Hello everyone! This year our team is thinking of innovative ways to promote the robotics competition in our community. Our school is already streaming the FIRST competition feeds during the lunches, but we thought it would be cool stream video off the robot during the competition. I have some experience in the FPV area of RC, can any equipment from that be used in this case
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thanks!
Pretty sure you can’t transmit anything off the robot during competition. All comm must go through the D-Link and its tied into the FMS.
It’s awesome that your school is so supportive of your team! How cool that everyone gets to watch the matches.
A lot of teams mount a GoPro to record video during the match. Last year, we recorded video from the camera (a Kinect, in this case) onto our onboard PC. However, broadcasting live (either off the robot or the driver station PC) is likely going to be illegal if not impossible.
[R67] in last year’s rules gives the process for getting something like this approved.
Do you know of any examples that have been approved? I haven’t yet seen or heard of a team doing this at the regionals I’ve been to.
I don’t know of any examples for teams being granted a waver, especially since the GoPro Wifi BacPac and remote require the creation of a network between the Camera and the controlling device. Assuming no major rules changes we will likely just place a GoPro on this years robot and upload it to our Youtube channel after the fact.
Given decent cellular connection with the bandwidth this could be done in short order after a match if that is your goal.
Our team has also started experimenting with GoPros for promotional reasons. Although the new Hero 3 models include built in wifi, I think everyone is right that it is going to be difficult to get approval for a wifi connection off of the robot for this purpose in a real competition.
Just another thought, a lot of teams have tried out the GoPros from the robot themselves, which does result in some rpetty cool shots. But another angle we started to play around with is mounting the GoPro to the drivers themselves. It gives the viewer a first person perspective of what it’s like to compete in a match. (And you don’t have to worry about wait allowances) haha
Cool idea! If we have the funds we’ll probably pick up one or two GoPros and give both the on-robot and on-driver perspective a shot. In their 2012 robot video, 118 also had some really cool shots that looked like they mounted it either on the corner of the robot or on some kind of appendage. It was pretty cool: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103662
I’ve seen a number of coaches and drivers/operators wearing GoPros this year in VRC, mostly mounted to the bill of a baseball cap. I can imagine the behind the glass video would be interesting certainly be interesting for people that have never seen the game from that perspective.
Team 48 was given approval in 2004 to put a cheap 2.4 GHz (I think) wireless camera on our bot. The event staff hooked in the receiver to their AV system and broadcast the feed on the big screen as our matches were being played. Pretty neat. I forget at which specific event(s) this took place.
Probably wouldn’t fly today.
The FRC2530 YouTube channel has a number of “behind the glass” videos. Including one match where the only points scored on the near baskets were three human player shots. Be sure to select hi def. You can usually see the score screen and you ca see/hear some of the drivers in the reflection off the glass.
FRC Team 2073 had GoPros on there robot and got some pretty awesome footage, especially when we almost flipped and only saw the lights of the building :eek:
I also think it would be cool to see what is happening between the coach and drivers, to better help the communication between them. Hopefully next year we will accomplish this!!
I drove our teams robot this year and we had a live feed from our camera so I could tell how close we were to the bridge. I do not know how this was done, as I just CAD stuff and machine stuff, and drive. I do know that we used Netbeans and not WhatchamacallitLab.
I agree I do not this that is allowed during competition but great idea though maybe carry a portable video camera with a wireless antenna on it to stream live up close action of the pits, matches, and when you queue for a match.