Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

Hi everyone! Thanks for the wonderful replies to last weeks question. Here we go for this week!

Question of the Week (7/26/04):

If you could choose a playingfield surface other than carpet, what would you like it to be? Why?

As always, you can suggest any questions to me by contacting me through PM, e-mail (skrach42@aol.com), or AIM (QuietRiverRage1).

Have Fun!
-Andy Grady

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

I know it's completely implausible, but I'd love to see a game on ice. It would just be cool and present a new challenge. Or maybe (warning, another crazy thing from my mind) a surface like they have on air hockey tables and make it so the robot would hafta glide. I think that would be cool...

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

How about shreadded cardboard? :D

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

I really think ice would be cool. It would require teams to worry alot more about traction and driving.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

dirt/soil - bots would have to build wheels with tires to prevent dirt clogging up the gears and getting in with all the electonics, and the tires would need strong traction. This would be tough to put together but would be fun to see!

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

It would be interesting to see a combination of very different materials on the field. For example, rubber matting and the relatively polycarbonate from this year. If the game was designed properly, there could be some robots that would try to stay on one surface because they perform better on it.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

Velcro...

Imagine the playing field with one side...the tires with the other...
The power needed...The Sound Made!!!!!!!

Positioning would conquer!

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

I like the idea of a lot of different surfaces...

If I had to pick one... rocks. Lots of large rocks. That would be hard to do...

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

I have to agree with the idea of different surfaces... I remember seeing a demo on TV for the Segway when it first came out and they showed it traversing gravel, sand, water (puddle) as well as a smooth asphalt surface.

Of course, people who help BUILD the playing fields (like my husband) will kill me for that idea!

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

How about... um... tile or concrete? Something that every team has available to practice on... not very creative but highly practical.

If not, sand. We got plenty of that out here in Phoenix. ;p

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

Many times on these forums people have suggested using some sort of very tough, not smoothe surface. I agree that it would make constructing the robot much more of a challenge, but I think it will never happen because it puts most kinds of autonomous modes out of the reach of all but the most advanced teams. Look how many teams had trouble this year on carpet with a field of exactly known dimensions...

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

Very Punny.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

I think a field with different type of sufaces is cool. Like this past season and 2003. maybe with two extremes like ice and then rubber or something like that. But I think that carpet is too old.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (7/26/04)
 

frankly i like the practical choice of concrete.....i liked that grating in 2003....i also like the fact that the surface changed from the carpet to the grating.....