This year, the game Logomotion called for something new—the minibot: Athena.
We figured this would be a great opportunity to get other people involved with our team. We invited members of local FLL teams to come and help us design it [blog post/gallery link]. They created a prototype out of cardboard and presented it to the team. The team offered suggestions, and a small group of team members quickly began making the minibot.
The design includes two front wheels tilted inward towards the pole to grip it with a motor on each wheel. The back wheels have no motors and are just a guide for the end of Athena.
The FLL team members came up with an excellent idea: use magnets to hold it to the pole. After testing with some really strong magnets, we decided to place two underneath the bot so they were just a tiny bit away from the pole. We attached the NXT and battery to the back to see if Athena could carry it up the pole, and luckily it could! [video link]
We hope Athena is an excellent asset to Zeus!