Programming the last thing a robot does...

[kaszeta]

Originally Posted by efoote868

Has anyone attempted to do a "last move" type of thing with their robot? Such as, at the very last second of the match, I would like to have the robot set itself back into a mode which would make it easier to carry, safer with less stored energy... etc.

We've done this several times by implementing a timer (in EasyC, they provide an interface to the hardware timers, and in MPLab it's pretty easy to write your own timer routines).

For example, last year's robot always used the last 2 seconds of autonomous mode and teleoperated mode to attempt to score a ring (there was no sense in hanging on to it, and no sense in remembering to do it).

We've done variants as well, such as having a switch or button that arms a system to go off at the end of the match.

(We don't have as many "settling time" game issues as we used to... in 2003 our robot automatically lifted itself off the floor at the end of the match by simply having a bunch of pneumatic relays release when the robot was disabled at the end of match).