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Re: Scouting using tablets
We used 7 laptops last year (thanks to 2410 for helping us scout in KC). Six for scouting robots and one for collecting the data. To keep them powered up, we were using a power inverter and robot batteries, and we kept swapping batteries back to the pit to be charged. It was a bit of a hassle, but laptops can be used for more robotics functions than tablets can.
I think it's a lot easier to develop the application on laptops. Last year we used Excel. This year for FTC we have a system that a student wrote using C. We were using USB drives to swap data around last year (a hassle), but this year we're going to try to use a simple 8 port network switch in the stands to streamline that process. I think it will be nice if we get the details right.
Tablets admittedly seem really nice for scouting, because a touch interface seems right for this application, and tablets are nice and compact for use in the seats.
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