pic: Game hint

[BornaE]

Originally Posted by DanDon

The CMUcam2 also came with instructions on how to set it up with a bench setup...just something to keep in mind .

they could have edited the instructions so that it won't have anything about the game and release the actual version on Jan 5th

[Kyle Love]

Originally Posted by IndySam

I call Barbara Streisand on you Kyle!

Halo can never be compared to her...NEVER lol.

[Grant Cox]

This thread has grown 5 pages since I last looked at it, so I didn't read the whole thing..

But I think this provides a possibility of a concept I've been interested in for a while - interactive autonomous. Robots sending messages to each other of positions, or actions, or whatever it may be.

I really like some of the other ideas people have thrown out though; interactive HP field element, "invisible" walls, etc.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by fimmel

well the pdf was created friday december 14th 2007 at 3:39:46 pm by adobe distiller....nothing spectacular...the author though is kpilotte after a quick google search...
.
something promising is she had an @usfirst.org email address... http://www.sensorsmag.com/sensors/Se.../detail/314079 under more sensors please. from what i gather she is part of FIRST's sensor development team.

Originally Posted by Ryan Foley

Kate Pilotte was a member of the 2007 GDC, and I would imagine she is back for 2008 as well.
Cool article, nice find.

KoP Engineer is another title she has apparently.
(Google knows too much about people these days. meh.)
http://www.thefabricator.com/Fabrica...ts-Donate-them

Originally Posted by Michelle Celio

So I'm imputing a crazy idea I came up with in an AIM Chat...

Zones. w00t! 2002 v2.0. Reusing game ideas is not a new concept. Sounds like it would be pretty amazing.

Originally Posted by EricH

I'm going to say this.
3. I hope a riddle is released soon.

Seconded.



Does anyone have any clue what this thing would be used for btw in a regular project? I know it can learn remote codes.. but... i don't get why that would be useful in a project? Maybe that's the key question to ask ourselves from now until Jan 5th.

(I'm thinkin' the 99 cent (+ 5 dollar shipping) Tivo remotes that woot.com has been selling quite frequently in the last few months seem like a good deal right about now and something to invest in the next time they come up. )

[Kevin Sevcik]

Okay, so I'll toss in my speculation. I think this is in fact going on the robot. I don't think they'd send it out for teams to play around with just to put it on the field. Sending out a field element like this makes no sense, first, teams wouldn't need it to play with. A field item would be VERY specifically wired, configured, and used. You didn't need to play with the cold cathodes for the light target, you just wired them up like FIRST said. On the other hand, sending out the CMUCams early would've been highly useful. Second, putting a receiver like this on the field then assumes that teams are going to have some sort of transmitter on their robot. Which they don't have to play with and figure out.

Also, I am firmly convinced that FIRST is not so fiscally irresponsible as to design, burn, and build 1500 of these and then express them to teams around the world for the sake of a red herring and to give Dave a chance to sit at his computer going "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAH!!!!!"

So, I am left to conclude that this goes on the robot to tell the state of something on the field in autonomous mode. I honestly have no idea what this might be, but consider ho interesting AIM high would have been if there were four square goals to hit with a target light in the middle. But a random goal was actually worth double points and you could only tell by using the IR receiver. So yeah, I don't know exactly what's going on in the demented minds of our GDC, but I'm sure they could come up with a way to make this useful to put on the robot.

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by GeeForce

But I think this provides a possibility of a concept I've been interested in for a while - interactive autonomous. Robots sending messages to each other of positions, or actions, or whatever it may be.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure robot-robot communication is possible with these, as I can't find any information in the document that references the ability to send IR data.

[Binome]

Anyone dumped the firmware yet, maybe the manual decryption key is hidden in the hex.
If this ends up being just a cool toy to play with, I can imagine it making a good coprocessor board for FRC teams to get their hands on, without going to the trouble of developing their own.

[JPonzo]

OK, This board is too long to go look for qutes, so I'll just give what i'm thinking lol...

I think (credit to the 1/2 of you that have suggested this already goes here) that this may be a component to go on the robot that corresponds to something sending an IR signal on the field. Assuming that, though, I think that this piece will have its main function in autonomous mode.

As with the camera in previous years and the IR back in '04, various technologies have been thrown in for teams to play around with, but have only served as critical to the autonomous period. I think FIRST will follow this trend because, for some teams with few members, it is not always possible to devote the time and resources required to program these things.

[Frenchie]

What about a remote during autonomous that allows you to adapt auto to whatever is happening? Would make it slightly more interesting...

[JYang]

but then that's not exactly autonomous anymore... now if the robot had to figure out and adapt to whatever is happening... i think that'd be much more interesting

[Elgin Clock]

OK, so since I was bored, and looking at the pic of the board for quite some time.. I decided to google some random things and see what I can find.

The order of the D codes above the LED's is D2, D5, D4, D3 & then D1.

The number 25431 is the zip code for the town of none other than Levels, West Virgina.

Different levels of game play?
Different levels of the field like a lot of previous years?
Acting like a level & balancing our robots again ala' 2001?

Who knows? I just found it really random & most intriguing within this current brainstorming session we have going on here.

Also, on a more serious kind of note I guess, it seems to me that the included ribbon cable would be attached to the large black block at the bottom right hand of the board.

If we have that for putting code in or out of the board, then we need something to do the opposite as well right?

Can you fit 2 pwm cables side by side on the white block above the LED cluster?
Just a thought. idk.. I'm not electrically inclined in the least when it comes to this stuff, but spatially speaking, it seems like 2 pwm cables would fit there.

[synth3tk]

Levels, WV. Wow, you were bored, weren't you? You think it'd go that deep as to reference a zip code?

And to those who say FIRST wouldn't waste money on a game hint. No offense, but who cares? We're having fun coming up with ideas and designs to keep us occupied until the game is announced. And who knows, maybe our brainstorming will inspire the GDC for future games!

[EricH]

I'm remembering 2004 and 2005. The biggest complaint about these new sensors (IR and CMUCamII, respectively) was, "We don't have enough time!" So the auto modes were disappointing in terms of sensor use. The camera situation was fixed (sort of) in 2006 and 2007 by giving a little bit of warning in the hints. Now, they give us a programmable IR sensor as the game hint. Start playing with these now if you want an an auto mode advantage.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by blakcheez

And to those who say FIRST wouldn't waste money on a game hint. No offense, but who cares?

The GDC pays attention to every aspect of FIRST and all of the constraints involved, including budget. Nothing is wasted. On any level.

[s_forbes]

Well, obviously there are going to be four different game pieces: boxes, balls, tetrahedrons, and some of these. They are each placed into four starting zones randomly after the teams place their robots. In order to know what piece your dealing with in auto mode, you have to read the signal transmitted by each piece's starting zone. After you pick them up, you have to stick them in a gigantic cube in the center of the field that has holes in the shape of each game piece (you know, like that toy you had when you were a kid...)

It's so obvious.