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Originally Posted by Chris Hibner
We handcoded our IFI RC. However, we autocoded most of our autonomous code running in our off-board processor (we did this last year as well). We use TargetLink by dSPACE. This software takes block diagrams and state-machines made with Simulink and Stateflow (part of Matlab by the Mathworks) and auto-codes them. We've had great success doing it this way. (As a side note, we use this software to auto-code some algorithms for production at TRW.).
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Mathworks (makers of Matlab & Simulink & Stateflow - perhaps the world's largest/most popular simulation software company) is right outside of Boston in Natick. The founders seem like Dean & Woodie kind of guys -- visionary folks.
Does anyone within the sound of my voice have an "in" with Mathworks?
I know this would be a huge huge huge step forward in terms of programming robots. Think of how easy it would be to program if you actually had models of arms, motors, Victors, Spikes, valves, cylinders, etc. all ready and waiting for you to drag and drop? You could code your robot before you actually had a robot in stead of what we have now which is the mechanical system gets done in 5.9 weeks, the wiring gets done in .09 weeks and the programmers have .01 weeks to make it all behave.
There are a lot of things that are unfair about the FIRST competition, but the stress that we tend to put on the coders is among the unfairest burdens we put on people in this FIRST game.
If anyone can get Mathworks to fall in love with FIRST, we would be a long way to making it up to our poor coders.
Joe J.