Re: Einstein 2014
 

We talked about a goalie stick during our brainstorming session after kickoff. At one point there were even discussions about goaltending being our primary strategy, as we felt it would be the easiest way to differentiate ourselves from the pack. Ultimately it ended up lower on our priority list, but it remained on our minds.

On ship weekend, one of our new junior mentors spent some time experimenting with the Kinect (see below), and we realized that we could implement a framework that would allow us to have almost complete control over our robot during the autonomous period. Since we saw that the Q&A had made using the Kinect during autonomous legal, we suddenly realized that we could do something very cool with goalie stick during auton.

We had hoped to add the goalie atick in time for Waterloo since we knew we be playing some of the best teams in the World at that event, unfortunately we weren't able to get things done in time. So it was pushed back to a Windsor/Champs item. After Waterloo work began on the goalie stick, and we even installed the first stage of the stick in Windsor, in the spot where our infamous broken wing from Waterloo went. We were somewhat surprised that no one really questioned this random large piece of square aluminum tubing on our robot. The rest of the stick was completed after Windsor, and added to the practice robot.

Once we realized we could use the Kinect to drive the robot, we knew that a goalie stick would provide an immense amount of strategic options. All year long we saw that missed balls dramatically lowered the scoring potential of alliances, so forcing even a single miss could be devastating. We knew that plenty of teams had multiple ball autonomous modes, so we could go to the Goalie Zone and only cost us 5 points. Very minor compared to potential denial of points from both autonomous balls and delayed cycles. Also, we knew that an effective goalie stick would make us a more attractive partner to a strong team with a multiple ball autonomous mode. (Such as the Poofs)

We used a Kinect located in the alliance station. Here's a brief description from our soon to be published design notebook.

- The detected arm position is mapped to a specific location in the goalie zone
- Range of the arm height is modified from between -1 and 1 to between 0 and 100 for more accurate control on drive movement, which is corrected using gyroPID and encoderPID
- Balance control using gyro and voltage to avoid unintended turning or tipping and to stay within the 6” cylinder
- Returns to original position if no arms are detected


Basically the Kinect gave us the ability to drive to any position within the goalie zone. Of course, we knew that many teams would simply line up against the wall as a counter move. Hence we came up with the move where we curved and drove as far out of the goalie zone as possible, and then lowered our claw. The hope here was to block any robots who needed to be right in that front corner.

It wasn't the main reason, but it was definitely a benefit. We even did this with non goalie stick partners like 5288 in Windsor.

Re: Einstein 2014
 

Precisely. Neither of us are new to this game, and our teams are very open with each other. (We definitely discussed our Kinect abilities and goalie plans with the Poofs during a social gathering and cultural exchange in Waterloo.)

Re: Einstein 2014
 

This move in F3 was one of the greatest strategic maneuvers in FRC history. I remember watching the Curie Alliance set up those three robots and telling Ben (1114 Drive Coach) something like "dude, I think they're trying to block your goalie, what's our move?" What a mind game!

Far and away the best matches I've ever had the pleasure of coaching. Huge congrats to all teams involved, it was a battle to the very end!

-Mike

Re: Einstein 2014
 

Same story here.

I feel we were the most (or close to it) effective blockers, and this was because we had a mutually beneficial arms race with them all season. Our blocker had the ability to deploy and rotate and block in front of either low goals, all because of the time they put into countering the original blocker threat.

We never ran this feature as we were "Saving" it for poofs, but in hindsight we should've deployed it in front of us on 1678's 2 ball in SF 2.

Being down there talking with Adam and EJ was amazing for that play, trying to offer 254 the frame of mind that we had blocking, to help figure out 1114's move. I advised their play in F3 was incredibly ballsy and risky, but it sure as heck worked out for them. I'm glad they didn't listen!

Re: Einstein 2014
 

I was watching the video Team 20 posted of F2, and it actually looks like 1114 never touched any of the balls. The first ball just shot low, and it looks like the second ball was one of the most unlucky shots this year because it went all the way through, then bounced back out.

But all of the mind games on Einstein were absolutely incredible, and using 2848 to block in F3 was one of the ballsiest moves I have EVER seen in FRC, but it payed off, and that match came down to the WIRE.

Re: Einstein 2014
 

A mind game indeed. We programmed that blocker with plate auton mode in between the finals on Curie and Einstein. 254 and the rest of the alliance was confidant in their 3ball, which had hit in all but 1 matches on curie and we had decided just to run the standard drive forward auton until we needed the blocker, because of how risky the blocking the blocker move actually is. If we had ended up in the wrong spot we probably would have done more damage to 254's auton than 1114 if they had hit us from behind. Since it worked fine in the 1st match we figured it would in the second match also, but that claw move by the simbots was the perfect disrupter, causing our alliance to be out of position and preventing getting in our groove until there was already quite the lead.

The 3rd match was the big gamble, where we had to do something. Initially we had talked about skipping the hot goal completely and having us set a pick for the simbots toward the middle of the goalie zone with the poofs going to the right. But the "wall mode auton" had only run successfully on the left on the field. So the decision was made literally at the last second to do the really risky block that we played, just trying to buy 254 a few seconds of un-interrupted shooting.

It is amazing to think about it with only 30 points separating the 2 alliances at the end of match 3 that any small mis-step on either side could have made the difference.

From 2848 I would like to thank our partners 254, 469, and 74 it was an awesome ride. Thanks for seeing the potential in our machine, even though we had a roller coaster of a qualifications.

I would also like to say that 1114, 1678, 1640, 5136, 1477, 2590, 1625, and 3467 it was great playing with you. My teams are always inspired by the best in the world and to get an opportunity to play with you on the biggest stage will be something we always remember.

Re: Einstein 2014
 

Could someone explain why 1678 decided to only run their 1 ball auto in the semifinal matches?

Re: Einstein 2014
 

No attempt to hijack this thread, but thought I should point out that the blocking run by 2848 in the finals had already been used successfully by our robot against 469 in our second quarter final on Curie, allowing our partner Code Orange to hit both auto goals. It was risky for sure...high speed ramming 50 pt foul possible if we had hit them instead of slamming into the wall in front of them, but given the firepower of the Poofs alliance we figured, "what the heck".:D Congrats to the best alliance at Champs this year!

Re: Einstein 2014
 

We flat out missed the first ball in F2. While we are pretty accurate, we aren't perfect. Because of the geometry of our robot, the dynamics of shooting the first, second, and third ball during the 3-ball slightly changes from shot to shot (and we actually have slightly different RPM setpoints for all three). The first shot of the three ball does not have the rear intake stowed to assist (with the roller in reverse when shooting), and is the most sensitive to ball inflation. Larger balls can sometimes go low, which is what I think happened here.

The miss was not caused by 1114 and likely would have happened with any 3-ball mode (yes, there are other auto modes at the ready that were never run on a competition field). The second ball may have been affected by the first bounceback; normally, we shoot at the goals at an angle so that any unfortunate bounces do not come straight back at the robot. The missed ball hit our robot and momentarily rocked it forward and may have caused the second miss. This is the real power of goalie poles...they force you into running higher risk auto modes, even if no goalie is perfect.

We have missed two or more balls of the 3-ball only two other times during the season (not counting times when an alliance partner runs into us) and both times were before the latest revision of our hood and RPM presets, so I felt pretty good that it wouldn't happen again. We may not have run the wall auto many times in real matches, but it has been run dozens if not hundreds of times on the practice robot and in practice matches. All the data we had gathered over our 77 prior official matches, practice matches, and practice robot suggested that the odds of whiffing twice in a row were very low. Fate was on our side.

EDIT: Best vid of F1-2 auto I have seen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA0mE6HIMSc

Re: Einstein 2014
 

973 ran a blocker that could be on either the front or back of their machine. This meant they could choose which auto mode to block (1678 and 1640 both ran straight auto modes down the sides), and unless your shot was perfectly above the 1pt goal, you could be blocked. Our auto mode had a slight lean to the left and our shot was not consistently straight, so we didn't want to clean up two blocked balls after auto. Hence why we only ran 1 ball each.

In F1 and F2, we ran two balls, even thought 469 had a goalie blocker. This is because they couldn't flip what side the pole was on their bot. It meant we had a wider "safe zone" setting up our 2 ball on the side their goalie blocker was not on. To 1640's credit, their auto mode was dead straight and got past a goalie bot at least a few times.

-Mike

Re: Einstein 2014
 

These decisions and conversations are the reason I dream about getting onto Einstein all year long! Being able to talk strategy, counter-moves, risk with the best minds in the game is incredible.

After listening to EJ and Dan's conversation, I told our guys to pay special attention to Auton, things were going to get very interesting. I was so nervous for EJ's call. Go big or go home! I am usually a very conservative decision maker out there....especially with inital strategies. I was extremely impressed with EJ, Dan, and Travis' decision to line that up and run 2848 in there to block. I think both Adam Heard and I would have made the conservative call.

From our side, the threat of 1114's goalie pole made us position our robot so far out to the edge, that it forced out "100% in elims on Galileo" 2-ball auto to miss the 2nd ball in SF1-1. I did not expect them to be able to block either ours or 2481's auto balls if we pushed them out to the edge. I was extremely surprised to see 1114 positioned barely inside the goalie zone to block 2481's ball.

On Galileo, one of the biggest reasons we selected 973 was because of the goalie pole. We played an extermely aggressive defense first strategy, and having our opponents start the match having to clear an auto ball played right into that strategy.

I started having nightmares the week before Champs, as soon as I realized Cheesy Vision and Kinect would mean human controlled goalie poles. We probably should have had a contingency other than over the low goal to try and counter.

Re: Einstein 2014
 

Was that JVN I saw down behind the drivers coaching the winning alliance?

Re: Einstein 2014
 

Yup, credit for the idea goes to your alliance. It was a great maneuver which is why we added it.


Nope, that was 74's coach who was in the box with us the whole time helping to be an extra set of eyes on the field.

Re: Einstein 2014
 

Glad to be of help :D. Just kidding, congratulations and well played by the entire alliance! Every match was a sight to behold, from Curie to Einstein.

Speaking of which...does anyone have video of any of the Curie elims? Specifically the Semifinals in which 254's alliance played.

Re: Einstein 2014
 

I just wanted to say I thought Einstein 2014 was the best set of matches I have ever seen in my 10 years of FIRST. The crowd loved it, I loved it, and the matches made me forget how much I hated this game. They were clean matches, with crazy defense and crazy impressive scoring from the best teams in FIRST. Thanks to those teams that worked so hard to make there and congrats!