Chief Delphi - What Should Be Done With Autonomous?

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- - What Should Be Done With Autonomous? (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20437)

Quote:

Originally posted by GregTheGreat
We were one of the teams that got a great deal of time to work with our programming. I noticed that many teams at least at the regionals I attended, did not have the time or resources to do any testing. I think that this puts teams at a disadvantage. What I would recommend, to buy software that can test "artificially" on the computer you're programming. I would contact university's that may already have the software, and may be able to lend you a copy. That way you can walk in with an idea of where to begin. With practice it is hard, and the more testing you have the better. If you guys ever need help with you're program give me an e-mail and I would be more then happy to help in any way I can.

how do you test your auto program using this software that you're talkin about? sorry, i just started learning about programming, i dont know much about it. it just seems to me that there are so many different things that the program is dependent on and if you dont have exactly the same conditions that will be present at a competition, you cant really test your program. i know for our team, we could only build half the ramp with 2/3 of the metal grid and no carpet. we just dont have enough space or money. and we felt like we were at a big disadvantage, but there was nothing we could do and we figured out a way to manage with what we had. i am sure that there were many other teams with the same problem as us.

p.s. thanks for the offer to help.

Re: What Should Be Done With Autonomous?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kel D

The kind of software that he is talking about would be used just to make sure you have the basic framework down. You would load some form of compiled code, or even the code itself (depending on the type) into software and it would move an onscreen object in the same way that your robot would move.

EDIT: The best thing that I could recommend would be the Robovation kit. Instead of being an onscreen image like the software, it's an actual physical object that reacts to the environment. You can also (in smaller scale, of course) replicate unique objects of your robot (arms, etc.), to test even more in depth.