Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

You learn more about the robot on the field than you would in the pit anyways.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

While I believe that we will see a robot hang 8 tubes (with feeding assistance), I also believe that we will see more games with less than 8 tubes hung total than single robots that hang 8.

JM(NS)HO

... And I believe that a good defensive robot playing smart defense will be worth their weight in gold ;)

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

We were talking about pit scouting. Match scouting confirms what you think the robot can do from looking at it in the pit.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

So why waste time doing it twice?
Just keep a good database of what the robot does on the filed and go with that. Who cares what they do in the pits (unless they are sacrifice freshmen students to some otherworldly demon in the pits to make the robot work better then perhaps you should get security involved)? Otherwise you are stretching your scouting team thin having them scrambling around the pits when they should be observing robots in action and documenting what they are or are not accomplishing.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

I've found that's when many of our students learn the most, as they see the different approaches to the design challenge.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

I send out the kids thursday morning to gather the basic information on the teams robots.

My most important thought is for the third robot for an alliance. Drive train. If they don't have a good drive train or have issues, then they are not a good third round pick.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

I believe BOTH systems are good for collecting data! Match scouting determines what they can do and not what they say. Teams have a tendency of saying one thing about their robot and it doesn't happen on the field such as low COG and they tip every other match and lots of scoring which also doesn't happen every match. What I do like about pit scouting is that I know what is under the hood especially in the drivebase category. It is really nice know that the I am picking a robot with a 6wd with high traction wheels to play defense rather than a mecanum/omni robot that can't push.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

Yes we can.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

Several years ago we stopped doing pit scouting altogether. If you can't perform on the field, we don't care what you were theoretically designed to do.

We haven't looked back from that decision.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

I find pit scouting a method to understand more of how the robot works. Its fine knowing the robot is good, but I can't help but wanting to find the answer to why with the robot in front of me at a pit.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

I use pit scouting as an excuse to talk to other people about their robots. Nothing more, besides getting a good picture of their robot.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

Quite a few people approached us at FLR and told us they had no idea how our robot worked (because it was, for the most part, 'under the hood'). They wanted to know due to engineering curiosity (which is great), but it had no bearing on success at competition. During competition, that a robot works is more important than how.

That said, I always tour the pits and look at everyone's robots... I want to know everything I can about everything I can, because knowing is always better than not knowing... But as far as the competition itself goes, it's largely irrelevant.

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

while pit scouting is not the way to get reliable information about a robot's preformance, it is a mentaly stimulating process. I voulinteer as robot inspector because checking out robots is what i like to do at the events anyways it may as well be my job there, plus free breakfast and lunch. just thinking about the array of mechanisms awaiting my examination tingles the thinky parts of my brain. i cant wait

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

watch where you swing that clipboard, young man!

Re: Poll: Picking up tubes
 

Our team will just hand them to the robot through the feeder slot and grab them with the claw.