So called "off road" vehicles are usually stopped by vertical obstacles of greater than one metre in hight. The challenge is to create a vehicle which can climb a one metre step (either positive or negative, or both), as part of traversing a course.

This could either be a walking machine (good ability to climb, slow speed), or a wheeled vehicle with an unusual suspention system (faster cross country, but may have trouble with the step). A very long travel hydraulic suspention, or an arrangment of three wheels pivoting about a single axle can work....

An interesting variation of the cross country race/off road machine challenge.

-- Arthur Majoor (a_majoor@hotmail.com), April 01, 2001

Answers

I like this one... could also apply to boats which must get past a walled barrier which reaches up to the surface.

cheers,

-- Max (Maxel@inwindsor.com), April 01, 2001.

They may have to "de-seed" the junk yard for this one. Grab some large diameter tractor tires- and some seriously low gears- and you should be able to crawl over a three foot wall. Hummers climb two foot steps, and their tires aren't all that large. The trick is in the gearing- and making sure the axles are out on the ends of the chassis. This could be a fun one to watch!

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), April 02, 2001.