Robot Status on Scoreboard

[Mark McLeod]

I think it would just make more audience members blame FMS for their robot problems, rather than fixing their robot.
You know what would be more useful for scouters, would be publishing the list many FTAA's keep that record what was found to be wrong with each robot. There are too many potential causes to give people even that FMS screen without knowledge of how it's to be interpreted as only one piece of the puzzle. Sometimes the root cause isn't confirmed until the wiring/code/mechanical systems are inspected after the match.

As it was, each of the events I worked had people coming out of the stands with "proof" that Blue station 2, or Red station 1 was obviously defective because they had a list of robots that had problems while they were in that station. Funny thing about bad statistics is they all thought a different station was at fault. I saw lots of posts here on CD using the same bad statistics to prove random theories.

At SBPLI our Lead Inspector got a copy of our robot failure list, so he could show people why their statistics were meaningless. They still didn't believe him, but they had no "proof" to fall back on.

[Schnabel]

Mark I understand where you are coming from. The thing to remember is that the information I am talking about it technically all ready out there in front of everyone. Anyone who watches a few matches can put 2 and 2 together and figure out that a 100% working robot will have a solid red/blue light on above their controls, and one that is not 100% working or disabled will have a flashing light. Also when it comes to comm, battery, and mode, all robots have a light that will flash to signal it's diagnostics. This is all information that is available during a match as it is, that is if you're there. What if you are in the pits in Atlanta, or you are in college and can't afford to go to an event so you watch a webcast? By presenting this information on the screen in a way that Joe Schmoe can't figure out at first but any FIRSTer would know we can help provide more feedback to those who want to know.

Example of what it could be:

It's hard to tell what this means, but RedB has a bad battery, BlueB has been disabled. Everyone else is good.

[EricH]

If not every FIRSTer knows what the RSL/field light system means (and the field light system side of that is easy to see and figure out), despite having the information posted a number of times in a number of places, then how do you expect them to figure out such a display, or read the documentation?

As for the display you've suggested, the lightning bolts beside the number bars in 2009 didn't show up terribly well on the webcast, and they were somewhat easier to see than a red/yellow/green dot next to the number bar. (This is especially true if, to use the bar you've shown, something went haywire on RedC, which is already carrying a yellow card.) You need something separate and obvious to work with the webcast. Something like two circles, separated a few pixels, that turn red or yellow, would work a lot better.

I see where you're coming from, but I still think the best bet is to better distribute the field light/RSL info, as those are typically easy to see and very accurate.

[synth3tk]

Originally Posted by EricH

I see where you're coming from, but I still think the best bet is to better distribute the field light/RSL info, as those are typically easy to see and very accurate.

Consider this, though: A robot off-screen is broken, and depending on the camera operators, you may never see a good shot of the driver station or the RSL. It sounds far-fetched, but entirely possible. You're not always going to see the robot/station signals on a webcast.

I think a HUD would be an awesome idea, as long as you can see it on at least a full-screen 640x480 resolution.

[Mark McLeod]

Originally Posted by Schnabel

Anyone who watches a few matches can put 2 and 2 together and figure out that a 100% working robot will have a solid red/blue light on above their controls, and one that is not 100% working or disabled will have a flashing light. Also when it comes to comm, battery, and mode, all robots have a light that will flash to signal it's diagnostics.

I can't comment on your image because it's filtered where I am.
I think where you're coming from is you want some sort of operational status for all robots plastered somewhere on the broadcast screen.

I just think the FMS indicator by itself is the wrong thing to display and would mislead more than it informed. It's most useful for being sure all robots are ready to begin a match. When it goes out during a match that just starts the field crew to working on figuring out what's really wrong.
Maybe an RSL-type status is what you're looking for - robot off (or rebooting), on, disabled, autonomous, teleop. Of course, the robot can still be broken even with a good RSL, and there are several states that only the robot (not FMS) knows of.
P.S. Bad battery is a difficult call because it usually only dips momentarily then rebounds. You can also flag slow responding code based on excessive packet delays.

The DS station (& RSL) lights are really small pieces of the puzzle to help the field crew diagnose robot/field operational problems. They can't be used to pass judgement on why a robot is not moving. The inverse is not true, i.e., a solid light doesn't mean a robot is 100% it just means the DS, cRIO and bridge are powered and communicating and all that Ethernet cable/wireless/AP/switches in-between.

A solid light above the Driver Station for instance can mean:

• DS-to-robot Communication & basic electronics are working (good)
• A non-moving robot with a solid DS light:
  • drivers just waiting (good)
  • mechanical problem (bad)
  • code problem (bad)
  • electrical problem (bad)
  • driver controls non-functional (bad)
  • drive team not moving to avoid penalty or potential mechanical damage (bad)

Anything could be the cause of a non-solid light - Estop, mechanical, electrical, code.