Using GoPro's for robot videos

[math311]

Has anyone tried using a GoPro camera for video during competition, and if so, what were your experiences using them, and what kind of shots did you take, such as views looking into robot, out of robot, diffeent angles, etc?turned on gopro,little cross came up on screen

[RyanN]

Here's one of us at the LSR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrVF9wNakvc

[math311]

Originally Posted by RyanN

Here's one of us at the LSR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrVF9wNakvc

Nice video! I know this is might be a bit comlicated, but did you consider placing the camera on a servo? My team has mounts for the Axis cams, which can be connected to servos. We have never used them like that, and I think it would make for an interesting video. Or would you view that as more time consuming than it may be worth?

[RyanN]

Originally Posted by math311

Nice video! I know this is might be a bit comlicated, but did you consider placing the camera on a servo?

No. Our drivers have enough to worry about driving the robot. The GoPro is pretty low priority.

[thisOrrthat]

I posted one on our robot a lot. Its nice to try different angles each match. I do recommend being sure the place you mount the camera is extremely strong. Just from driving around if you have your camera suspended from something that is slightly stable it will wiggle a ton. If you cant find a strong place to mount the GoPro, if you have part of the robot in the frame, it will give the viewers eyes something stationary to look at and this will help the overall viewing experience.

[MrTechCenter]

We used them a lot. You can check out some of the videos we used them in at our Youtube page: www.youtube.com/user/eagleforce2073

We had 3 mounting positions. One in the middle of the bot, off to one side and attached to the frame. One closer to the top, attached to the frame. And one just inside the front bumper, giving a nice view of the ball intake with a glimpse of the field.

At Calgames, some teams expressed concerns over using GoPros on bots and advised us not to use ours. Apparently, a couple of teams had issues with their GoPros "frying" during matches. This never happened to us, even after use during 2 regionals and 2 offseason competitions.

[Hallry]

Here is our GoPro footage from IRI this past summer: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...3XiRDGPlTHouV6

I believe it was only held on by a myriad of layers of duct tape, but it worked pretty well. If it were an official event, we would have attached it more securely.

[Pendulum^-1]

Team 1915 used GoPro during the BattleO'Baltimore and IROC in Haymarket, VA. Worked very well at both places. Especially impressed with the amount of video you can take at 1080p with 32 GB of memory: about 6 hours. Of course, the battery only lasts about 2.5 hours, so you have to keep it charged.

We mounted it on a flat part of our frame near the flywheel, aiming forward. We used the mounting pad which came with the GoPro. The sticky tape provided with the camera attached quite well to flat aluminum angle. It is so secure (and inexpensive) that we are not even going to try to remove it.

We have not posted the video from the GoPro publicly.

I recommend waiting until after the game manual is released on Jan 5 before thinking too much about getting a GoPro. Once you determine if it will be legal at a competition, getting one of the early GoPros--without wifi capability.

[math311]

Originally Posted by Pendulum^-1

I recommend waiting until after the game manual is released on Jan 5 before thinking too much about getting a GoPro. Once you determine if it will be legal at a competition, getting one of the early GoPros--without wifi capability.

In previous years I remember that they fell under COTS items.. I think.
I was given one as a gift this christmas, so I'm not worried about purchasing one.

[jsasaki]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKQ6vksrLDU
This video is my favorite frc gopro video its pretty awesome. even had gopros on the top of the minibot towers!!!!

[Peter Matteson]

Originally Posted by math311

In previous years I remember that they fell under COTS items.. I think.
I was given one as a gift this christmas, so I'm not worried about purchasing one.

If I'm not mistaken they require a battery, therefore they have an external power source that is not an allowed FRC power source, hence they are not legal under prior years rules during the competition season.

[jvriezen]

Originally Posted by Peter Matteson

If I'm not mistaken they require a battery, therefore they have an external power source that is not an allowed FRC power source, hence they are not legal under prior years rules during the competition season.

We had no rules problems using a GoPro and our robot was inspected by Big Al, the FRC LRI. His ruling is that it is a 'decoration' as I recall.

We had two mounting points on our bot - a lower one on the ball elevator that always pointed robot forward, and one on the turret so it followed the shooting direction-- this had more vibrations when shooter wheels were spinning, but it also had the advantage that it was much closer to our LED's and the basket outlines were much brighter. For some matches in Duluth, we had two cameras on the bot, and managed to capture our most famous shot, where we launched two balls practically simultaneously from just beyond half court, and scored 3+1.

During the MN State HS Robotics Tournament, we mounted a camera behind each of the the top backboards so we have a basket eye view of nearly the entire field.

[Andy A.]

Originally Posted by Peter Matteson

If I'm not mistaken they require a battery, therefore they have an external power source that is not an allowed FRC power source, hence they are not legal under prior years rules during the competition season.

They fall under the definition of a non-functional decoration, as they provide no competitive advantage during a match. As such they are generally exempt from rules that might otherwise prohibit their use. Naturally, decorations can't put you over weight, pose a safety hazard, and you're responsible for them staying attached throughout the match.

It would be prudent for any team wanting to use a camera like this to double check with the event staff, such as your inspectors and/or the head ref, prior to putting it on the field.

[Patrick Flynn]

The legality of on board cameras has been discussed here,
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ghlight=go+pro

[JohnS1626]

Here is a video I threw together one day using a go pro on our robot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YsFdmkVw4c
The video itself, although you might not realize it, is from 4 different matches and 2 competitions. I do recommend finding a nice and sturdy place for it, you wouldn't want anything to happen to it. Also, make sure your memory cards are full . If you use it, try to get as many different shots as possible. It's not fun thinking of neat shot the day after your last competition...