Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

How is your team doing this? Is there any feedback from the feeder/human player to the drivers?

We have a signal light tower that will be mounted on the robot for notifying the feeder of what tubes we want:



This is the "mock-up" of our current idea, which is a couple layers of strip LED lights (which are commonly also used as underglow...typically). If you're wondering about the material, they're CDs with milled holes that fit to PVC piping. :)

As you can see, it's REALLY BRIGHT!!!

Green - Got a tube (banner sensor on manipulator)
Red - Triangle
White - Circle
Blue - Square

Pretty cool, right? (Obviously they won't all be on at once during teleop, but we're excited about having some serious dance party lights during autonomous!!!)

Re: Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

Are you sure you can afford the weight on the robot? Every gram counts.

Re: Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

As of right now, we're hoping it's a viable option! We're not sure yet. :)

Re: Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

Team update 8 just made it legal to bring non-powered analyst to feeder signaling devices. So I'm thinking we are just going to go with three signs...

Re: Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

The signal lights will light up in response to certain buttons on the driver's station controls.

Re: Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

aka these will be on robot?
Least thats our plan. how they are going to be mounted I get to figure out today.

Re: Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

Yeah, it'll be suspended in a way inside our upper "superstructure" such that it can be viewed at any angle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeNXwKMOwdE

:)

Re: Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

We're more or less doing what you're doing, in theory.

If we can't get that to work, giant signs will.

Re: Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

We were thinking of doing something like that but when we found out how much the operator has to do this year the idea died out. I think we're going to either make giant signs or use hand signals and stilts.

OH! Now that I think of it we could use a see-saw to shoot the analyst in to the air so the human player could see them!

Re: Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

There are positives and negatives to both signs and lights. Signs can be operated by the coach, while lights must be operated by the drivers. However, signs may not be as visible 50+ feet across the field with plexiglass, tubes, racks, robots, towers, and drivers in the way. Signs are failsafe and not complicated, but they might not be practical to use.

Re: Communicating with the FEEDERs/HP
 

I've been thinking about this issue for a little while and i've only come up with3 solutions.

1.) have lights on robot to indicate desired tube

2.) have signs or flags held by strategist/analyst

3.) predetermine what feeder slots robots go to and in what order tubes are recieved.

number 3 isn't so out of the question. if robot 1 on your alliance goes to the left feeder slot and scores on the left scoring pegs while robots 2 and 3 go to the right feeder slot and 2 scores on the top right pegs and 3 scores on the middle right pegs... or 3 can play defense while 1 scores on the left and 2 scores on the right... your human players can just give them a triangle, then a circle, then a square...

the only reason i see that you'd need lights or signs is if all 3 robots are trying to coordinate scoring on the fly. robot 1 puts a triangle and a square on top right logo and robot 3 puts the circle. robot 2 puts circle and square on top left, robot 3 puts the triangle...