Quote:
Originally Posted by Tristan Lall
It's a fun idea, but there are some serious implementation issues.
If that sensor is controlled via the RC and radio link, then that means it has to interface with them. That interface needs to be inspected, to make sure that it is operating correctly. (For example, teams plug their Nason switch into the wrong ports all the time.) If that interface depends on code, then there is an additional need to make sure that that code is in place, and being called at the appropriate time. (Again, consider the Nason switch, which needs a line of code to trigger the relay.) These things would probably have to be considered during inspection, but unlike the pressure switch, this device would have the ability to trigger a ruling against an opponent. That means that the stakes are considerably higher. As a matter of practicality, the inspectors can't take the time to continuously verify that every team's Nason switch is being used correctly; if someone wanted to cheat, all they would need to do is disable the line of code. But that sort of action has a relatively small consequence—pretty much negligible, in the grand scheme of things. Contrast that with the sensor proposed here: if that's tampered with, a team might very well have the ability to press the switch on their joystick, and transmit a duplicate signal to the RC and radio, pretending that they've been hit severely. I'd love to think that nobody would do this, but if they did, the consequences of that ability would be enormous. Afraid of losing an elimination round? Just run into an opponent and send the fake signal. That dramatically increases the likelihood that they'll be assessed a card—and will weaken their resolve to defend against you in the next match. Even if no tampering occurred, how would the officials verify that the telemetry was accurate?
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How could you verify it? Isolate it from anything the team controls.
In the inspection checklist, require teams to provide a horizontal 3/4"x1.5" strip of the loop side of Velcro. In the queue, along with their flag, they receive the Ram-O-Meter, which is powered by its own AA batteries independent of the robot and conveniently has 3/4"x1.5" of hook-side Velcro. They attach the Ram-O-Meter in a visible location, run the match (with a slow, yes-it-works flash until a ram, when it goes solid for a few seconds), and hand it back with their flag as they leave the field.
I'm not saying it's the best solution, or even if it is an actual solution, but there's a way around the teams.