Hi. I am the only programmer from team 3036 the DROBA Warriors. I was wondering if there was anyone in close proximity (100 miles or can be reached via Skype) to Deer River MN who is an expert LabVIEW programmer or who can teach to me use vision tracking and how to use it in auto. The team would really appreciate the help.
Thank as always,
Taggerun
I suggest you start with this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTt1Pjf9uEs and this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TukfO4CofPU
If you still have question, please post a detailed request.
I don’t really consider myself an “expert” and I definitely don’t live near MN, but I programmed our auto mode last year, wich had to aim at the pegs (while moving towards it) or at the “chimney” (I’m French and read the French manual last year so idk if it’s the real word).
If you’re interested send me an email: [email protected]
Why are you interested in vision in auto? Especially if you are relatively inexperienced vision is significantly less useful this year. What are you trying to track?
You do understand that figuring out which side of the field is given to you via FMS and you don’t have to determine that via vision correct?
If you’re pushing for any kind of strong autonomous, you’ll still want vision processing.
The switch is pretty much mandatory and can be figured out from non-vision sensors and reading the FMS. But, if you want to push your auton, you’ll also want to finish this task by picking up one of the cubes and getting it up onto the scale. I’d like to see how you plan for the inconsistency of a human field reset team without vision here.
The FIRST Updates Now twitch is in the middle of a series of LabVIEW instructions. So far, they’ve had basic LabVIEW as well as a vision presentation. I’d start by watching their history to see those as well as the videos linked here.
It’s hard to give you any guidance now as you don’t have actual questions.
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I think what you are talking about here is significantly outside the scope of most less experienced teams. How many teams do you think will have a 2 PC auto that works? I would say less than 1/12 teams will have a consistent 2 cube auto.
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It is entirely possible with encoders, a gyro, an intake that can take in cubes from a variety of angles, and at worst case a color sensor. You certainly could use vision but it is far from required and it is absolutely not required for a team not looking for a 2 cube auto. Even if they are looking at a 2 cube auto I would contend that their time is much better spent getting experience with encoders and a gyro as those are crucial.
I’m not suggesting it’s easy nor suggesting most inexperienced teams will be able to achieve that goal.
It sounds like we’re mostly in agreement. The primary focus should be the switch (why focus on the element that leaves a ranking point on the table?) For that, you’ll need to dial in your gyro and encoders to perform well.
Then, “if you want to push your auton,” you’ll want to look for something beyond that. Sure, you can find ways to work around not having vision. But, why? It seems silly.
Every year I’ve done this, I’ve seen at least one student start with zero LabVIEW experience and pick it up enough to program a safe robot within a week or two. They spent the last time trying to make things more advanced. Teams with inexperienced software also tend to have inexperienced hardware groups and that leads to gaps in time between writing an encoder algorithm and having a drive train to test with. Why not use that time to push your boundaries a bit and look at ways to take the next step? It might not be as useful in this game as it was in the past couple. But, picking up the skill now isn’t a bad thing. It’s certainly not something to be discouraged.