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Here you can see Tim working on the hydraulics outside the robot.  Part of the modular approach to Storm means that work on the machine is very easy.  The whole claw mechanism simply slots in and out of the machine What more could you want ?
	Can we crush it - yes we can !

First Generation Storm Pictures - almost 2 years old !

This is the very first picture of Storm ever taken.  With a prototype mocked up lifting arm and the old tattered wheels from the original Storm in place this was the first time that the world saw Storm.... to its credit, nothing has really changed on the chassis since day one.  There have been a few strengthening tweaks made here and there, but what you see here is largely what made its way to the final design.	A view from the rear of Storm giving an idea of its proportions.  You can also see how the rear wheels are protected from attack by the side pods (NB rear 'bumper' not in place on this picture). The angled rear armour also allows the robot to be lifted well above horizontal from the front and still retain traction on the floor.  Its hard to get an idea of scale in these images, but Storm is only 65cm wide, 20cm high and about 75cm in length (excluding the claw).
Viewed from the front you can clearly see the main ram in the center, the motors at the back of the robot and the hydraulic valve gear sitting to the left of the rams.  To the front of the robot you can see the bladder exposed (titanium shell removed from around bladder) on the left.  On the right you can see the hydraulics electronics in a vertical box - this is soon to be moved to a less vulnerable position.  The holes throughout the chassis were put in using a CNC system before the chassis was constructed, their size varies depending on the orientation of the member and some sections have no holes at all.  Unfortunately some of the members were welded in the wrong way around.... oops !	Viewed from the rear you can see the motors sitting braced with Titanium rods across the back of the robot.  They drive the large spur gears with sprockets and chains run to the front wheels to provide the 4WD traction.  Behind the motors in the picture you can just make out the hydraulic motor and pump lying across the width of the robot.  The gearboxes are made out of 10mm 2014T aluminum - a very tough variety, the same as Suicidal Tendencies uses for their tracks.
A view from the side with the lifting arm partially raised.  The claw mechanism shown here is not complete as there are steel gussets that support the base of whatever is being crushed.  The claw without these gussets is limited to around 3 tonnes of crush which is sufficient for charity events to put a dent in someone and hold on to them when you pick them up, but not enough to do damage.  With the steel 'forks' in place Storm can apply the full 13 (ish) tonnes of crush through the arm and through a selection of claws that are interchangeable.	A view of Storm from the side with the charity event armour on the rear and no armour on the top.  You can clearly see the main ram for the claw lying down the center of the robot and the battery pods on either side.  These usually have a titanium/polycarbonate laminate across them rather than the 6mm polycarbonate seen here.  The wheels are custom made cast Aluminium and the treads are wet go-kart tyres riveted onto the wheels.  We have two sets of 4 wheels for Storm provided by Novacast one of our sponsors - slicks and wets.

Storm Gallery [Actuator Lifter Weapon Mounted]

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