What new technology will FIRST have this year?

[Michael Hill]

Will FIRST introduce a new piece of technology for us to try out? Or will it be an off-year, like last year? The newer pieces of technology I'm talking about include the cameras, auto-balancing, etc. Not that these are necessarily new technologies to the rest of a world, but in the FIRST robotics world they are. I say last year was an off-year, because the game wasn't based on getting the new technology to work, it was based on playing the game and getting a new game idea to work.

[Billfred]

One thing I'm hopeful for next year isn't a new thing to FIRST, but it's been noticeably absent for a few years: line tracking. Don't get me wrong, I like the CMUcam, but it would be so nice to have an alternative in case either the programmers can't get it working or the strategy doesn't coincide with how they're using the camera this year. (Dumpers, anyone?)

[Bill_Hancoc]

I think that they are going to make us sense some moving field element in real time, kind of like the green light but it will be moving.
Similier to the moving goals some years ago, they would give us some new tool to sense where those were. (sorry if didnt get the game right i never was part of it i just heard about it.)

[team222badbrad]

All first teams will be limited to use only the Segway RMP (http://www.segway.com/products/rmp/) as a drivetrain.

[Elgin Clock]

All first teams will be limited to use only the Segway RMP (http://www.segway.com/products/rmp/) as a drivetrain.

Powered by Fuel Cells?
(I think this needs to go in the Rumor Mill section now. We have officially crossed that line.) :ahh:

[Billfred]

Powered by Fuel Cells?
(I think this needs to go in the Rumor Mill section now. We have officially crossed that line.) :ahh:
<offtopic>Actually, a group down in Engineering here at USC is working on just that. Except for the human version. :ahh: </offtopic>

[Andrew Blair]

Honestly, I'm hoping there isn't a new tech. introduction, just an expansion on the current one. Teams have barely started to actually implement the camera, let alone use it to it's full potential. I am very impressed that they included the sensors last year as well- I'm in favor of a game that makes use of additional sensors too. Maybe not many in combination, but of different ones. (Balance ramp and a light?)

Anyways, I think we'll be playing BatonBlitz this year anyways. I like it!

[Koko Ed]

I don't know what will be new I just hope it works and doesn't cause the game to come to a screeching halt. It's nice to have new technology and all but I think FIRST gets too complicated for it's own good and if something goes wrong it brings the whole thing to a grind. Sometimes simplicity is the best feature you can show off.

[RoboMadi]

Heres my guess (and yes its in directly from Dave, as he made me think about it)

Obviously some sort of sensors.......... mainly to prevent running into other stuff (robots, elements, etc). Or some sort of technology that will prevent a robot from entering or running into a certain area; and if a robot does, it will lose points.

Last May, during Space Day, Dave came to me and told me about how he was talking to Woodie on the phone and 612's ElectronicBabyWalker (http://www.chantillyrobotics.com/albums/walker/driving_outside_sm.jpg) might have helped shaping 2007 game....... :)


Imad


PS just a guess, don't take it seriously........
PPS Dave, don't kill me if this happens to be right.... :o

[Lil' Lavery]

http://www.usfirst.org/robotics/2007/greenmachine.htm
not every team, but still new tech in FIRST

[Rob2713g]

I have a feeling that they will include a sonar sensor.

[Lil' Lavery]

I have a feeling that they will include a sonar sensor.
actually, they already have those. You are allowed to use the vex ultrasonic sensors.

[Bongle]

I don't think it will be anything active or something that physically interacts with the robots. Powering and maintaining a moving <anything> on the field over 100 matches would be pretty much impossible.

However, based on the pre-einstein presentation at the championship, it seems that moving lights or changing colors might be in the cards. In that case, I wouldn't be surprised to see an array of lights above targets, with the light indicating which one to score in. Autonomous robots would have to score in the lit goal for bonus points or something like that.

An extension of this first idea would be to have infrared lights above a series of targets. Drivers would not be able to see which is lit, but an infrared-sensing camera on the robot would be able to. Scoring into the lit goal would give bonus points.

[Graham Donaldson]

An extension of this first idea would be to have infrared lights above a series of targets. Drivers would not be able to see which is lit, but an infrared-sensing camera on the robot would be able to. Scoring into the lit goal would give bonus points.

Please- let's not give Dave any ideas!!!!

[not for Dave to read] it would be cool (and tricky) though [/not for Dave to read]

[Nitroxextreme]

Well to go along with the speculation of a water game...but the realization that it would not really be feasible.

Maybe they are planning to unveil some sort of pressure reading sensor...to read the pressure inside containers. Understanding of course that the containers would be safely contained.

[Cuog]

I am fairly certain that Fuel Cells will be involved in the Game this year ;)

Also I hope that not much else is added and instead of throwing new stuff at us the Game Design Committee encourages us to perfect what we have.

[JoeXIII'007]

I cannot say that FIRST will unroll new technology for robots.
But I do hope they put something cool on the field this year (I still remember the IR beacons from 2004, that was something great.)

And please, no more 'heading for the light.' Its beautiful, yes, but I think its time to go back to some line tracking or IR seeking or something rather invisible and classic. A game that does not literally require a single piece of technology to win. Multiple win condition possibilities would be great.

I know I wrote this a bit oddly, I'm just throwing ideas out.

-Joe

***PSSSTTTTT*** this is my senior year, don't disappoint. ;) :cool:

[Simon Strauss]

Any possibility for sound tracking, its a direction that FIRST has not yet gone into, has endless real world applications, would be fun to do and seems possible.

An even more insane alternative would be gaseous oder tracking with something unharmful that could be picked up by sensors, possible and useful but most likely too wasteful to be done over and over.

[RoboMadi]

Any possibility for sound tracking, its a direction that FIRST has not yet gone into, has endless real world applications, would be fun to do and seems possible.

I really doubt it. Even with the CMUcam, especially in Chesapeake, our robot was going crazy after the indoor lights instead of green target. So with the sound tracking system, things can go even worse. Especially when you have crazy FIRSTers shouting in the bleachers.

During Medical Automation Conference in Leesburg VA, i talked to Dean about the possibilities of Sound detection/tracking system on a robot or a wheel chair; his opinion was quite against it.

Imad

[artdutra04]

The CMUcam will definitely be back in the 2007 game.

Line-following has not part of an FRC game since 2004; it may or may not make a comeback. Even in 2003 and 2004 when there was line-following, very few teams were actually followed the line. The same can be said for the IR beacon in 2004.

Sound tracking is [highly] unlikely, because there is way too much variation on the acoustics of the different venues where FIRST competitions are held. In addition, FIRST competitions are loud enough as is - let's not intentionally make them louder. ;)

Sonar/ultrasonic sensors are a possibility, but then again they've always been a possibility. There isn't anything too high-tech them, at least not nearly to the level of the CMUcam.

Accelerometers, gyros, and the encoders will be back. The trend over the past few years has been for FIRST to encourage use of "high-tech" sensors such as these.

If we have another year of a wide-open field, bumpers and anti-wedge rules will be back. If we have a field like 2004 or 2005, then you may see a relaxing of these rules and/or the elimination of bumpers.

Kitbot and KoP transmissions will be back.

Fuel cells will most likely not be part of the 2007 FRC game; this is why the Green Machine competition is a separate program this year.

[Tom Bottiglieri]

Maybe we'll get something that can do this..

http://www.ics.forth.gr/~argyros/mypapers/2005_06_vpcvpr_blobtracking.pdf

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Heres my guess (and yes its in directly from Dave, as he made me think about it)

Obviously some sort of sensors.......... mainly to prevent running into other stuff (robots, elements, etc). Or some sort of technology that will prevent a robot from entering or running into a certain area; and if a robot does, it will lose points.

Last May, during Space Day, Dave came to me and told me about how he was talking to Woodie on the phone and 612's ElectronicBabyWalker (http://www.chantillyrobotics.com/albums/walker/driving_outside_sm.jpg) might have helped shaping 2007 game....... :)


What!! No!! Don't tell me the game pieces next year will be human babies! :eek: That will be the hardest game ever!

Jk

On a serious note, I would like to see a vision system that is easier to program. The camera they provided this year was great, but my team didn't have a hope of using it. I think it would be neat if they gave us something a bit easier, and perhaps a bit more reliable :rolleyes:

[Peter Matteson]

I'm thinking we will have a positioning system built into the field. The idea has been kicked around a bit for the last few years. We have 3-4 beacons on the field that allow us to determine our position.

No IR that was a problem in 2004. I believe camera auto-focus mechanisms threw off the tracking ability in practice.

Fuel Cells on robots and in venues won't happen. We aren't allowed to bring Hydrogen into the venues. We had to purge our H2 bottle in the Fuel Cell vehicle we brought to UTC last year because of this concern. (See my who am I? for a picture)

The other item I think we may see is RFID. The goal only is able to be used when an RIFD tag is appriatly located by an alliance partner. At least that is something I want to see :D

[Lil' Lavery]

I'm thinking we will have a positioning system built into the field. The idea has been kicked around a bit for the last few years. We have 3-4 beacons on the field that allow us to determine our position.

No IR that was a problem in 2004. I believe camera auto-focus mechanisms threw off the tracking ability in practice.

That would be awesome. 116 toyed with a field positioning system using a combination of encoders, gyro, and the IR beacons in 2004, but couldn't quite get it fully operational. Had we had a 3rd beacon to triangulate, it would have been so much easier.