[archiver]

Posted by Mike Aubry at 1/11/2001 12:22 AM EST


Engineer on team #47, Chiefs, from Pontiac Central and Delphi .


In Reply to: Can Anyone With a Field Help the Rest of Us?
Posted by aTm on 1/10/2001 11:50 PM EST:



We ahve 99% of the ramp and two goals built. Here are my observations.
- It is easier for a human demonstrating the strategy of pulling a goal up the ramp and balancing than for the robots that will be constructed to play this game
- The goals are alot heavier and difficult to manipulate that we initially thought they would be
- The ramp tips very easily and the balance point changes rapidly, therefore a robot that gets to the place on the ramp needed to initiate it tipping, will need to reverse direction and move a few inches the opposite way by the time the ramp gets to the level position in able to keep it from "going to far" and having to repeat the process because the ramp has "flipped over"
- Lifting a goal is easier if the robot could lean backwards so as to instantaneously move the combined cg of both it and the goal it is attempting to lift
- The coordinated effort of two or more robots make "doing stuff" easier - one pushes while one pulls, etc.
- Flipping goals and aligning them sideways or length ways to enable more big balls to be score on top of them, is alot easier said than done
- Going slow up the ramp, which does take some time, is needed to get the ramp to balance, but also going over the ramp in pairs will require more coordination than we initially thought. (Hint: once a robot passes over the balance point, be sure the other one does not accidently back up instead of go forward. Big bang theory and NOT a very soft landing is in store for one of them)
- Hope that helps, seeing the real stuff has enlightened us to what will or won't be "EASY" to do. BUT, we now look forward to seeing just what we CAN do, and do well. Nothing like a little reality !