Drive Team Configuration

[EricH]

David. Talk to 33 or 111. They have some of the most automated robots in the competition every year. They could probably make a serious run at a fully-autonomous robot if they wanted to. They don't. There is a reason for this!

33 has automation built into a lot of functions. A filter they wrote years ago went onto a sponsor's vehicle a year or two later with little modification. They were one of the first teams to do shift-on-the-fly--with a 4-speed gearbox that shifted smoothly. They write the automation code so that the operator can tell the robot what device X needs to be doing, and the robot just does it with no further input, if it can be done safely. Read the 2007 Behind the Design book.

111, same thing. They've built some complex robots, and the code to match. They did a 4-5 joint arm a few years back. (See the same book.) If they didn't have some form of automation, they'd be crazy.

1024, back in 2008, ran a full avoidance program (until the sensors smoked and flamed). They could avoid just about anything autonomously.

To run a fully-autonomous robot and run it well, you need to combine the avoidance code of 1024's 2008 robot with the automation of 33 and 111, along with the decision-making of a human and the drive code of your robot design. If you can't do that decision-making, settle for automation. Make it so that your driver or operator says, I need X at point Y, and the robot does it quickly and smoothly.

Very few robots could run fully autonomously these days. The last game that was practical was 2003: Drive up the ramp and lock down. 111 was one of the World Champions. This was also the first time automode came into play. 2002 would be even easier--drive straight, grab goal, drive straight, park. Imagine if 71 had run autonomously that year: Drivers hit "go" and watch the robot win the match every time (as opposed to drivers drive the robot out, shift drivetrains, and win the match).

Listen to JVN. He's been on three good teams and learned from many more. If he says that he does not want to be paired with you, without even hearing about your robot, you might want to listen to why.

On the same note, I'd want to pair with 33, 111, 71, or 148 any day, no matter the game and no matter their robot. There's a very good reason why, or several, and some of them are above.