pic: Game hint

[Richard McClellan]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

Just to toss one more against the hoax theory, I just looked at the email headers on the blast, and they're exactly the same as any other, so it's an official blast. So at this point it's either legit, or Joe's one heck of a hacker with lots of inside help, etc. etc. So I think Occam's Razor should really put all the paranoia to bed at this point and let us get on with our rampant speculation.

So has anyone else wondered what the big white connector is for? I'd be able to make a more intelligent guess if I had the board in front of me, but I've a sneaking suspicion it's the programming interface. So if this was for reading a field element, setting up a robot would be as easy as plugging in a programming cable during inspection.

But how can it be an official email blast? I'm the alternate contact for my team and did not receive an email. I've received every other email that has been sent to frcteam@usfirst.org, but not this one I want one of these things soooo badly now....

[vivek16]

ok, Im going to get off CD for a day or two until our team can confirm this thing.

-vivek

[fimmel]

Originally Posted by WillItBlend

XD You know youre addicted to first when Chief Delphi is on your FireFox bookmarks toolbar.

or your homepage for firefox xD

[teh_r4v3]

That white 6-pin connector looks like it might be a standard ICSP connector, used for programming the PIC. This opens up the possibility of loading custom code onto the board, but I have a feeling that FIRST won't allow that.

[Aren_Hill]

Oh and Kate Pilotte was in charge of the 07 K.O.P.
our team 1625 and 111 wildstang attended a sensor expo summer of 2006.
While we were there I knew she was hunting around for sponsors so being my curious self i kept a close eye on who she talked to .
The second day of it however we had our oh so brilliant minded animator (also my arch enemy ), was the only person who could go and he didn't keep an eye on her!! so if he had payed attention that day we may know the exact background of this thing. CURSE YOU PETE!!! (buddyb309)

[Donut]

Ah, another fun game hint (or what appears to be one) only a few weeks before kickoff, just to torment us all further. Who else loves the Christmas season?

Now, my weigh ins on some previously mentioned ideas as well as my own...

1. Although cool, I don't see this as an inter-robot communication device. Each alliance would be limited to only 4 signals they could send between the robots, and for them to mean anything, there would have to be a universally adopted code between all teams in FIRST. Every team would have to know that receiving a COM0 signal means "head to left side of field", "score gampiece", "inflate clown balloon", etc. To be honest that seems like a rather boring use of signals, as only four commands for the whole alliance doesn't give many options in terms of what to do.

2. Is this the end of the CMUCam? With the success and usefulness it's gained in more recent auto-modes, I don't see the camera ever leaving competition permanently, but I do think FIRST could take a break from it. The camera has already been mastered by a few teams, and alot have it working, even if the rest of their auto isn't up with it. I see a departure from cameras for a few years in favor of IR challenges, such as back in 2004, so everyone has a challenge again. Then once we've all figured this one out we may go back to the cameras, combine them both, or go on to something else new.

3. If FIRST does actually intend on using remote controls with these (not just as a test method), they will have to supply their own special controllers at competitions. Otherwise the risk is too high that two teams will bring the same remotes and use the same buttons, which would guarantee interference. Human players directing robots with remote controls would be interesting, perhaps a section of the field will be obscured from driver view or will have driver control removed so that only the remote may operate the robot? I hope such a system wouldn't be implemented in autonomous mode, as this would defeat the point of it (something about no human control...).

4. I keep having a leering suspicion of something akin to a game suggestion I made last year, involving goals with lights above that didn't turn on to indicate which alliance they scored for until autonomous began. Imagine four goals on the field each with an IR emitter that doesn't activate until autonomous begins. Two goals send out a signal indicating red goal, while the other two send out signals to signify a blue goal. Which goals score for which alliance are random each match, making a dead reckoning autonomous potential suicide in which you score 20 points for your opponents. Visual alliance indicators are then revealed after autonomous so teams that don't attempt to find the signal may still score in operator mode.

Unlike 2004 when teams had to figure out which emitter they were looking at themselves, FIRST is already giving us the tools to distinguish between multiple IR transmissions on field. Sounds like they must want us to use it for something, all will be explained on January 5th, but I really don't want to wait quite so long.

[Tottanka]

Originally Posted by Donut

4. I keep having a leering suspicion of something akin to a game suggestion I made last year, involving goals with lights above that didn't turn on to indicate which alliance they scored for until autonomous began. Imagine four goals on the field each with an IR emitter that doesn't activate until autonomous begins. Two goals send out a signal indicating red goal, while the other two send out signals to signify a blue goal. Which goals score for which alliance are random each match, making a dead reckoning autonomous potential suicide in which you score 20 points for your opponents. Visual alliance indicators are then revealed after autonomous so teams that don't attempt to find the signal may still score in operator mode.

That souns very cool. I really hope it's something like that!

[rspurlin]

I'm one of the alternates for our team and I did receive the email. I checked the message headers and it does appear to originate from FIRST. It will be tomorrow before I can check at the school to see if we've received a package.

I don't think this is a hoax, although how relevant it will be to the 2008 game is yet to be seen.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by vivek16

ok, Im going to get off CD for a day or two until our team can confirm this thing.

-vivek

Vivek, we all know that doing this is physically impossible.
Anyone thinking Wii nunchuck controlled robots?

[Tottanka]

Originally Posted by XxMORTteam11xX

Vivek, we all know that doing this is physically impossible.
Anyone thinking Wii nunchuck controlled robots?

How about Guitar Hero guitars controlled robots? How cool would that be!

[ggoldman]

Hey CD!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I have a cool idea (which probably is a couple years away in terms of FIRST actually doing it..but MAYBE it will be for this year.)

FIRST becoming economical....VIRTUAL GAME PIECES

Even though FIRST usually has their game pieces at least partially donated by supplier partners, a very interesting concept to me would be virtual game pieces.

Imagine a game in which there are four locations on the field with integrated IR signal emitters that give out a red, blue, green, or yellow signal (for example) when a robot comes up to it with their IR receiver.

Once the team is within range of the receiver, the signal is picked up by the robot and a beacon (maybe like a LED light on the robot) lights up the color given out by the IR signal. This is equivalent to a Virtual Game Piece.

Bringing the virtual game piece to the correct colored goal scores a point.

Advantages of this idea:
1) no need for game pieces....(Saves LOTS of money for teams and FIRST)
2) instant score board updates (since it is all controlled by the IR signals)
3) Game is different every time since you might not know which color you will get at each station.

Disadvantages:
1) Not sure if we will have IR transmitters too...to send the goal the scoring info.
2) Unlikely that FIRST will ever get rid of a real game scoring piece...this might be used for a bonus or big point objective.


As always...I am probably over analyzing the situation...but thats what I do best

-Gabe G.

[vivek16]

Originally Posted by XxMORTteam11xX

Vivek, we all know that doing this is physically impossible.
Anyone thinking Wii nunchuck controlled robots?

sigh... I guess you are right.

-vivek

[lukevanoort]

Originally Posted by Tottanka

How about Guitar Hero guitars controlled robots? How cool would that be!

cough

[vivek16]

Originally Posted by ggoldman

Hey CD!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I have a cool idea (which probably is a couple years away in terms of FIRST actually doing it..but MAYBE it will be for this year.)

FIRST becoming economical....VIRTUAL GAME PIECES

Even though FIRST usually has their game pieces at least partially donated by supplier partners, a very interesting concept to me would be virtual game pieces.

Imagine a game in which there are four locations on the field with integrated IR signal emitters that give out a red, blue, green, or yellow signal (for example) when a robot comes up to it with their IR receiver.

Once the team is within range of the receiver, the signal is picked up by the robot and a beacon (maybe like a LED light on the robot) lights up the color given out by the IR signal. This is equivalent to a Virtual Game Piece.

Bringing the virtual game piece to the correct colored goal scores a point.

Advantages of this idea:
1) no need for game pieces....(Saves LOTS of money for teams and FIRST)
2) instant score board updates (since it is all controlled by the IR signals)
3) Game is different every time since you might not know which color you will get at each station.

Disadvantages:
1) Not sure if we will have IR transmitters too...to send the goal the scoring info.
2) Unlikely that FIRST will ever get rid of a real game scoring piece...this might be used for a bonus or big point objective.


As always...I am probably over analyzing the situation...but thats what I do best

-Gabe G.

while this would be pretty cool: rookies would have a harder time with it maybe. It would be WAY less interesting to watch from an ordinary nonfirster's point of view.

-vivek

[Josh Fox]

Originally Posted by XxMORTteam11xX

Anyone thinking Wii nunchuck controlled robots?

Wii want to play... wii want to play very very badly