Byte 4s Build Log

Byte 4s! When I was first brainstorming ideas for 3 lb robots, my roommate and I came up with the name. We knew we had to eventually make a robot inspired by the Season 1 champ Bite Force! I've always been a fan of kinetic energy weapons so when Bite Force Season 2 was revealed as a vertical spinner, it was time to get started! The biggest issue I ran into was weight. Having 4wd, using normal sized 3 lber motors (kitbots 1000 rpm), and having a blade/wedge combo is extremely difficult, especially with my 1/4" aluminum overkill designs. Thus Byte 4s is also a test for how tough UHMW (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) is. UHMW is super flexible and works really well for absorbing impacts/acting as ablative armor. For instance, when I fought Dain (UHMW hammer bot) at Mass Destruction, I had a lot of difficulty getting solid hits on him because my blade would just remove the outer layer of UHMW and have no grip to fling him. It also works out because of Bite Force's color scheme.

As usual, a bit of waterjetting later and this popped out

The weapon rails are still 1/4" aluminum, and the blade is actually a spare blade I made for Ricochet. The drive hubs are hand turned fingertech style hubs with pulleys built in.This is definitely my most controllable robot. The 2" wheels are decently fast, and 4wd makes drive feel very smooth.The next steps are to make the wedge and figure out how to lose weight (weighs 3 lbs as is).