The missing feature: A common thread

[Siri]

Originally Posted by Ninja_Bait

But the real key is being able to practice. Sometimes that's just about finishing fast enough to have that week in the end of build season to drive around, or to go to a scrimmage. Sometimes that's about building a practice bot. But practice helps teams work out kinks and discover problems they never anticipated or new uses for existing mechanisms. That's why teams usually get better from one regional to the next.

Powerhouse teams start out with the benefit of a solid shakedown of the robot and are thus a leap ahead of the competition.

This is definitely helpful. But I have to say, we have a well-ish equipped practice field and a practice robot, and we still kinda suck, especially compared to the perennial powerhouses. Yes, we get better, but no where near to their extent. And given that practicing with your robot is inherently a very late step in the process, I'm willing to bet we're missing some of the early skills. Even if we'd put together that we should use a lower and better controlled shooter and an over-the-bumper collector when we started practicing, we still would have been SOL for a while. These guys figure it ("it") out early and then practice and refine it even more.


This is a great discussion, by the way. I'm trying to put together a file of the top robots (photos) from prior years to see if there's more to be learned on the "missing feature" front. I like the thought that a lot of it is about off-season "what if"-ing and keeping testbeds around--if only because we do that and theoretically will continue to improve at it as we pour or effort that direction. I hope.