This year is our teams 2nd year doing match scouting using android tablets. We have been using PDF Forms for every match, and later in the day collecting the tablets, and copying the data using a pc. This year, the drive team has asked that we give them “live” data. I am still looking for clarification as to what they mean as live, but for the time being, lets say every few matchs. I was thinking using a USB hub and having all the tablets connected and I did a trial of that last year, but I ran into the issues of cable lengths and people unplugging them (accidently), or not having enough power for the hub.I am curious about using Bluetooth, but am unsure about the ease of transfer, being that I would be doing this to 6 tablets in a short period of time. Any thoughts or ideas as to how I could manage this. We really don’t want to rely on a app developed by another team because we want to be able to edit the form before the next competition to collect different data etc. and we currently don’t have enough manpower to develop an app.
TL;DR: I want to collect PDF files from android tablets during a competition, to a pc, with out disturbing the scouts. How can I do this? Or is there a better way to do this?
We (226) are working on an app where you can change the fields so that you can change what type of data you are collecting. Also, I am pretty sure blue tooth is illegal. We are currently working on a method where the tablets relay the information to a computer, which then sends it to a phone, which sends it to a collector app on the drive teams phones to compile and give them live data. If you guys want source code or help just contact me…
Do you have a spare tablet? Switch one or two out every match for a download and a battery top-up, and the data on the whole shouldn’t be more than a couple matches old at any given time. If your laptop for the job isn’t up for higher-amp charging, I have nothing but great things to say about Anker battery packs.
Section 5.5.1 T4:
“Teams may not set up their own 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz or 5GHz) wireless communication (e.g.
access points or ad-hoc networks) in the venue.
A wireless hot spot created by a cellular device is considered an
access point.”
Bluetooth is 802.15. To my knowledge, the manual doesn’t mention anything about Bluetooth in the stands or pits for scouting or networking purposes
Source: Wikipedia
MorScout 2.0 may be what you’re looking for. It can be used offline or online so you have that freedom in case internet is not working in the arena. Also, you can fully customize your scouting forms so you’re not restricted to team 1515’s scouting strategy (however, that will still be an option).
Here is the full description:
Team 1515 MorTorq is developing the next iteration of our scouting application, MorScout, from last year. Our scouting application is designed to be run without any setup, meaning your clients will require an internet connection to login and periodically to sync to the server. MorScout is designed to run primarily on Android and iOS, but also web browsers. Each FRC team can create accounts for their own scouters. Our application is designed for both match scouting, as well as pit scouting. Each team can create custom forms for their scouters to fill out, so teams are not limited by just our scouting ideas! Once scouting reports have been made, team members can view all reports from their team for specific matches and/or teams. Additionally, scouters will have the option of making their reports public or private. Private means that only the scouters’ team will be able to review that report. By making a report public, any team using MorScout will be able to view the report, allowing each FRC team to assist in every team’s scouting.
On 226, I am also working on a scouting app for this year. Our app makes use of sending scouting data over SMS, and will have a component for sending scouting data directly to the drive team.