Autonomous Strategies

[Doug Leppard]

Originally Posted by Abwehr

Totally agree. I expect that our team, and other veteran ones, will quickly go from team to team after receiving the match list in order to install at least a rudimentary autonomous mode.

We did that in 2008. We won a match because we helped our two allaince partners they both drove over the 4 point line and that 8 points was enough for us to win the match. They were very excited because they had never moved during auto mode.

[Ryan Caldwell]

We are a rookie team but the basis of our idea is be able to select one of three things

1. Drive to the center of the arena and spin! (Donuts anyone)
2. Drive to our alliance corner (fetal position)
3. Activate our wings and fly away (Farva defense)

[jgraber]

Originally Posted by Doug Leppard

In the past when your team alliance partner didn’t have an auto mode it don't hurt you, at least not much.

My fear this year is a teammate that does not have an auto mode will hurt you because for 15 seconds they just sit there and collect balls, maybe all 20.

So you could have a great auto mode but your other teammates don't move and you start the player driven time with up to 40 points scored against you.

On the flip side:
These resemble conditions where you may not preload your own robot:
1. scouting shows opponents have not even a "run away" automode.
2. your team has good throwers, can throw 20 balls in 15 seconds.
3. your robot does not have autonomous scoring capability
Therefore, no preload; let your human players throw all 20 balls in the first 15 seconds.
Followup driver strategy is to recover loose balls, move the empty cells

[team877]

I want to know who honestly thinks they're going to be precise enough with a camera this year to make some balls in the trailers. its going to be fairly difficult to complete that task.... i'd say focus on everything else rather than autonomous

[virtuald]

Originally Posted by team877

I want to know who honestly thinks they're going to be precise enough with a camera this year to make some balls in the trailers. its going to be fairly difficult to complete that task.... i'd say focus on everything else rather than autonomous

If you can get a shooter that is accurate in autonomous mode, theres no reason you can't use it during the teleoperated mode.

[Doug Leppard]

Originally Posted by virtuald

If you can get a shooter that is accurate in autonomous mode, theres no reason you can't use it during the teleoperated mode.

There are several levels of play and a strategy for each.

1st level is the average regional eliminations. Where most teams do not have an auto mode and even moving can be hard for some.

2nd level is the final rounds of the regional, where most do well and most have some sort of auto mode.

3rd level is the division level finals at Atlanta. Where all do well and all have auto mode.

In 2007 we had the privilege of winning our division and going onto Einstein. That is where you see the exceptional teams do exceptional things, like shoot in auto mode. Not many can do it, maybe less than 1 out of 100, but things like that get you to Einstein.

Where in the first level it might now be worth trying to shoot at opponents, better shots later. But at the 3rd level that might be your best chance to shoot and make it.

Just some thoughts, I do appreciate this discussion.

[Rick Wagner]

Originally Posted by team877

I want to know who honestly thinks they're going to be precise enough with a camera this year to make some balls in the trailers. its going to be fairly difficult to complete that task.... i'd say focus on everything else rather than autonomous

My team, Beach Cities Robotics, is working to do that. We scored in shooting balls in autonmous mode in 2006 and we think we can do it again with active trailer tracking. The robot will approach the nearest opposing alliance trailer and when in range, it will shoot. The camera is mounted to the shooter turret so it's azimuth is always locked on. For driver controlled mode, as in 2006, we may also have a head-up display for the co-driver so that when the robot is in range and locked on he can shoot without looking at the control board.

[ExarKun666]

Someone suggested earlier that you make multiple autonomous modes, which is a great idea because if the camera strategy, for example, doesn't work the way you wanted it to, then you can always switch to another, tested, autonomous and see if you get results that are actually ones, that you are looking for.

[Taylor]

Originally Posted by team877

I want to know who honestly thinks they're going to be precise enough with a camera this year to make some balls in the trailers. its going to be fairly difficult to complete that task.... i'd say focus on everything else rather than autonomous

1529 honestly expects to make at least 80% of all the attempts from the robot.
Regrettably, the same cannot be said for our Payload Spec1al1st.

[johnr]

So, what is the ultimate auto this year? 7 balls in? We like to give programers something to shot for. No pun intended.

[Alan Anderson]

I believe the most effective autonomous mode this year will be the one that results in no moon rocks being scored in the trailer your robot is pulling. There isn't anything the robot can do in the first fifteen seconds that can't be done later in the match, so scoring seven moon rocks quickly isn't imperative.

[JesseK]

All of this randomizing will give new meaning to the question "So why did it do that in autonomous?".

[midway78224]

our team plans to adopt a few differnet automous modes. The main one is to go track a oppnents trailer with a cam and shoot

[Jared Russell]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

I believe the most effective autonomous mode this year will be the one that results in no moon rocks being scored in the trailer your robot is pulling. There isn't anything the robot can do in the first fifteen seconds that can't be done later in the match, so scoring seven moon rocks quickly isn't imperative.

This.

[johnr]

No ball in trailer? Sounds impossible. I don't think it would be so much your auto mode but lack of good ps shooting. OK, maybe alittle of both.