Robot in 3 Days 2017

[Dan Richardson]

Originally Posted by logank013

Does anyone know when most of the RI3D videos will come out? I've only seen a few posted on chief and I'm very interested in seeing Team Indiana's reveal. Thanks.

They will be peppered throughout the next few days. In some cases the teams had challenges getting the reveal video completed. Make sure to subscribe to our channel, Twitter and Facebook to see when new content is produced!

This is the timing we expect to upload the videos:

Week 6, GreenHorns and Zou Keepers tonight.
Indiana's by the weekend.
Snow Problems early next week.
National Instruments - Friday Night
Tesla this weekend.
Redacted this weekend.
SAIT this weekend.
oRyon Friday

[commodoredl]

Hey team Ri3D 1.0,
Could you share the brand/model of ratcheting wrench you used for your climber?
I was searching around for folding wrenches but couldn't quite catch the one I saw in your videos.

[Ogehsim]

Don't know their exact brand but you can find similar looking things with "pivot head ratchet wrench"

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-8mm-...Wrench/3387646

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-WRN570...dp/B01F511X5E/

edit: here's a singular stubby one like theirs
https://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-95.../dp/B000HBDWR0

[zinthorne]

In this thread there has been a lot of debate about RI3D in this thread so far. I am of the opinion that RI3D is a great resource. It provides many great ideas as solutions to game problems. Yes, some teams copy them, but thats not always bad. I feel like RI3D has raised the level of competition in FIRST. The other point is that when you look at the middle to top tier robots every season they sometimes have elements of the RI3D robots, but they are not the same. If you don't like the RI3D robots then do not watch them. That is the reason why I like youtube so much. If you do not want to see RI3D then don't watch it. It is simple as that. I love watching the RI3D robots ever year.

[abigailthefox]

Personally, I think the way Ri3D models a good design process is invaluably useful to new teams, and the way they are able to prototype some of the more prominent design ideas quickly and effectively is invaluably useful not only to rookies but also to teams who lack finances.

I think that many people who have been a part of FRC for a long time forget what it's like to not have ANY mechanical or design knowledge, and to approach an FRC challenge completely blind. Mechanical skills and design skills aren't really taught in the school system, and there are definitely teams out there born out of the interests of students who think that 'robotics seems really cool' (it is!!), and whose mentor resources are maybe a few math or science teachers from their school willing to give up some time to supervise kids building robots. Not all new teams have mentors with practical design/mechanical experience, and not all new teams have members with this experience either. Ri3D is different from simply watching reveal videos/reading about past competitions in that Ri3D films the design process and the prototyping process, along with information from team members about why something did/didn't work. New teams can learn a lot about how to have an effective design discussion, and how the design process works from watching this.
Yes, there is value in the team that goes in totally blind and designs something crazy that maybe doesn't work. But that's frustrating to a new team, to feel like they don't know where to turn for ideas, and it can kill young teams who are struggling to recruit new members and mentors while simultaneously feeling like they don't know what they're doing and don't know where to start or what is effective.

I think the perspective of how seeing a prototype works out from Ri3D has been well covered, but I do just want to say that my team has very minimal funds, and pretty much all of our prototyping activities are very crude and fast. Plywood models built in an hour serve a purpose, but they don't give us the same estimate of match performance that an Ri3D bot built with actual, game-ready parts by 'experienced engineers' would. Ri3D bots allow us to save time and money on prototyping, and help us see how a cohesive bot works with the system, instead of testing individual subsystems.

[mr_yes]

Originally Posted by tjwolter

Umm...how much would a young team learn by just copying an admittedly cool robot? We are supposed to be training Engineers not RetroEngineers. Or strictly speaking, just well trained Robot Jockeys.

As a mentor I would be much happier with a crazy, innovative but ultimately less or even unsuccessful design.

I agree with the sentiment, and I think *most* mentors will agree with you and, hopefully, work to put more learning into the program. However, there are always exceptions. My take is that Robot In 3 Days is a resource, a tool which can be used in good ways and bad ways. I'm going to encourage our students to watch the reveal videos now that they have had a week of prototyping under their belt. We'll discuss the merits of the different designs and the philosophies behind them. We've already committed to most aspects of our design, so it won't change it much.

I can remember once hearing a student from a well-funded, perennially-successful team say, "we were so excited when the engineers from [corporate sponsor name] come to show us how to drive the robot." What kind of learning is that? But I wouldn't ban corporate sponsorships, because most teams don't use them that way.

[Kevin Kolodziej]

Have I missed the Indiana reveal somewhere? Post above says it would be released by the weekend but I can't find anything - just a couple of twitter pictures from mid last week. No video. Help!

[Dan Richardson]

Originally Posted by Kevin Kolodziej

Have I missed the Indiana reveal somewhere? Post above says it would be released by the weekend but I can't find anything - just a couple of twitter pictures from mid last week. No video. Help!

Sorry for the slow updates! We understand that they completed their video shooting this morning and were editing their video today.

As for the others:

Snow Problemz will be posted tonight.

Team National Instruments - we're hoping tomorrow.

SAIT RI3D had some significant team setbacks during the build including some injuries and sickness.. If they are able to post a reveal it will be later this week.