Quote:
Originally Posted by Chief Hedgehog
Ask the right questions and you can get the right answers.
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This is really important to remember. We ONLY use pit scouting data as filtering criteria for other, more useful data. However, pit scouters can make it much easier on themselves by asking questions the right way, in order to get the answers they want quickly. For example "how many wheels are on your robot" vs. "how many wheels are on your drivetrain." It's still a silly question, but a good example nonetheless.
Also, teams being pit scouted can make it much easier on themselves if they just answer the question asked. I have asked people "what type of wheels do you use on your drivetrain" then they tell me how many motors, their speeds, brand, reduction, shifting mechanism, and encoder type on gearboxes, spacing between wheels, center drop height, then forget to tell me what kind of wheels are on the drivetrain.
Here's the rules I give my pit scouters:
1) Spend 5 minutes at any team's pit, maximum.
2) When you walk up to them, try to get someone's attention, but don't be overly aggressive. Then, introduce yourself, then say "would you mind answering a few questions about your robot."
3) If their robot is there, it's probably not a good time to ask them questions.
4) If we're short on time and you feel that you absolutely must ask them questions while their robot is in the pit, don't approach them if they're busy. Actually, if they look really busy, ask them if they need help, and have one of the other pit scouters cover for you. If their problem isn't an area of your expertise, get someone else from our pit, as many as they need to get the job done.
5) Smile. Shake their hand, regardless of how dirty or greasy or whatever it may be, and wish them the best of luck. If you think their robot is cool, tell them. Be friendly, not creepy.
6) You can stop halfway through an interview if one of the following occurs: a) they tell you their robot does something that either isn't possible, or is against the rules. b) they are excessively rude to you. c) there are 7 different people in their pit all talking over each other, trying to all answer your questions. If any of these three conditions occur, put "DNP" in the notes column of the spreadsheet, and move on.
7) Never forget the picture.
8) If you ask if they do something and they answer "We tested it in our shop, yes," write down no. If they need to put a qualifier on it, then it's BS.
And, because I had to, some of my favorite questions to hear:
1) "What are your drivetrain speeds?" fast, and faster. Seriosuly, half of the teams I come by don't even have an answer, and another 30% usually give you something that's total guesswork, and in some stupid unit like inches per microsecond. Only time we've ever asked this was in 2014, when being fast was actually relevant.
2) "What is your preferred teleop" the 135 second one, with medium fries, and is that available on Amazon Prime? This question is so vague that even to the team taking the data, it's useless. If you want to know if a team does what you would want your elims partner to do, ask if they do those things.
3) "How many wheels" around 40. I mentioned this earlier- vague, pretty obvious, and completely useless.
4) "How fast do you do xyz" I have no response to this. If you want to know, go get out a stopwatch and watch the matches.
5) "Does the robot load from the front or the back?" It loads from the side, yes on a tank drive. This is one I got a hundred times in 2014, and I never understood the reason.
6) "Do you use a flywheel shooter, a catapult, or a puncher?" An anti-gravity cannon. Once again, what does this matter? If I'm getting it through the goal, who cares?
Rant over. Seriously though, if scouters weren't rude and inefficient with their scouting, and teams weren't rude and unhelpful back, pit scouting would be so much less painful.