Manipulators

Read: VEX's Guide on Manipulators

Passive vs Active Manipulators

A passive manipulator is a manipulator which does not require any motors. These are usually structures such as the plow or the scoop but it could also be a single-use part which moves by using rubber band tension as seen in the expansion.

Passive Manipulators

Plow

"Plows are usually attached to the drivetrain and typically their functions are pushing game pieces around and/or keeping the robot from driving up on game pieces and becoming immobile." - VEX

Designated plows are usually very inefficient and for a competitive team, having a plow as a main strategy is not recommended as it is quite hard to score high points.

Scoop

"Forks and scoops (types of passive claws) are typically attached to an arm and are usually designed to slide under game pieces in order to pick them up." - VEX

Scoops were useful in the 2016-2017 game Starstruck and there could be similar games in the future. They can be used to pick multiple game pieces up if the order or placement doesn't matter.

Expansion

"Expansion zones allow the robot to expand beyond its starting position after a match begins." - VEX

When your robot is complex, an expansion could be needed where you need to expand outwards for more space for some of the mechanisms. Here is a YouTube playlist on series of passive expansion hinges.

Active Manipulators

Clawbot Claw

"Double-sided claw will activate both sides of the claw. Double-sided claws products are available with the VEX Claw Kit and the V5 Claw Assembly (which is presently included in the V5 kits)." - VEX

These are the easiest claws to implement in your robot. This is because it is pre-built. It works with all game pieces from any game but not as well as other claws. The rubber material inside allows it to have friction which holds the object.

Custom Claw

"Custom assembled double-sided claws typically have an even number of gears setup to move the two sides of the claw. One side of the claw will be attached to the first gear in the assembly and the second side of the claw will be attached to the last gear in the assembly, allowing the claw to open and close as the gears are rotated." - VEX

A custom made claw is quite effective as it can match the game pieces perfectly in terms of shape, and allows for a quick manipulation of the object. This is an example of a cone manipulator for the 2017-2018 In the Zone game.

Braided Rollers / Rubber Band Rollers / Goliath Intake

These rollers were used by most robots in the VEX 2017-2018 game In the Zone. These rollers were made with rubber bands and putting them between sprockets. When motorized, these spin acting as an intake for cones or balls to roll in between transporting them. This is good for moving something up as it easily moves game objects upwards.

Roller Claw

"Roller Claws are typically assembled using Wheels, Intake Rollers, or Tank Treads. Roller claws function by spinning their rollers and having game pieces pulled into the claw. Then the rollers can be reversed, pushing them out." - VEX

Roller claws have a flaw of having to motorize both of them individually, meaning that 2 motors are almost always required. They also need a lot of power to move game objects and could cause the motors to overheat and stop or slow done because of the need for constant running. On the other hand, it allows for continuous streams of game objects to be taken in quickly.

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