paper: Optimization and Analysis of Drivetrain Movement

[Mr. Lim]

Super cool.

One thing we've struggled to model using the existing resources on CD is the optimal sprint taking into account decelerating to a stop at the end of the sprint. More often than not, your robot needs to be at a complete stop at the end of sprint, not blow past it at top speed.

Much of what we've done is anecdotal to try and take this into account - shortening the sprint distance by artificial amounts until it "felt" right. Different games have different characteristics - sometimes you need to slow down smoothly at the end of your sprint because it requires precise alignment. Other times you can practically hit something full-speed at the end of your sprint. I doubt you could effectively model the deceleration component as a result, but it would be cool to see.

Really inspiring work here. I remember I modeled optimal gear ratios for a robot that needed to drive up an incline without losing speed as a high school student in grade 11, using Maple for the very first time. I definitely didn't use ODEs back then... but Maple is a great tool.

(Insert blatant plug for a Canadian / University of Waterloo product)