[Abhishek R]

We use two of the Logitech Gamepads. The buttons make it great to assign functions to, and are very easy to pick up. It also gives you some freedom of movement behind the glass.

While I agree, one driver is better than two because there is no lapse in communication, for some of our robots it's just not feasible. In 2012 and 2014, almost everything was done by the driver due to the automation of the robot in picking up and firing the balls, but because in 2013 we had to adjust angles, shooter speeds, and in 2015 the elevator and intake system made things too complex for the driver to handle (our manipulator had multiple sets of buttons - we basically had a shift key on the copilot gamepad).

Automation has been one of our team's strengths due to the hard work of our programmers, and that really lightens up a lot of the minute things the driver has to worry about.

I will say, the best way to assign robot functions to the drivers is like this, in my opinion: first, put all the robot drivetrain functions on the driver's side, and everything else on the copilot's side. Then, start moving robot functions from the manipulator to the driver until it impacts the driver's ability to maneuver the robot. For example, if you are using a gamepad, the first function assigned to the driver is the drivetrain to the two joysticks. Then, let's say you want the driver to be able to shoot, so you put that on a trigger. Then say you want the driver to be able to drop the intake to pick up a ball as well, but for whatever reason you are out of triggers, so you have to put it on one of the buttons. Since the driver will have to move their thumb off the drive stick to press the button, that function should be left with the copilot/manipulator.

We experiment with driver stations and setups all the time (this year we had a dual monitor setup!), so feel free to ask us any questions you may have.