Camera on a Pole

Competition Rules/Strategy
1

Is anyone thinking of mounting a camera on a pole in driver area to help navigate?

2

I suggest you check R98C

1 Like
3

Between R98c and H1, not allowed.

H1, bullet vii prevents anything but the OPERATOR CONSOLE brought into the arena from being used this way. R98c keeps it short.

4

Yep, wasn’t it 2016 when teams figured out this wasn’t illegal, and… then it was :).

Different question: Does anyone have a simple, elegant solution for a camera on robot that can be elevated (quite high for quasi 3rd person POV) and lowered? Maybe telescoping pole, or tape measure actuation + rail, or ??? I’ve been meaning to design something like this that is reusable any year it makes sense, but have not gotten around to it.

5

Thanks. I did some homework (should have started with that) and found 3 rules that make it illegal:

R98C - 6’6" limit from the floor to highest object in the Driver Station
H1 - You can’t bring/use anything you want into Driver’s area.
H10 - No Peeking - no looking over the wall by any means including video.

I find it amazing how fast this stuff gets out of control. I am also amazed that anyone ever allowed it in a competition. I was an FRC Ref for 10 years and hopefully was smart enough to catch these rule stretchers.

6

Unless you’re looking at the screen the audience is watching, then you’re fine. For some reason.

The first, and last, time I saw camera poles was 2016 (I think). It was one of those “Nobody’s crazy enough to do that… right?” things.
I’m waiting for an amputee driver to have their prosthetic hand tied into the driver station somehow, or other cybernetic features. It’ll certainly make the highlight reel.

7

How about a power car antenna? You could mount a camera on top of one. Only question I would have is whether it uses a non-approved motor.

8

Originally in 2016 there was no restriction (loophole)… which wasn’t exploited until week 3 (one of the California regionals IIRC) which turned into an arms race to say the least. The prompted a team update the following week, which nerfed max height to the height of the tower flags and has been nerfed even more in later years (probably for for safety- nobody want’s a gopro to the head from 20+’ in the air!).

9

I think a ‘camera on a pole’ can still be legal if you do the following:

  1. Be on the left/right alliance station
  2. Place your camera on the left/right edge of your driver station
  3. Set up your driver station so that part of it is hanging off to the side of the left/right of the alliance station, where the camera is looking at the field through the loading station.

The loading stations aren’t covered by the sandstom blinds, so you have clear vision through the loading station. The rules also do not state that the entire driver station must be on the alliance station itself or be contained in the volume of the alliance station, etc. And judging by the rendered alliance station, in the manual, there is nothing really blocking those sides so this is possible.

Though note that since this all does break the intent of the rules, this can easily be amended.

10

C10. Plug in to/be in your PLAYER STATION. The OPERATOR CONSOLE must be used in the PLAYER STATION to which the team is assigned, as indicated on the team sign.
Violation: The MATCH will not start until the situation is corrected. If during a MATCH, DISABLED.

The inspectors or referees (depending on when it is discovered) could interpret C10 as meaning this. And if you ask on Q&A, I’m pretty certain they’ll rule this way or adjust the rules to prohibit it.

11

From my interpretation, “In the Player Station” doesn’t inherently mean fully within the player station. The way it’s worded, as long as my driver station is not in another team’s Player Station (which a human player station is not), then provided the camera exists within the 60" length my driver console is legal per C10.