View Single Post
  #9   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 10-06-2008, 08:14
Travis Hoffman's Avatar Unsung FIRST Hero
Travis Hoffman Travis Hoffman is offline
O-H
FRC #0048 (Delphi E.L.I.T.E.)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Rookie Year: 2001
Location: Warren, Ohio USA
Posts: 4,047
Travis Hoffman has a reputation beyond reputeTravis Hoffman has a reputation beyond reputeTravis Hoffman has a reputation beyond reputeTravis Hoffman has a reputation beyond reputeTravis Hoffman has a reputation beyond reputeTravis Hoffman has a reputation beyond reputeTravis Hoffman has a reputation beyond reputeTravis Hoffman has a reputation beyond reputeTravis Hoffman has a reputation beyond reputeTravis Hoffman has a reputation beyond reputeTravis Hoffman has a reputation beyond repute
Re: 2008 Cleveland Cage Match at the Ingenuity Festival

The key goal of this event, like most events, is to entertain and capture the interest of spectators, right? Well the more robotic participants, the better, I'd say. I think requiring fully autonomous dance routines might either curtail the number of robots in the competition or dilute the entertainment value should teams struggle with the implementation. If you want to ensure more participants, I'd suggest permitting 100% remote-controlled dancing, but add some kind of significant incentive for using autonomous routines during some/all of the match. If certain teams are successful at implementing fully autonomous dancing, then highlight their accomplishments to the crowd - humans operating robotic dancers are cool, but robots moving and reacting to the music on their own are even cooler!

You could have a ref/timekeeper stand at each operator station and time how long the team uses autonomous routines during their performance (verified by the use of the autonomous switch). Award some kind of score bonus or multiplier tied to the percentage of time autonomous was used in a match.

You could also reward the creation and use of supervisory "hybrid mode" type routines - press a button and the bot enters John Travolta mode. Press another and it becomes Fred Astaire. etc. etc. etc. The process is set forth by a human, but the robot is executing code on its own after that, until interrupted by another button press.

Controls could be simplified even further where button presses execute shorter, more specific dance maneuvers. Establish a set of dance "moves" for each robot mechanism (drive, tilt, extension, etc.), and human operators can mix and match the move combinations to their hearts' content. This begins to steer back toward the realm of 100% manual control, though - you would have to clearly define the line separating manual and autonomous function in your rules.

Is there a Couples Division for this robot dance contest?
__________________

Travis Hoffman, Enginerd, FRC Team 48 Delphi E.L.I.T.E.
Encouraging Learning in Technology and Engineering - www.delphielite.com
NEOFRA - Northeast Ohio FIRST Robotics Alliance - www.neofra.com
NEOFRA / Delphi E.L.I.T.E. FLL Regional Partner

Last edited by Travis Hoffman : 10-06-2008 at 08:16.
Reply With Quote