View Single Post
  #15   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 21-11-2011, 15:56
Siri's Avatar
Siri Siri is offline
Dare greatly
AKA: 1640 coach 2010-2014
no team (Refs & RIs)
Team Role: Coach
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Rookie Year: 2007
Location: PA
Posts: 1,603
Siri has a reputation beyond reputeSiri has a reputation beyond reputeSiri has a reputation beyond reputeSiri has a reputation beyond reputeSiri has a reputation beyond reputeSiri has a reputation beyond reputeSiri has a reputation beyond reputeSiri has a reputation beyond reputeSiri has a reputation beyond reputeSiri has a reputation beyond reputeSiri has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via ICQ to Siri
Re: Simplicity Vs. Complexity

Complexity can be better, if you can handle it. This does not mean that complexity is better if you can handle it.

This leaves two things to worry about: whether your team can handle the complexity, and whether it's worth it. Answering these requires several insights:
1) a strong strategic understanding of the game
2) good prototyping and testing work
3) a realistic understanding of your team's abilities

Also, understand that there's a difference between difficult design requirements and a mechanically and/or programmatically complex robot. In the same vein, there's a huge distinction between technical complexity and construction difficulty--in fact, it's a rather strong inverse proportionality. Smart teams, regardless of their level, work to minimize what I call "degrees of failure". (These are like degrees of freedom, only more general and with a stronger eye towards what can do wrong.) This is not a simple process, but it should yield a simple-as-possible robot.

Anecdote:
We built a unicorn drive this year. This is basically a 4-wheel, independently driven & steered, continuous turn swerve drive. Our arm was a fibreglass pultrusion 4-bar linkage.
We won the Philadelphia Regional. Did we win the Philadelphia Regional because of our swerve drive or 4-bar? Not so much, chiefly because we didn't use it very well. We won because of our minibot, our alliance partners, and a very hefty helping of luck.
We also won an off-season. Did we win this because of our swerve drive and 4-bar? In part, heck yes. Our minibot helped and our alliance was awesome, but we were a capable scorer and a strong defender, too.
Same robot, same complexity, same outcome -- different cause. A lot of this is about how you use it.
__________________
Reply With Quote