The Inevitable WATER thread

[dixonij]

no water hazard. if you accidently drove your robot into it you could have your whole team ready to kill you. unless it was watertight...

[evulish]

Heh. Water hazards would be scary. I'm thinking no...there would be too much to lose due to a water accident.

(weedie: and you think Ken gets nervous _now_ )

[rbayer]

Let's see...

• New RC: $565
• New Radio: $150
• 5 New Speed Controllers: $525
• 3 New Relays: $105
• Having your team sneak into your hotel room and suffocate you with a pillow because you accidently drove through some water and cost them $1345: Priceless

[evulish]

Maybe they could use distilled water.

[kacz100]

I though FIRST was trying to cut money by getting rid of the parties and the big video screen thingy (highly technical name). So if anyone considers that water might be involved think of the new field they would have to construct and the water and rescue equipment to get back our fallen commrades. All of that takes money! too much money!

[Wetzel]

Originally posted by dlavery
In the summer of 1999 we were working very hard to introduce the idea of the (then) new Southern California Regional Competition. A scrimmage match was held at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, and lots of local potential sponsors and prospective teams were invited. The scrimmage was staged on the central mall at JPL, in front of the main headquarters building.

We figured, southern California in the early summer, holding it outside would be perfect, right? Wrong! Fourteen teams (I don't remember all the teams that were there, but the BeachBots and the Archer School for Girls stick out in my memory) arrived early that morning, just to be greeted by a day of rain and drizzle cascading on to the uncovered play field. We thought we would have to call off the event, but someone suggested we give it a shot and see what happens.

All fourteen robots worked successfully all day. Throughout the matches, robots ran across the field in up to two inches of standing water. After matches the teams took robots back to the pits (the only dry areas under small tents) to wipe them down and sop up the excess water. But they were all constructed well enough that I don't think we had one short all day, and every machine was still running by the end of the scrimmage. All the teams had paid attention to the rules (yes, everyone actually read all the rules back then! ) and all electical connections were thoroughly taped and/or insulated, and withstood the moisture for the duration of their exposure to the rain. We were all pretty impressed by how well the robots (and team members) were able to withstand the extra "environmental constraint" and continue on. Somewhere in my files I have some great photos of rooster tails of water shedding off the wheels of some of the robots as they raced around the field.

Just one more point in the empirical data set of FIRST robot performances...

- dave

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"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
-- Soren Aabye Kierkegaard

From this water thread

My brother runs his rc car in rain all the time. I think it is possible.

This is Dean and Woodie we are dealing with, you think they think anything is impossible?

Wetzel
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H:\Offspring\Ixnay on the Hombre\7 - Offspring - Gone Away.mp3

[hixofthehood]

What a cool idea to think about, but so impractical

[dixonij]

Originally posted by evulish
Maybe they could use distilled water.

distilled water, heavy water, flavored water, carbonated water... ITS STILL WATER. WATER IS PUBLIC ENEMY #1 OF ROBOTICISTS.(ooohhh big word)unless it was watertight.

[Wetzel]

Originally posted by dixonij

distilled water, heavy water, flavored water, carbonated water... ITS STILL WATER. WATER IS PUBLIC ENEMY #1 OF ROBOTICISTS.(ooohhh big word)unless it was watertight.

'

Pure water isn't very conductive, it is the stuff in the water that is conductive. Hence distilled water, for lower conductivity.

Also, how can water be watertight?


Wetzel

[OneAngryDaisy]

if FIRST does incorprate water in their robotics competitons at one time they probably won't make the entire field out of water- but will instead make a water hazard one year and then the whole field the next year- we gotta get some experience before we make our whole robot based on one element,,

[E Jones 234]

i keep hearing this: 'unless we make it water tight'

so why don't we just make our robots water tight... that owuld solve many of the problems discussed here.

[CAD-Demigod45]

Why not have water? It would sure make those electrical guys make sure they did thier work well. I think it would be interesting to see just how many robots would have shorted out. Hey, an animated playing field would look pretty awesome.

[AJ Quick]

Originally posted by evulish
Maybe they could use distilled water.

Or Sodium Free Water.

[Hailfire]

There won't be any water. Our coach told us that it's just a rectangular field with carpeting with some kind of challenge to it like they do every year. Or so I've heard.

[KevK]

how would your coach know??