[Kims Robot]

Unfortunately this year it seems like using the Kinect for Hybrid was an afterthought. Most teams can get much greater accuracy by just lining up their robots manually and allowing an automode to run without using any sort of controlled input.

In 2010, hybrid could be very useful, as you did not know where the trackball would be starting, so your command could help signal the robot where the trackball was. This year, there really isn't input like that needed.

That said... I can think of two potential uses...
1. A delay timer so that you can wait for other robots to shoot the balls. If you want to be the last team to shoot, and there is a potential jam in the top basket, you might be able to use it to signal your robot when to start shooting (waiting for the others to finish) and if you want to shoot for the top or the middle.

2. To choose between tipping the bridge first or shooting first. As automodes get more and more advanced, many teams are going to try to tip the bridge in autonomous. This means you may want to be the first to the bridge, but it does require you to move from your starting position if you do it before shooting (risky for alignment). If you don't have a clear picture of your opponents auto strategy, you might allow your kinect driver to signal whether to go for the bridge or shoot first.

Both of those options are not really necessary. Good strategy, timing and prematch setup can account for all of that, however, if you wanted the challenge of using the kinect (my guess is that at least some of the Controls Awards will go to the few teams that use the kinect), those are potential uses for it.

I would say having a consistent autonomous is much much more important than using the kinect (in fact as an alliance captain I don't think I would care if you used it or not - I would just need to know that I didn't have two other teams that "require" it). And that if you are weighing tipping the bridge vs using the kinect, the option for tipping the bridge adds more value to the alliance.