I just saw a short segment on the DSci channel about a robotics team that makes an automated helicopter… And enters a robotics competiton called “International Aerial Robotics Competiton.” It looked really interesting, so I was wondering if anyone knows more about it.
Patrick
I once saw something similar. . . it may or may not be the same thing.
From what I saw, they built automated flying machines that had to complete some task (exactly what eludes me). . . it was much more a competition about engineering skill rather than actual ‘competition’ as it were. At any rate, it looked interesting, as I remember one team that built sensors to be placed around the field so that they’re 'copter could locate and fly itself.
~ Michael, who’d like to turn FIRST into his own aerial robotics competition 
*Originally posted by patrickrd *
**I just saw a short segment on the DSci channel about a robotics team that makes an automated helicopter… And enters a robotics competiton called “International Aerial Robotics Competiton.” It looked really interesting, so I was wondering if anyone knows more about it.Patrick **
Don’t let Michael see this!! He’s been trying to get a helicopter into the design of our robots for ages. We don’t need to encourage him!! But now, he’s on a stupid hovercraft thing. Hmm…well…perhaps it’ll get him to stop trying to sneak helicopter designs into the plans for next years robot. ::sigh:: Although, he beat me to it (he was writing his post sitting next to me) hopefully, this will give him a diversion to any future robot plans. Now I just got to work on getting the hovercraft idea out of his head.
~Christina ºoº
*Originally posted by Christina *
**
But now, he’s on a stupid hovercraft thing. Hmm…well…perhaps it’ll get him to stop trying to sneak helicopter designs into the plans for next years robot.
~Christina ºoº **
Shoulda been around a bit more. Back when the competition were run with three teams competing against each other at the same time, the numbers wouldn’t always work out right, and a robot was needed to fill the spot. Hence the Placebo was born.
The Placebo took on a life of it’s own, and in it’s glory years (1996 and 1997) it had it’s two best designs.
In 1996 it was a full hovercraft, built from kit parts. (well, almost kit parts, it featured 4 drill motors to our 2 but you get the point) It did well, although the FIRST people had a hard time controlling it.
In 1997, the Placebo took on the shape of a vacuum cleaner. Yep. It was a remote control, upright Eureka vacuum cleaner. The Placebo did well this year, it suffered some mechaincal diffuicluties, but it did manage to score some points (well some teams, ours namely, would drop inner tubs (toroids) onto the handle, which counted as points.)
In 1998, FIRST fielded a black square box in place of anything. Many crowds of people were disappointed.
In 1999, FIRST changed the way the game was played, and eliminated the need for a placebo.
I have no surviving pictures of the Placebo, would anyone care to post some, or link to them?
Here’s the site It looks a lot more complicated and it’s for colleges only
That is beautiful…Beautiful…I think I want to go to college now (I’m talking about the game).