Here are the links from the PPT we showed yesterday. We need a vehicle that either won't flip over, can operate flipped over, or can self right. Some of them are pretty cool.

Extreme 4x4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=P1c_ecai2Vg
Insane Tracked Vehicle
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oWtMaWp-8IA
Crusher Mil. Unmanned Vehicle
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8qDo6ehxKds&NR=1
Wall Climber 6x6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxKe3Pt6zgs
Stair Climber
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XzKo6KE2H5A
Crawls stairs and flips itself
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GfsOlcvL3i4
Battle Bots IQ 2003 Self-righting
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1lOEYEk0eNE

I'm liking that Crusher. The shocks and extruding middle drive chain are legendary on that thing. It caught my eye a few years ago for being unsurpassed in autonomous capabilities, but it also a unparalleled ability to establish and maintain a stable drive while off roading. I would assume part of that is due the million dollar sensors the military has on there. But more importantly it appears as if there are hardware balancing mechanisms. I wouldn't doubt that there are a few gyroscopes in the chassis to move force from the X directors to the Y direction and vise versa. It's very interesting.

I'm pretty sure that the last two are against the rules. I'll have to check for sure about the last one, but I know the second to last one is. The stair climber seems best for actual stairs (aka 90 degree angles), and less more for a slope like the bump.

I like the second one a lot though. It also wouldn't let me see the first one

Ramps have been featured in other games, for example in 2006 featuring a 30 degree angle. Perhaps researching designs which were successful at climbing these ramps when they existed in previous years would be helpful to your brainstorming.

Similarly, many other elements of this game are "recycled" concepts quite similar to previous years- investigating the games that featured bumps/ramps, hexagons, "tunnels", bars to hang off of, etc. could help to spawn some useful thoughts for how to approach this year's game.

(This is not to say that your outside research is not good- it is actually great that you looked beyond the confines of FIRST, and into other examples of ways engineers have approached similar challenges. The more ideas you come up with at this stage, the better. Good luck this season!)