[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by duane

We have been trying to use the built-in accelerometer to convert to velocity to convert to distance. The biggest problem I am seeing is the random values from the accelerometer to begin with. The noise seems to be quite high (I should add some numbers, but I don't have them right now).

However, from the reading of this thread, it seems like we are not going to be successful at this attempt.

What else would the accelerometer be used for on the RoboRio if not for velocity/distance? Seems odd to spend the money on a device that has limited functionality.

What am I missing?

• They are rather good at telling what your tilt angle is when you aren't moving - many teams used them to find the balance points on the bridges in Rebound Rumble. We were considering using them to find the edges of the scoring platform this year - drive up relatively slowly and you know you're there when you begin to tilt. We dropped this in favor of a "curb feeler" approach.
• They also make decent collision sensors - if you're accelerating more than 2g's, you probably hit something.
• When combined with wheel encoders, they could also be used to determine if you have lost traction.
• If you have stability issues (e.g. fall over in a sharp turn), they could be part of a solution to stay upright.