Robotic Lifts

By: Liam Godin

I decided that I would do my blog on cascade elevator designs, as it would motivate me to do both this blog and research for our summer project.

There are several designs for cascade elevators, many of which were used during this years competition. Almost all of these designs however, are not new. Many teams in the past have used them with success.

The two main designs that I've found are the cascading elevator, and the continuous elevator. A cascading elevator moves all of its sections upward at once, while a continuous elevator moves the highest section to its maximum first, then moves the next section, etc. These are both viable options for our needs, and deciding between one or the other will be a group effort in designing our new intake.

An example of a cascading elevator

A cascading elevator has the advantage of speed, however it does not have the same amount of control that a continuous elevator would. Cascade lifts also seem to be a simpler build and easier cable management.

Cascading Vs. Continuous lift

 The advantage of a continuous lift would be the control of it. being able to move only the intake would be good. This however comes with the price of the rig being much more complicated. A continuous rig is not anchored in the same way as a cascade lift, and the chaining is far more complicated.







There is also the option of an articulated arm, though that would involve very strong motors and metals in order to not flex or break. Overall, I think our best two options for lifts would be a variation of a cascade or continuous lift.

Here is an example of a possible lift design.

A variation of these lifts