[BB] 2010 Game Hint #1

[lbarger]

Originally Posted by Pikat

But wouldn't the purple line not be parallel to the edge the purple arrow is pointing to if the lexan was not perpendicular?

This may mean the bracket (I refuse to call it Lexan based on the image alone) is itself square. If the mounting holes are offset slightly in the vertical direction, the angled reflection of the tubes could be generated while keeping the bracket reflection square. The vertical edge of the bracket and its own reflection could simply be the choice of viewing angles.

[pandamonium]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

My prediction is that this is a robot piece, that will be included in every kit, and that JVN oversaw the manufacturing of . It will be mounted high on the robot, and hangars (not pictuered) will be affixed to the pipes on either side. As in last year, the goal is the opponent robot. You will have to hook rings over these hangars (much like 07). At the end of the match, the quick release pins permit quick removal of the rings from the robots, and installation of the hangars onto the next teams' robots. There will be two special color rings that if a robot gets hooked with, voids the tally of the rings it is holding.

Oh, and bumpers will be mandatory, and the floor may not be carpet.

That's what I gather from this.

Originally I was convinced it was a track for a ball in particularly a soccer ball or ball of similar size. The difference in tube thickness got me thinking. Perhaps the distance between the nob and the big pipe is the perfect distance for X rings. I think this guy is on to something. If you look close at the pins coming out near the ends they have smaller pins which would lock them into place. Perhaps they are NOT spring loaded but they hold rings from falling off kinda like that annoying black plastic thing in 07. I do not think they are on the robot because it would be red or blue colored. I think the lexan mounts with the lexan on the driver station wall. Human players probably wouldn't throw rings so they might feed them onto the robot some how. Anyone good at ring toss?

[Eugene Fang]

Originally Posted by lbarger

This may mean the bracket (I refuse to call it Lexan based on the image alone) is itself square. If the mounting holes are offset slightly in the vertical direction, the angled reflection of the tubes could be generated while keeping the bracket reflection square. The vertical edge of the bracket and its own reflection could simply be the choice of viewing angles.

OF COURSE!!!

Dang, I can't believe I missed that lol. Does it seem like it's not bolted perpendicularly? Can't tell from the pic...

EDIT: Well the bars and the top of the bent piece of the bracket are parallel, so that means they're perpendicular...

[TEntwistle]

Never mind, I can't upload my image - too big of a file

[gallo26]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

So I got a little bored while watching National Lampoon's Christmas vacation and drew up my version of this in CAD so we could look at it from other views. maybe this will help out deciphering this clue.

Greg, I made a CAD model too, and yours looks WAY better and more accurate to the picture than mine did. What dimensions did you use? For everything. The lexan width from inside to inside. The arc diameter. I really like your model

[Wayne TenBrink]

It looks like a support for parallel bars (rails) that balls could roll on. The shallow slope (see below) would require a low rolling coefficient of friction in order to be gravity driven. It would require a ball of a particular size that was quite hard and smooth. Something similar to a moon rock or even the 2006 foam ball wouldn't roll on something this shallow. It would take something like a basketball or (I shudder to think!!) a bowling ball.

Quarter-inch lexan would be tough enough to handle the sort of contact you get in an overhead structure. It doesn't appear strong enough to take the impact of a 120 lb robot at full speed.

BUT - This is too easy. I doubt the GDC would release a clue that identified the size, shape, and "texture" of the game piece. I suspect trickery! It may be a field element, but I doubt that it is for moving the game piece (directly).

How much clearance is there between the "top" of the tube (as shown on FIRST) and the underside of the lexan bracket? If the rails held some sort of cart (like a car on a roller coaster with tubular rails), would there be enough space for some sort of "keeper" (something that would keep the cart from getting knocked off the rails) to pass between the tube and the bracket? Why else would the rails be held from the outside and not at the point nearest the tab on the bracket?

Note regarding the slope: Look at the radius of the bend in the "lexan" bracket. It isn't uniform - it forms a conical shape that is wider at the bottom.

[gallo26]

I've been studying the picture, and I'm not sure if anyone has said this, so i apologize if you have. To make my point more clear, I'll put a picture below.

FIRST has been trying to cut back on costs. So realizing that, Lexan, as previously mentioned, is expensive. FIRST wouldn't cut back on costs, and spend money on tons of lexan for rail supports for 32+ fields. In my opinion, that lexan part is merely a mount for a counter sensor. It'll detect some ball or round object.

In the middle of the poles, there are holes, larger than necessary, for a screw head to go through and not to interfere with any game element rolling down it. On the pole, towards the top, there is a hole identical to that. It doesn't appear to be a reflection or refraction from anything BUT that pole the lexan is mounted to. You can see the pins from that pole too. The only issue is that hole does NOT appear on the front most pole visible to us.

My hypothesis is it's a mounting hole. As i said the lexan is merely a strong support for a sensor (because the software guys on my team HATE it when weak mounts break and they lose a sensor). This rail system will be mounted on the outside of the field. Somewhere. and this is just some junction to count the scored balls. Longer poles, curved poles, whatever, will connect to this. But that single hole makes me believe its mounting somewhere on the outside, or even the inside, of the field. But on the side of something.



Thoughts or comments on this??

[Eugene Fang]

Originally Posted by gallo26

In the middle of the poles, there are holes, larger than necessary, for a screw head to go through and not to interfere with any game element rolling down it. On the pole, towards the top, there is a hole identical to that. It doesn't appear to be a reflection or refraction from anything BUT that pole the lexan is mounted to. You can see the pins from that pole too. The only issue is that hole does NOT appear on the front most pole visible to us.

My hypothesis is it's a mounting hole.....

Actually I think its the reflection from the front "clearance hole." Because the weird angled "reflection" being the reflection from the front pole still doesn't make sense.

Which is why there seems to be reflection of the ridge where the larger tube ends. If it isn't the reflection, then the larger tube looks too long.

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by Wayne TenBrink

BUT - This is too easy. I doubt the GDC would release a clue that identified the size, shape, and "texture" of the game piece. I suspect trickery! It may be a field element, but I doubt that it is for moving the game piece (directly).

We don't know the exact dimensions. The piece that we're creating on our own probably does NOT have the same dimensions as the real thing.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Karibou

We don't know the exact dimensions. The piece that we're creating on our own probably does NOT have the same dimensions as the real thing.

We can estimate based on the tubing size from the FRC field and work from there.

[Eugene Fang]

I highlighted the reflections to make it easier to talk about.

Red & Magenta: Reflection off the tubes and off each other (Yes, it works out. see this post http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...9&postcount=77)

What is the orange outlined shape?

[gorrilla]

one question could be why the GDC waited until today to release the hint?


Just saying, sticking with the moon theme from last year, today in 1968, the Apollo 8 first entered orbit around the moon...

orbit around the moon = balls traveling around a track? I doubt it...

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by gorrilla

one question could be why the GDC waited until today to release the hint?

Perhaps it's proximity to Kickoff. There are 16 days until Kickoff. 16 mean anything?

[jmanela]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Perhaps it's proximity to Kickoff. There are 16 days until Kickoff. 16 mean anything?

driver's license!!, however, that would be more like overdrive

[Chris is me]

I showed it to my very much non-engineer parents and they both immediately thought it was a bracket for a 2X4 or something. Maybe it's Robot Limbo!