Mad Dash for the Controls?

[dlavery]

(small flame on).

I am 100% sure that the purpose of this rule is to prevent people from communicating in any way with the robot during autonomous mode.

If everyone is upset about this rule, then you have no one to blame but yourselves. "Who, me?!??" Yes, you. All of you that, from the very first day following kick-off, have been trying to find loopholes, alternative mechanisms, sneaky approaches, and outright cheats to get around the fact that the first 15 seconds of robot operation in this year's game must be conducted solely through the abilities of an autonomous program, without human intervention.

Go back and read through all the threads and messages that discuss how to use the E-stop button to communicate with the robot during the autonomous operations period. Or use an alternative OI. Or send signals from the audience. Or send info from the OI during the human player period. Or send "program selection" information from the human drivers. Or use the optical sensors to send signals from the human drivers. etc. etc. etc.

Based on these messages, it is clear that some people either can't or won't understand that "autonomous" means "AUTONOMOUS"!!! The intent behind the autonomous period is completely obvious - make your robot "smart enough" that it can play for 15 seconds ON IT'S OWN. That means the robot runs without ANY communication from the human operators, team members, folks in the audience, your grandmother at home, or anyone else.

Since some people refuse to abide by the intent of the autonomous period, and insist on creating ways to get around the intent of the game design instead of trying to play the game within the rules, FIRST has been backed into a corner. YOU have forced them to create rules (and this is not the last rule you will see on this topic) that will make it difficult to circumvent the intention of the autonomy period (I hesitate to say "impossible" because as soon as I do, someone will come up with another way to weasel around the latest rules).

If, as a result, you don't like the impacts of this rule, or some advanced OI designs are impacted, or some teams become disadvantaged, that's life. Do you want to do something about it? OK, then the next time FIRST comes out with a rule like "you have to stay behind a line 3 feet from the player station" then don't immediately respond with things like "we can just C-clamp a 3-foot-long shelf on the operator station" or "just use a 3-foot cable to reach the controls" and searches for new loopholes and technicalities. Instead, try to understand WHY the rule is in place, and how you can work WITHIN the rule to design a better robot, build a better team, and have a better experience. In other words, stop being LAWYERS and start being ENGINEERS!

(small flame off).

Personally, I like the rule. Not only do I not think it should be overturned, I would encourage FIRST to make it stronger.

-dave

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Y = AX^2 + B.... ehhh, whatever