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Unread 04-12-2013, 13:03
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FRC #1678 (Citrus Circuits)
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Re: Robot in 3 Days : Feedback

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery View Post
My gripe doesn't only necessarily come from my team, though I used it as an example. How many non-wheeled frisbee shooters did you see last year? I only know of 1024 and 1503. Everyone else was using the wheeled launcher design. I don't know of a single Nerf-inspired frisbee "flicker" or rotating arm flinger. I know a handful of teams took the time to prototype other concepts and didn't like their results, but the bulk of teams went immediately into the wheeled shooter concept demonstrated by RI3D.
I see your point about how RI3D could limit variety in design. However, how many non-wheeled shooters did we see in 2012, the pre-RI3D era? I can think of 16 and was it 1523? Also a team from Israel used a tennis racket. That's all I can think of, maybe I'm missing a ton. Can we really say RI3D was to blame for lack in shooter variety?

A lot of teams used 2006 and 2009 as their base for designing their 2012 bot. I know the frisbee was a new game element, but like James said, there were already videos of wheeled frisbee shooters online, and more videos from other FRC teams by the end of week 1. It seems like whatever is out there, teams will use. If not RI3D, something else.

In your team's design process, are you against looking at online videos/testing/data, and instead rely mostly on in-house designs? Or is that your goal at least? Sounds like RI3D was a point of contention/frustration in your team's design process last year. Just curious.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery View Post
Don't take my comments to mean I don't like RI3D, but I think delaying the release some could lead to more variety across FRC. The right-after-kickoff nature of the project leads to a tremendous amount of influence over FRC teams, perhaps an unhealthy amount so. I recognize the potential to allow it to help raise the bar of many mid-level teams, but I also don't want it to be used as a crutch.
You use a certain set of skills by ignoring outside data and brute forcing through a problem yourself. You use another set of skills by blindly copying what is available on the internet. You use another set of skills by taking outside data, synthesizing it, and utilizing the data to improve your designs.

Some would call using RI3D a crutch. Some would call it smart. I fall with those in the second camp. But then again, I'm a terrible engineer and copy everyone else all the time

-Mike
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