Quote:
Originally Posted by akeisic
No matter what you system you derive, I think there's a balance you need to strike between the Excel spreadsheets and the paper notes. The Excel sheets make quick work of all the calculations, but is slow to navigate. The paper version is just the opposite.
|
This is good advice. You want the facts- how many hurdles, how many laps, what it does in hybrid, etc., but you also want other details about it, things you can't just capture in the numbers.
When I was talking to our scouters about what I wanted to know about other robots as a coach, I made up this example of a "scouting report" on a team that could have been written up quickly, but gave good data:
Quote:
Team XXXX:
An average robot.
Is capable of hurdling, but has a lot of trouble with ball control.
Needs to pick up ball from against wall.
Average speed.
Auto is capable of crossing 3 lines and knocking off 1 ball, but is fairly inconsistent.
High COG.
Several penalties- crossing the plane, interfering with a hurdler, entanglement.
Very fragile robot- broke during two matches.
Cannot place trackballs.
For defense ideas:
Keep balls away from walls,
Hit on left rear corner.
|
Other things that are good to include on the scouting sheet, no matter the year:
- a picture of the robot, so you can bring an image to mind when you talk about it
- how many years of experience the team has
- how many years of experience the drivers have
- how many hours of experience the drivers have
- if any, how many regionals has the team been to this season? results?
All of these things can be important, but some things end up outweighing others. Think about how a robot would interact with your team, if they would be partners, how you can strategize against them if they will be on the opposing alliance, etc.
To answer some of your other questions:
- On Thursday, our team only does "pit scouting", which consists of taking pictures of each robot and asking each team questions about their robot (based on the above stuff). It's usually pretty accurate if you bear in mind that the numbers are probably inflated (they're used to practicing by themselves, not playing under match conditions with 6 robots on the field). You can use this to get a head start for Friday matches, and compile it with the data you collect during qualifications.
- On Friday/Saturday during matches, our team uses a system of 7 scouters; one for each robot and one lead scouter to compile all the data. In the past, when we've had fewer scouters, we've tried it with one person per alliance, but that gets tricky and you get less data. You can have people swap out if you want.