[z_beeblebrox]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Certainly an interesting aiming concept. How will your computer know the range of an object based solely on the click of the operator? Are you assuming you're always firing from approximately the same distance from the goal? Are you going to have the operator click&drag a box that can be used to size the goal (and thus determine range)?

Additionally, you're then forcing one of your operators to either move his hands between two input devices (his typical input device and the computer), or be entirely dedicated to the computer (thus leaving both the driving and firing to the other driver). Forcing your operators to have to look at the controls rather than the robot* and move their hands between multiple devices are some of the cardinal sins of OI design for FRC.


*the obvious exception to this is when focusing on a camera feed on the OI.

Since you know the height of the goal and the angle from your shooter to its center, you can use simple trig to find the distance. I would give the operator a USB mouse for their right hand and a joystick (maybe a custom controls box) for their left.