To grab and transport the can, we devised a simple plastic claw operated by a single RC servo.  In addition, the opening and closing of the claw also functions as a gate to allow the Pentaforce to trap golf balls underneath its body.  The minimalistic design uncomplicates the development and eases troubleshooting while still offering the performance desired.

Our strategy was a conservative one.  Due to the complex objectives and the numerous difficulties presented by the hardware (i.e. dead reckoning), we decided to focus more on robustness rather than speed.  The result is slower, yet more consistent design.

Pentaforce begins by circling in place in order to determine the random soda can location.  Once found, the can is picked up and Pentaforce then proceeds to the center stationary light.  Once the station sensor has been tripped, it circles in place, determining the direction of the correct refuel station.  Upon refueling, it carefully proceeds to the Recycle Area and drops the can under the light.  Then, one color at a time, it traverses the course looking for all golf balls of that color, collecting them as it moves along.  After circling the course once completely, it drops the balls into its corresponding shoot, returns to the course, and then repeats the process for the remaining color balls.  It should be noted that the first set of colored balls moved is determined by the color of the first ball it tracks through its color camera.  A Microsoft Visual Basic GUI (shown on right) was also developed simultaneously to allow communication with the computer.