Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

Actually, that blog post sort of suggests that only one of the three robots on the alliance will be able to use the Kinect during auto mode. That would be very interesting from a pre-match planning perspective...

Who knows whether that is insider information, or whether the poster is simply reading into the press release (possibly incorrectly).

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

It's highly unlikely, but maybe this year each team has to build three robots, 2 will run off of a simpler system, but one will have the crio and that is the one which will be controlled. That would mean each alliance would have 9 robots.

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

No way. How would you fit 18 robots on a field? Way too many.

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

There were at times 12 robots on the field this year...

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

Has anyone seen the new Kinect commercial?
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/01/k...in-2012-video/
(:52 to see a robot)

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

They wouldn't be 28*38*60, they would probably be more like 20*20*48, maybe less. Bag and tag would be a pain with three full-sized robots. It would be like how some combat robots are really just a collection of smaller robots that, together, equal the size and weight of a full robot: http://www.robotcombat.com/theswarm.html.

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

I looked up the author of that article and could not find a link between him and the Kinect project other than outreach stuff, so if he is involved with the FIRST project he probably knows about the whole thing but may not have been directly involved in organizing it (and thus may not know that it is top-secret because we are all crazy)

4 theories:

He read too much into the press release
The fact that he specified "of the three" there indicates that he actually knows what he is talking about and was not just typing carelessly. He knew he was only talking about one robot per team.
"provide some guidance to one (of the three on a team) robot by moving their bodies"

He made something up
If you know enough about FIRST games to make that up, then you know not to make things up about FIRST games

It is an intentional misprint to mess with us
They would not do this on an unrelated blog. A game hint could lie, easily, but not some random 3rd party.

It was an unintentional gaff and we should take advantage of it.
Bingo! He would not have been that specific if he did not actually know.


As Jared341 mentioned earlier, this will have huge consequences on pre-match collaboration. FIRST always wants teams to work together more, and this sounds like a great way to do that.
Sounds fun!


By the way? does anyone think that we take this WAY too seriously sometimes? :D

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

Of course we do! Thats part of the fun of FIRST! :p

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

Kinect 2: So Accurate It Can Lip Read? [Rumors]
http://gizmodo.com/5862968/kinect-2-...t-can-lip-read


Plus there will be two version of the kinect 1 on the market in the spring
http://www.atomicrobotics.com/2011/1...12-frc-robots/

Which will we be given and which will we be allowed to use?

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

Since all of the beta testing thus far has been with the "original" Kinect, I would expect that version to be the one donated to teams.

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

Based on the video from Ramp Riot (and what he said about the prepackaged code), it looks like tank drive by flailing arms should be a piece of cake. Turning would look like you were trying to fly.

has anyone tried this?

Mapping intuitive controls is hard enough with buttons (unless the programmers drive), let alone trying to map actual human movement to something with more appendages.
The demonstration made it look extremely difficult to control because the only "easy" command was moving an arm to raise the robot's claw. The driver had to consciously remember every direction to move to make the robot drive.
If the claw was controlled by nodding the head up and down to "look" at where you wanted it to go (I'm not sure this is possible) and this left the arms open for pretend-wings tank drive, it may actually be easier to control than with a joystick!

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

I happened to be at gamestop the other day and I noticed something called the "Zoom for Kinect"
http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Kinect-Xb.../dp/B0050SYS5A

This is what it claims to be capable of. Might this be implemented with the Kinect for the space problem?

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

Yes, a "two stick drive" using the Kinect was the first thing we tried. We found it a bit unintuitive, and difficult to drive in exact straight lines (hence the controls arrangement we used at Ramp Riot - when we weren't commanding a turn, a control loop using the gyro held the bot straight).

The Kinect SDK makes it very easy to define new types of gestures ("buttons" and "axes"). As far as I know, the "Kinect Server" code that runs on the Driver Station to send Kinect "buttons" and "axes" to the bot will be released as open source (at least it has been to the beta test teams), so you will be able to modify it to incorporate your new custom gestures.

You can actually start experimenting with this now. All you need is a Kinect, a Windows 7 PC with USB, and the Kinect SDK/Visual C# download from Microsoft (free). You can use the sample skeleton tracker app to get a feel for what gestures will be easy to track, and what will be more difficult.

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/kinectaccelerator/

Could this be the real reason for introducing Kinect to the FIRST community??:ahh:

Re: How are they going to use Kinect?
 

I don't think that is the reason. Dave Lavery Gave a speech about the kinect at the DC regional last year... also Will I AM came out with a video game fo rthe Kinect...