What to do with autonomous

[Tomas]

Originally Posted by RoboCoder

Since the line is much less "Curvy" this year, line following could be optimized to go faster than last year. HOWEVER, I would strongly recommend against that if possible. In many applications, not just FIRST I have tried line following and have not been satisfied with the results. Most of the time it is either too slow or loses the line too easily. Granted, there are applications where line following IS a very viable option, but I'm pretty sure that this is not one of them, especially since FIRST gives you the sensors and code to use the IR beacons, especially since they seem determined to make sure they are fully utilized in the future. So, of course, ultimately it is up to the individual teams, but personally, if you ask me, then it is not your best option.

I made some tests following the line, actualy, many of them. The best results came out using six sensors! Use them in V, and put them as far as you can from the robot's rotation center, keeping a distance of 6'-7' between the center sensors, so the robot can go with two or three corrections only. In 30 times we got there everytime between 7 and 8 seconds, never loosing the line. The limit is your drive system!