Robot in 3 Days : Feedback

[Pault]

A lot of people are requesting that they go more into the design process, but I'm not too sure that is a great idea. Remember that they are building a robot in 3 days, so for them the general design phase is probably about 1 day long. There is no way that you could hold a proper discussion with things like weighted objective tables and solid, methodical analyzation of the game, plus prototyping in that type of time frame. These guys are experienced mentors who know enough about FRC to look at the game and figure out the MCC without too much difficulty or mulling over how things will play out. And that is perfectly fine for their purposes, but do we really want them to set this example for inexperienced teams?

[swwrobotics]

I'm crying. The fact that you're doing robot in 3 days this year is enough of an improvement. But maybe this year include more about the preparation that went into getting everything for the robot.

[Steven Donow]

Originally Posted by Pault

A lot of people are requesting that they go more into the design process, but I'm not too sure that is a great idea. Remember that they are building a robot in 3 days, so for them the general design phase is probably about 1 day long. There is no way that you could hold a proper discussion with things like weighted objective tables and solid, methodical analyzation of the game, plus prototyping in that type of time frame. These guys are experienced mentors who know enough about FRC to look at the game and figure out the MCC without too much difficulty or mulling over how things will play out. And that is perfectly fine for their purposes, but do we really want them to set this example for inexperienced teams?

This is part of what I was trying to say at the end of my post; the value in adding this depends on the game compared to previous games. Scoringwise, 2013 was very similar to 2012. I'd even argue that there are similarities with 2011 also.

Now, a game like 2008 where there were a relatively larger amount of ways to score goals (lapbots, laps while holding trackball, sending trackball over rack; ie. a much grey-er area as to what the MCC is) could see value in going more into analysis. Also, my limited knowledge of strategy towards 2004 and 2005 makes me feel like those are the types of games that would see benefits in this.

[ttldomination]

Originally Posted by Andrew Rudolph

We want to know what you liked, disliked, want to see and any other feedback you can offer to us. Either post here, hit us up on Facebook, or tweet us @robotin3days

So, having never really seen something like Ri3D happen, it's hard for me to provide good criticism. Last year, there really wasn't anything that made me go, "I wish they had done that differently."

Personally, I'd like to see more of the process. I loved the occasional videos, but if you want to, you could do a lot more to bring people into the process.

Consider bringing on board a media manager that will spend three days documenting, logging, and releasing more regular videos. It may very well be over the top, but a log of what you guys are thinking every 2-3 hours would be helpful, and it would let people in FRC not only follow along, but even provide some feedback.

Just a thought,
- Sunny G.

[DampRobot]

I'd love to see a more in depth analysis about what kind of strategies this type of robot would employ in a match. IE, how many points actual drivers could score in a practice match, how it would play around defense (including a bot actually playing defense on it), etc.

As everyone else has said already, fantastic job, and I'm really excited that it will be continuing next year.

[cmrnpizzo14]

I like the idea of documenting strategies but I hope that it encourages more designs besides your final one. It was fantastic how many teams elevated their play this year by using the RI3D design but I felt at times that competitions were slightly over-saturated with bots like yours.

I would have loved to see more teams really nail the 50 pt. climb (not that it was easy) or more niche style robots like the fanbot. I like a bit more variety than constant cycling I guess.

What you did last year was phenomenal and if you end up stuck and can't figure out a good idea of what to do differently then don't hesitate to just fall back on what you did last year. It gave so many teams a taste of success that they hadn't experienced before. That is the epitome of inspiration. Great job, keep it up this year.

[Mark Sheridan]

I like the way it is, if any thing there needs to be more exposure. If the video links can sent out in a FIRST email, then that would be the biggest improvement.

[Libby K]

Originally Posted by ttldomination

Consider bringing on board a media manager that will spend three days documenting, logging, and releasing more regular videos. It may very well be over the top, but a log of what you guys are thinking every 2-3 hours would be helpful, and it would let people in FRC not only follow along, but even provide some feedback.

Just a thought,
- Sunny G.

This is a good point. That could help you bring more attention to the design process as people are requesting.

Originally Posted by Mark Sheridan

If the video links can sent out in a FIRST email, then that would be the biggest improvement.

FIRST tends not to promote non-official media - if only for the principle of fairness. Why give someone's show a free promotion when there are others? Sadly, it means that some community resources are well-kept secrets.

I think ri3d is a really interesting take on the FIRST challenge. Excited to see all the different media that'll be happening this season. Documenting the build season and design process is starting to catch on, and I'm a big fan.

[George1902]

Two things that I can think of would really add to the show this year.

First, it takes three days to build the robot, but MONTHS of planning go into it. I'd love to see an introductory feature on how you guys prepared for this year. What you learned from last year, where you'll build, who's on the team this year, what equipment and parts you've assembled in advance, etc.

Second, I don't remember if you had some sort of countdown timer last year. I think you did. What would be neat is if you correlated "Ri3D time" to "FRC time." You guys have 3 days, we have 6 weeks. So, every 12 hours for you is like a week for us. Some sort of live reminder of that fact would help keep everything in context. I suggest miketwalker ringing a cow bell every 12 hours and screaming "End of week 1!! Beginning of week 2!!!! WOOOHOO!!!11!one!" Or something.

[Pendulum^-1]

Ri3D was the most important single innovation in FIRST for 2013. Period.

Your prototypes and demonstrations made a HUGE difference in improving the performance of teams across the spectrum. Having more teams able to do the basics of the challenges helps keep teams in FIRST.

Thank you.

I really look forward to Ri3D for 2014.

[Lil' Lavery]

Don't post anything until week 2. It was really frustrating trying to break the students on my team out of just proposing RI3D variants with regards to shooting a frisbee during brainstorming last year. Sometimes seeing something that works ends up creating tunnel vision during the brainstorming and design processes.

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Don't post anything until week 2. It was really frustrating trying to break the students on my team out of just proposing RI3D variants with regards to shooting a frisbee during brainstorming last year. Sometimes seeing something that works ends up creating tunnel vision during the brainstorming and design processes.

I disagree. We took their design as: this is going to be the baseline of what every team is going to have. What do we need to do to make it that much better?

Having it early was great motivation for my team.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Don't post anything until week 2. It was really frustrating trying to break the students on my team out of just proposing RI3D variants with regards to shooting a frisbee during brainstorming last year. Sometimes seeing something that works ends up creating tunnel vision during the brainstorming and design processes.

I could see this happening on most teams. Tunnel vision can definitely be a problem in FRC in general, even when it isn't caused by videos from other teams such as Ri3D. Maybe teams should discuss this topic with their students prior to the start of build season, and talk about how to minimize tunnel vision on the team. Many teams benefited from using RI3D design features, but maybe a video from RI3D in December could include a message to students and mentors about continuing to use their videos as just another guide, instead of a be-all end-all solution to the game. Teams need to discuss on their own what they plan to do with the information they gather from these videos. Will they build on top of them, or will they just copy the majority of the design?


Other than that, I think the videos were great for FRC. I noticed a difference in MAR along with a few robots that had similar designs as Ri3D.

[Anupam Goli]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Don't post anything until week 2. It was really frustrating trying to break the students on my team out of just proposing RI3D variants with regards to shooting a frisbee during brainstorming last year. Sometimes seeing something that works ends up creating tunnel vision during the brainstorming and design processes.

While this is true, for some teams it took the entire 6 weeks to design and fabricate a bot that was similar to the Ri3D. It should stay as it is: a baseline design to do a simple task in the game that gets the ball rolling for teams who are having trouble or need some inspiration for a design.

[Michael Corsetto]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Don't post anything until week 2. It was really frustrating trying to break the students on my team out of just proposing RI3D variants with regards to shooting a frisbee during brainstorming last year. Sometimes seeing something that works ends up creating tunnel vision during the brainstorming and design processes.

If you don't like it, don't look at it. Tell your kids not to go on CD for 2 weeks. RI3D aren't the only people posting prototype videos. Did you see the google search trends for "frisbee shooter video" right after kickoff? People want this information, and they're smart to go find it. Maybe you should take a closer look at your design process instead?

I go to CD during build to ask questions, answer questions, and skim the best ideas from the CD community. RI3D helps me do that, and is another reason why I am invested in this community.

Steal from the best, invent the rest.

-Mike