Camera Use During Main Game

[BBnum3]

After watching a few webcasts and attending the Wisconsin Regional, I noticed something: Nobody seems to use the camera, except during autonomous. The lights remain on, but no one seems to worry about them. I was wondering if anyone out there actually uses the lights to put on the ringers during the main phase of the game. Also welcome are any thoughts as to why camera use is minimal, reactions etc.

[Arefin Bari]

I believe I was told that team 1902 is able to do that during the teleoperated mode, but I will wait for one of their members to post the details. =)

[Bob22341]

Team 1870 has the capability to use the camera in teleoperated mode.

[Dan Richardson]

Originally Posted by Arefin Bari

I believe I was told that team 1902 is able to do that during the teleoperated mode, but I will wait for one of their members to post the details. =)

We experimented with this at the scrimmages, and we are able to do it from most places on the field. However even tho that the bot can cap a lit goal almost faster than the drivers can, we decided that under any defense or if the rack was swinging violently that it would not be able to correct itself enough to make an auto cap useful. So instead we just use the presets. At the scrimmages it worked fine because there was no defense, but in real matches it wouldn't be the same.

However the programmers did a great job, the auton seems to cap in just about 6-7 seconds each time.

[lilbowser]

Team 386 can and does use the camera in teleoperated mode with EasyScore.

[Ed Coleman]

Tubes seem to always be in the way. We got tired of the camera and just ripped it off. Saved us about a pound or so with the carmera and wires.

[GaryVoshol]

Considering how few teams use the camera for autonomous, it's not surprising that even fewer use it during teleoperated. If 10% have an auto-mode, maybe only 10 or 20% of that tenth would use it for tele-mode.

[The Lucas]

My team has switches for it, but we will probably never use it. It would only really be useful for putting a ringer on the opposite side of a nearly full rack (drivers cant see). Here are the reason you will see very little automatic tube placement in tele mode:

• The rack sways like crazy, very hard for sensors to adapt
• When near the rack the light is not very visible
• There is constant defense, especially on the opposite side
• Drivers can move faster and with better approach paths

This is not like last year where a camera aimed shooter was a great asset. This year the drivers can see if they have the tube over the spiderleg much better than they could line up a shooter last year.

[AdamHeard]

I think the only time it will be used is if a team is playing 3 disabled robots and is just trying to showboat....

Other than that, defense will make it too difficult.

using the camera during tele-mode last year was a lot easier.

[Gamer930]

Wisconsin Regional wasn't a good regional to attend if you wanted to watch camera usage. . . . 81 and Ourself (171) (3.846% of the 52 teams) were the only teams that used that camera at all and we both were having the same problems. . . Thursday and Friday morning both auto modes were working (ours was almost 60-65% accuracy) then Friday during lunch they must have turned some new lights on and we were getting a reflection, or something to that extent, and both team's auto modes stopped working.
Thinking back at it I would try and mount the camera higher in the robot so the camera is looking more straight at the green light instead of up.
We had plans of using the Camera during the main game but it was so touchy when it would work and not work we really ran out of time.

[petek]

Originally Posted by Gamer930

Wisconsin Regional wasn't a good regional to attend if you wanted to watch camera usage. . . . 81 and Ourself (171) (3.846% of the 52 teams) were the only teams that used that camera at all and we both were having the same problems. . . Thursday and Friday morning both auto modes were working (ours was almost 60-65% accuracy) then Friday during lunch they must have turned some new lights on and we were getting a reflection, or something to that extent, and both team's auto modes stopped working.
Thinking back at it I would try and mount the camera higher in the robot so the camera is looking more straight at the green light instead of up.
We had plans of using the Camera during the main game but it was so touchy when it would work and not work we really ran out of time.

[Thread Hijack]

A little off-topic, but I'm curious about the problem you had where the auto mode stopped working. I wasn't at Wisconsin, but did the light checks at NJ each day. There, using the 2007 Vision Target config, I found that with the Noise Filter set to 0 there were numerous one-pixel noise sources that disappeared completely with the NF = 1. I also tested a little with my CMUcam-guided Vex 'bot and all it found was the target lights.

I was pleasantly surprised by the good results (I'd expected a couple of the venue's mercury-vapor lights to be a problem), and I'm not aware of any teams having serious problems, despite all the venue lights, illuminated advertisements, etc. that cluttered the visible environment there.

So, as FTA for Philly, and in the interest of preventing future problems such as you had in Wisconsin, can you give me any more details, such as your config settings (including Noise Filter) and did you observe any different lighting after lunch (sunlight, for instance)?

[/Thread Hijack]