Sprinting: Acceleration vs. Top Speed

Usain Bolt runs 100 meters.

• 0-30m: Pure Acceleration (Torque). Driving the legs hard.
• 30m-100m: Top Speed (RPM). Maintaining momentum.

In robotics competitions, the field is small (12 feet). Most robots never reach Top Speed.

• Team A builds a robot geared for Top Speed (20 ft/sec).
• Team B builds a robot geared for Acceleration (12 ft/sec).

The Drag Race

• Match Start: Both robots gun it.
• 0.5 Seconds: Team B (Acceleration) rockets ahead. They hit top speed instantly.
• 1.5 Seconds: They reach the target and stop.
• Team A: Is still ramping up. They never reached 20fps. They arrive 0.5 seconds later.

Why Acceleration Wins

In close-quarters robotics (like FTC), Torque is King. Because we stop-and-go constantly (to pick up a ball, aim, shoot), we spend 90% of the match accelerating. A robot with a lower top speed but higher torque will run circles around a “Fast” robot because it reaches its working speed instantly. Usain Bolt is great, but on a 12-foot track, you want a Linebacker.