Auto Powerhouse?
 

I believe that there will be a team that will be able to score all cans and stack all containers in auto getting 28 points everytime for their alliance

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

That really wouldn't be surprising. Elite teams always figure out how to maximize their autonomous performance. It's what makes them elite.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Yeah, it doesn't seem _that_ difficult conceptually. It would be hard to pull off due to all the sensors required and testing time needed.

1) Get your alliance partners to drive forward to get the robot set. Maybe ask them to push their cans with them.
2) Use your high-quality stacker robot to grab the yellow bins one at a time, build a stack, then scoot to the auto zone and drop it off.

Tada!

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

I'm certain we'll see several alliances manage this. I think a single team doing all this in 15 seconds is a bit much unless they're simply hurling the recycle containers in the general direction of the auto zone.

On the other hand, I think we will see an alliance that scores the container set and tote stack in auto, and claims atleast two of the center recycle containers.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

We're working on a concept that could score a CONTAINER SET on its own during auto mode. It might work, it might not. We'll have to see.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Is it three lasso's and a drivetrain? :)

That would be legal, (and useful) as Karthik pointed out in his "Karthik's Strategic Analysis" seminar which is part of Build Blitz.

I hope we have a few Texas partners this year who can lasso up some Containers.

<Insert Yee-Haw here>

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

John, I think you and Karthik are correct IF the lassos avoid G16 (E & H) violations. I wonder if it is possible to get a Q&A response on this topic without running afoul of the GDC's position against reviewing potential designs?

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Why not just lasso all 3 containers and all three totes at the same time? You wouldn't get the stack bonus but for an average team this would be an easy 14 points (lasso your alliance partners and make it 18 points).

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

I think it is completely reasonable to assume that one robot can score everything in auto bar the robot set. Although I am not on a team this year, I am designing a theoretical bot (full CAD) that should be able to get the 28 points alone (I know, easier said than done).

To be completely honest, it is less about the robot and more about the strategy and working with other teams.

In fact, with a perfect alliance, I foresee a robot set, container set, Tote stack, and possession of 7 of the 10 containers on the field. XXDoing this is nearly an instant win if you can get a few stacks with bins on them.XX

Edit: Have to get into a Max Point mindset. Doing this will give you amble opportunity for scoring, and allows you to stack a bit lower (One 6 tote+Cont stack< Two 4 tote +cont stacks) to maximize your scoring potential. Doing this also limits the opposition to 3 stacks with containers on them (because you have the other 7).

Hope this helps some teams strategize.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

I suspect there will be more than one team that can.

I also predict that because of unintentional interference from the other teams on the alliance they won't be getting that as often as they'd like.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Okay, close enough. It's three lassos, a drivetrain, and a quick winch. We're looking at reliable ways to detach from the containers without tipping them over.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Full loop back to the robot instead of loop at the end? Hold one end, winch the other, drop the held end after you've gotten the containers, winch in the rest. It's a one trick pony, but I have difficulty believing any 3 container winch system would be reusable anyways.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Clearly teams will just go fishing for containers instead. It shouldn't be that hard to cast into the noodle hole, right? :)

Seriously though I'm looking forward to seeing the solutions teams find to this problem. I'm guessing we will see some clever solutions including the return of tape measures on FRC robots.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Teams that have a plan of dragging containers behind them better also come up with a way to stand them back up. Generally speaking, getting 8 points in autonomous isn't worth losing a potential 90 points in tele-op.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

We are working on some concepts that would get the 20 points for stacking the three yellow totes by ourselves in autonomous - I am pretty certain that we'll get it. (I'll know in three or four weeks). Adding all three recycling bins into the mix makes things more interesting. I have some ideas on how we could do this, but developing them into something that works is a lower priority than fully developing the primary functions of our robot.