The original two BottleBots were constructed in the summer of 2005 for a feature in a magazine article on VEX. The challenge then was simple: "design a robot which can grab a beverage off a table, open it, and pour it into a cup." The BottleBots would become two of the most popular robots to come out of the VEX Lab.

Three years later, the challenge remained the same. This time it was Robot Magazine who asked the IFI engineers to improve upon their previous creation and come up with a better BottleBot.

The new IFI intern Tyler Holtzman would use the lessons learned from the original build to design and construct the BottleBot3. This robot included several of the best features from each of the previous BottleBots while incorporating several ways to improve its function. It would be featured in the November/December 2008 issue of Robot Magazine.

Built by Tyler Holtzman at Innovation First, Inc.

BottleBot 3 Specifications Tank Tread Drive with High Traction Links Powered by (2) VEX Continuous Rotation Motor 4-Bar Linkage Arm Powered by (1) VEX Continuous Rotation Motor 2 stage reduction First stage (10:40) Second stage (12:84) Smooth Pouring Motion Suds Reduction Technology Heavy Lifting Capacity Positional Sensor Feedback (VEX Potentiometer) Closed Loop Control 2 Stage Elastic Counter Balance Eliminates backlash in linkage (both directions) Single Sided Roller Claw Powered by (1) VEX Continuous Rotation Motor geared down (36:60) 2 Rollers on one side Rigid "track" on opposite side, lined with VEX Foam

Commercial Automatic Bottle Opener Powered by (2) VEX Continuous Rotation Motors Opened rides on VEX Linear Slides Opener extends around cup during pour Motorized Cup Arm Powered by (1) VEX Continuous Rotation Motor Driven by a Linear Extension Mechanism utilizing VEX Linear Slides Positional Sensor Feedback (VEX Potentiometer) Closed Loop Control Improved Autonomous Pour Sensors monitor Linkage and Cup arm position Micro-processor co-ordinates position during pour Elastic balancers used to eliminate "bottle slosh"

The programming code used in the Bottlebot 3 is available for download in two formats:

easyC Bottlebot 3 Code

Bottlebot 3 Programming PDF files