Hercules
Hercules vs The Ophidian
Hercules vs DDT
Hercules vs Kate the Rat
Hercules vs Buzz
Hercules vs Vile Ant
Although this version of Hercules did much better than the previous blue PLA version, I think that it is time to give up on 3D printing (at least for this bot). Even the Markforge Carbon Fiber/ Kevlar impregnated Nylon that Jamison uses has the same toughness (ability to absorb energy) as the UHMW that Hercules originally used. While 3D printing has its place, this design, because of its reliance on the two front arms to balance the lifter, is not suited for it. For the future I plan on abandoning a 3D printed unibody in favor of a CNC milled UHMW unibody. I believe this will provide Hercules that toughness that it needs to face the massive amount of spinners out there.
Barrel Roll
Barrel Roll vs Super Veloce
Barrel Roll vs Quicksand
All in all I'm pretty happy with how I did at Motorama 2016. Hercules performed great and is only going to get better. Barrel Roll, while it has its issues that need to be worked out, finally showed some potential in the small amount of time that it was working properly. I have some time until my next competition which will probably be sometime this summer if I am able to get enough done while in Wisconsin for my internship. Until then I have plenty of things to work on.