Introduction

In this Lesson, you will learn about what a manipulator is, the difference between passive and active manipulators, and how to design an effective manipulator to make your robot accomplish a task. You will learn about intake manipulators, and how to code an intake in a project for your robot.  You will also learn about how to assign a Drivetrain to your Controller's joysticks, and using motor groups, so that you can prepare to optimize your robot for playing Robot Soccer. You will apply this information to design and build a manipulator for your robot to compete in the One-on-One Robot Soccer Challenge. Watch the animation below to see an example of how two Simple Clawbots could compete in a One-on-One Robot Soccer match. 

In this video, two Simple Clawbots start on the field, one in each corner. Each team begins near their goal that is represented by a gap in the Field's walls. The robot on the left is identified as the red team, while the one on the right is identified as the blue team. A timer counts down from 60 seconds as the robots drive around the field, attempting to move a red Cube to the opposing team's goal to score a point. The robots can push against the robot on the opposing team, trying to block them from scoring or take the Cube for themselves. The points are totaled for each team, and at the end of the match, the red team wins with 2 points to 1.

Select Next > to learn about manipulators and intake design.