riding right on the 110kg limit for this class. To make up for this, we've switched the robot's batteries with smaller and lighter ones. Last year we were able to go for several battles without charging, so this shouldn't affect the robot's performance - we'll just need to charge more regularly.

Finally, we're bringing the action closer than ever before with the addition of several mounting points for GoPro cameras. With any luck we'll be able to bring back first-person footage of our battles - if the cameras survive!