DID NOT Use a Camera for Hot Target Detection Club!!

[NotInControl]

If you did NOT use a camera for hot target detection, but instead had an alternate awesome system for detecting the hot goal, please let us know what it was.

After hearing some teams thinking outside of the box and using Banner IR sensors for tracking, I am curious what other cool methods teams have come up with for this years autonomous challenge.

Please also denote the accuracy of your hot target detection system and how well your unique system worked for you.

Unfortunately, my team is not in this club, we use an axis camera on a beaglebone for hot target detection. We had 100% detection after we set the delay on the bone to wait until 2 seconds after the match started (account for hot goal actuation time). We only look at the right goal, if after 2 seconds it is not hot, that means the left side is hot, and then we carry out our 2 ball/2 hot auto routine in the other goal.

Regards,
Kevin

[joelg236]

Not sure if CheesyVision counts, since it's technically a camera.

[Jacob Bendicksen]

We use a Kinect for hot goal detection - our driver puts his hands up when we're aimed at the hot goal.

[ks68]

I believe that 836 used an XBOX Kinect to detect the hot goal.

[NotInControl]

Originally Posted by joelg236

Not sure if CheesyVision counts, since it's technically a camera.

Now that the Poofs released their awsome code, I regard cheesyVision as a COTS solution. None the less it is a creative/innovative piece of software, and I say it counts for team 254.

But with that said, I more want to hear about other teams personal ideas, even if it failed, not their experience with a COTS product. But that is just my opinion, if people think it counts, then by all means add it to the list!!!

We too had the idea about using a kinect early on, but I was against the idea because of latency issues and the fear of how much of the 10 seconds it would eat up.

Turns out I was wrong, and the field actuation time ate up more time then any sensor feedback could have.

On the flip side, our vision code running on the bone (arm processor), can be ran directly on next years 2015 arm processor.

[Lightfoot26]

1625 used a Banner infrared photoelectric sensor to detect hot targets.... with enough finagling during the calibration time on thursdays, we were able to play through the regionals with little to no additional setup before each match with a high degree of success (and when we didn't intentionally bypass it)

[Dan_Karol]

131, CHAOS, uses a banner sensor to detect the HOT goal. Because the Banner sensor returns a binary value it is really simple to check if the hot goal is detected continuously.

Our robot needs to transform into it's playing configuration at the beginning which causes a slight delay before we move. We also shoot contacting the low goal. After transforming we constantly check the hot goal detector as we drive forwards. Even if the the goal is late to change we sill see it as we approach. If the Goal was ever seen as being hot while we approach (or while we are sitting in front of it) we shoot at 4 seconds into the match. If the goal becomes hot after 5 seconds we then shoot at 6 seconds.

This method has a 100% reliability at correctly detecting the Hot goal in competition. If the robot had shot from a further distance then the banner sensor could be adjusted to detect earlier.

[rich2202]

I saw one team us a tuning fork to signal the diver's station through the microphone on the laptop. It gave the the idea to use a flashlight and a light detector.

[Clinton Bolinger]

A Human is the best hot goal detector using a retro-reflective photoeye at the driver station. When the Hot goal is illuminated in front of the bot, the driver signals to the driver station, and the robot runs auto. If it isn't ... wait 6 seconds then run.

-Clinton-

[raptaconehs]

Our team used a blue sign which we pointed towards the driver station webcam to indicate the hotgoal. It actually worked really well even if we were on the blue alliance.