Scouting using tablets

[RoboScout]

Last year our FIRST Team 1073 decided to develop a tablet based scouting application to replace the dreaded paper sheets and manually entered spreadsheets. We decided to go the Android route for two reasons: (1) Java is a more broadly applicable language for the students to learn, and (2) the Android tablets were more cost effective than the Apple devices.

We purchased three (budget constraints) Acer 7-inch tablets, along with protective cases and rubber bumpers. These devices have proven to be very reliable and with the cases, all survived several competitions intact. The 7-inch model is a good size, too. This year we hope to purchase additional devices so that we can scout all six teams in a given match. The Acer tablets can be bought for anywhere from $150-$250.

The tablet application itself (actually two apps: one for pit scouting and one for match scouting) is essentially an electronic version of the paper sheets. The apps also allow the scouter to take pictures and video, naming the captured media files according to the team number of the subject. The scouting data itself is saved within the device as a text file, again named according to the team subject. We wrote the app(s) in a general way so that each year, we can develop a new 'sheet' with minimal new development. Ask me next month how we did on that front;-)

There is a central laptop running a data processing application that takes the data from the tablets, parses the information and stores it into a database. From there, we have a series of report generators that apply weights to the collected data attributes, and generate a draft pick-list of prospective alliance partners. The laptop application is written in python and uses SQLite as the database. Recent changes to the data processing application allows us to keep the pick-list up to date in real time, which should be helpful at comp.

Transferring the scouting data off the tablets to the central laptop was a bit of a hassle early on. We didn't have much luck using USB cables to allow the laptop to pull the files directly off the tablets. It was hit or miss on whether it would work properly. We also wanted to use bluetooth, and purchased a software package that ran on both the PC and the tablets, but that turned out not to be very reliable. In the end, we wrote our own bluetooth sync service on the tablets and the PC that transfers the files from the tablets to the PC (think HTTP over bluetooth sockets), triggered by a button on the tablet application. Like other posters indicated, we didn't want to rely on 3G access or the availability of WIFI at comp for our scouting app to work. While bluetooth can be a bit finicky, it has worked pretty well for us, in the configuration where each tablet sync's its data files to the central computer.

This year, we plan to focus our new development on the report generation and information sharing aspects of the overall scouting application. The central laptop application supports a web server that allows anyone with a browser to view the data. We found that particularly useful at our strategy meetings that we hold at night while at comp. Previously, we all needed to huddle around a single machine to look at the data, but now everyone can peruse all the data on their own. But, we need a more refined user interface, and that's where we will focus some energy.

While the application isn't completely ready for prime time, we would like to share what we are doing with other interested teams. Feel free to contact me directly via PM for more info (this post is far toooo long)...

Ken St. (aka RoboScout)
FIRST Team 1073

[F22Rapture]

Originally Posted by dcarr

If you don't plan on utilizing an existing scouting system or creating your own, Google Drive/Docs can be very effective (in terms of collecting data through forms that feed into spreadsheets, tallying data in spreedsheets, cataloging photos, etc.). Also, the Android and iOS apps work offline, allowing changes and new items to be synced once connectivity to become available.

Correct me if I'm wrong because I've never used the Google apps in this context, but if you have more than one scout editing offline documents at any one time wouldn't that overwrite the changes of one of the scouts when they finally do sync up?

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by F22Rapture

I would recommend the Nexus 7 over the iPad mini for this situation. It's $100 cheaper, doesn't require a mac to develop apps for, uses cheap generic USB chargers and has multi-user support, which are all (especially the price) desirable features when it comes to FIRST teams.

Absolutely true. I love my Nexus 7, for the price it can't be beat. If you are looking at these as team purchases rather than having students bring their own tablets (as some of our members do), the Nexus 7 takes the cake in terms of bang for the buck.

[JohnChristensen]

Ed,

What tablets did your team decide to use for your scouting system?

[Mr. Mike]

Last year we where using laptops. We showed the FTA that we where using 3G and all power cords were not a tripping hazard. At other events we had seen FTAs unplug cords if they where a tripping hazard.

Its good to hear that the tablets can run a full day of scouting.

[Dale]

Some venues don't even allow power cords in the stands except in certain areas. At the Autodesk Oregon Regional, for example, there's no AC except in one tiny area with one seat reserved for each team. Not realistic for normal scouting. We use inverters driven by FRC-class batteries to run our admin's laptops and, of course, iPads.

[Nemo]

We used 7 laptops last year (thanks to 2410 for helping us scout in KC). Six for scouting robots and one for collecting the data. To keep them powered up, we were using a power inverter and robot batteries, and we kept swapping batteries back to the pit to be charged. It was a bit of a hassle, but laptops can be used for more robotics functions than tablets can.

I think it's a lot easier to develop the application on laptops. Last year we used Excel. This year for FTC we have a system that a student wrote using C. We were using USB drives to swap data around last year (a hassle), but this year we're going to try to use a simple 8 port network switch in the stands to streamline that process. I think it will be nice if we get the details right.

Tablets admittedly seem really nice for scouting, because a touch interface seems right for this application, and tablets are nice and compact for use in the seats.

[Steven Donow]

We plan on scouting with tablets this year, probably either Nexus 7's(I have my personal one and absolutely love it...my mom just got a Nexus 10 as well and it's awesome) or Galaxy Tab 2 7's(which I'd probably root and put a ROM closer to stock Android on...but I digress). Whichever's cheaper at the time of purchase. The current plan is to use this app: and then export as CSV files to be put into an Excel or Access database. Moving the file from the tablet to computer is done with the archaic method of manually using Windows File Explorer to pull the CSV's off the tablet. The only flaw is sometimes(and only on 2 Nexus 7's tried so far, not on my phone running CyanogenMod 9...) the folder just plain doesn't show up or get updated, in which case this app has to run to get it to work.

[RoboScout]

Originally Posted by stevend1994

We plan on scouting with tablets this year, probably either Nexus 7's(I have my personal one and absolutely love it...my mom just got a Nexus 10 as well and it's awesome) or Galaxy Tab 2 7's(which I'd probably root and put a ROM closer to stock Android on...but I digress). Whichever's cheaper at the time of purchase. The current plan is to use this app: and then export as CSV files to be put into an Excel or Access database. Moving the file from the tablet to computer is done with the archaic method of manually using Windows File Explorer to pull the CSV's off the tablet. The only flaw is sometimes(and only on 2 Nexus 7's tried so far, not on my phone running CyanogenMod 9...) the folder just plain doesn't show up or get updated, in which case this app has to run to get it to work.

Hey Steven,

I may have run into this same issue with the Xoom and Acer tablets that we use for our scouting application. Frequently, we would connect the tablet to the windows machine to manually transfer files and the new files wouldn't show up in the explorer window. We never did find the magic sequence that consistently resulted in the files appearing in the folder listing. Is this the behavior that you experienced, too, and what is resolved by the rescan application? If so, this find will be most welcome when if we need to fall back to a manual transfer again.

Thank you,

Ken St.
FIRST Team 1073

[Ed Law]

Originally Posted by JohnChristensen

Ed,

What tablets did your team decide to use for your scouting system?

We decided on 10" screens only so we can have all the fields we need to scout on one screen without each buttons being too small.

We have 2 ASUS Transformer TF300T. I bought them because they were the best on the market at the time in terms of performance with the Tegra 3 quad core processor and the 1080p HD video recording. One of them is for videotaping matches so I can review them with the drive team after each match. It also acts as a backup in case one of the other six tablets does not work.

I was going to get 7 ASUS Transformer but settled on 5 Motorola Xoom because I got a special deal for open box and demo units to save money. The Motorola Xoom is more than adequate for our purpose.

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by Ed Law

We decided on 10" screens only so we can have all the fields we need to scout on one screen without each buttons being too small.

We have 2 ASUS Transformer TF300T. I bought them because they were the best on the market at the time in terms of performance with the Tegra 3 quad core processor and the 1080p HD video recording. One of them is for videotaping matches so I can review them with the drive team after each match. It also acts as a backup in case one of the other six tablets does not work.

I was going to get 7 ASUS Transformer but settled on 5 Motorola Xoom because I got a special deal for open box and demo units to save money. The Motorola Xoom is more than adequate for our purpose.

The Xoom is a good choice since its essentially a "Nexus" device and still receiving new updates straight from Google (through 4.1.2 at least).

Starting this year all students at one of the three schools that make up our team are required to have iPads. So our tablet makeup will consist of those, personally owned iPads, and personally owned Android tablets. As such we are testing a Google Docs based system because it is simple and cross platform. Still evaluating the apps that have been released by other teams for both platforms.

[Steven Donow]

Originally Posted by dcarr

The Xoom is a good choice since its essentially a "Nexus" device and still receiving new updates straight from Google (through 4.1.2 at least).

Starting this year all students at one of the three schools that make up our team are required to have iPads. So our tablet makeup will consist of those, personally owned iPads, and personally owned Android tablets. As such we are testing a Google Docs based system because it is simple and cross platform. Still evaluating the apps that have been released by other teams for both platforms.

Just out of curiosity, with a Google Docs based system, have you found a workaround for using them at the competitions, ie. without internet? Or are they 3G devices?

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by stevend1994

Just out of curiosity, with a Google Docs based system, have you found a workaround for using them at the competitions, ie. without internet? Or are they 3G devices?

Unfortunately, no. It's a shame that offline mode is not yet part of Google Drive on Android/iOS as it is on computers running Chrome.

The current plan for tablets without their own 3G connections is to tether via bluetooth. We are still looking at all options though, because something that can work offline would clearly be preferable.