[rebelreyek]

When our team goes to decide who will be driving the robot at competition, there are a couple of different factors that we look at. First, we determine who is able to handle the robot with the most ease. Similar to what you did, we set up an obstacle course and have anyone interested spend some time driving the robot around. Once they get the hang of it, we have them practice various maneuvers to see who can complete them the fastest and with the most accuracy. We also see who performs the best under pressure. You don’t want to put anyone in a position that they aren’t going to be comfortable in.

Usually we have the two best drivers on drive team, with a third lined up in case something goes wrong. These drivers, as well as the coach and human player, meet once or twice a week to discuss strategies, rules, or anything else that we find important at the time. It’s important for the drive team to get along well, because they end up spending a lot of time together. The better the drive team can communicate with one another, the better the robot’s performance will be during matches.

In the end, we try to give drivers as much practice time with the robot as the schedule permits. We all believe that the main way anyone is going to improve driving is with practice. Ultimately we try to prepare them for competition as best as possible, whether it is talking strategy or getting practice time in with the robot.