Staged Climber for FRC Robotics Team

Overview

Over the span of three robotics seasons I helped develop controllable staged climber arms for FRC Team 88. Starting with a single axis design in 2020, this developed into creating a modular 2-axis robotic arm capable of supporting about 500Lbs, and lifting about 150Lbs each. Over the 7 week build season, 13 arms were manufactured spanning 3 versions. A wooden development platform was designed to test hardware and software before full robot completion. 

Each arm was driven by Spectra cable, continuously rigged, running through the arm's pivot and onto a remoted spool. The spools would individually progress forward and back from an 8TPI ACME thread to ensure consistent wrap and improved repeatability. Tensioners were built into the spools to maintain string tension and reduce system backlash. A compilation of the team 88 robot climbs can be found here.