Re: Autonomous Strategy
 

Well, all through the practice matches we tried to get the vision system to work, but I needed more time (I got on the team about a week before we shipped out the robot, so I didn't really have time to write and test anything before the competition :( ).

Unfortunately starting with a tetra is out of the question for us because of our form factor, so we just go for knocking down the side goal. I was toying with a way to ensure that I got it on our hook and then putting it on top of the goal, but we didn't have any proximity sensors or anything with us, so I wasn't very sure that I could guarantee that the tetra would make it on top.

I think that the most foolproof plan is to start with a tetra if you can and cap a side goal knocking off the hanging tetra, and I saw at least two teams (Shelton, and Elm City Robo Squad) consistently do this at UTC.

Re: Autonomous Strategy
 

Our autonomous was to turn to one of the outside goals from the spot next to it and cap the starting tetra on it. with this capping the hanging tetra would fall and give us 4 points. yes this isnt as good as some autonomous modes that were able to get 15 points by getting a row but then again all 3 teams had to do something. we were pretty good with it. the programming wasn't perfect and neither was our aligning of the robot in the station. If we lined it up right we could score the points. There was a bit of leway with the alignment because of how we stack the tetras so we could put it in a general area (which was kinda small) and the tetra would fall into place.

-Crash

Re: Autonomous Strategy
 

We used a Gyroscope and a HallEffect Sensor to reliable cap a goal in our back row in autonmous mode and score 4 points with it. Our Code is theoretically able to move wherever we want to go on the field but our robot doesn't have an arm to pick up so we kept doing that. Didn't fail us once in competition and we might be able to raise the speed and get us into hu loading station afterwards for nationals we'll see : ) ...

Re: Autonomous Strategy
 

Team 1610 at the VCU regional managed to track and pick up the vision tetra almost every time. A few times, they managed to hover the tetra over the goal. The only problem with them, if you can call it that, is the speed. Slow and steady did them well.

We tried the camera in match, but reverted to the emergency plan. We just extended the robot mechanism and got ready to play.

Re: Autonomous Strategy
 

Ok.. heres what happened at the Nasa/VCU regional.
The last night before we shipped we had MB(our robot)
getting closer and closer to capping the center goal
in automode. Mike or mentor-programmer had worked with the guys
for about 12 hours without a break and on the very last try
MB's battery was low. MB found the tetra,lifted it ,found the goal
and went to the goal, but because the battery was low it dropped it wrong and broke our camera mount. This was close to midnight and we had to
get MB packed to ship. We did'nt have anymore time for it that night.

When they got to the regional the already had another mount
ready and put it on. I was;nt there thursday so i don't know
how much time they had to recalibrate the camera.
Then friday came. We were in the very first match
(Gov. Warner stood next to MB during his speach).
MB started out,found the tetra,lifted it,found the center goal
and almost dropped it on it. If you see the video of the first
match you'll see how close MB came to doing it. We were
all surprised how close it did come. Another problem that
we did'nt know at the time was with MB's outer most
cylinder (the one that holds and drops the tetra).
We later changed it out,but MB never got that close again.

During Saturday they changed the automode as i think MB
was having trouble lining up. There was only one other time
MB came close again. We were impressed by how well 401 did and
we've decided to change the automode to have MB do something
else. The guys wrote and partly tested 7 or 8 different programs
for MB before we shipped and did more testing at the regional.
So when you see MB again it will be doing something different.

I still think MB, with enough time could be made to run the
center goal auto program well. We might change it back
after we get home for demonstrations.

mr mummert-mentor