New ways of Communicating? Info Retrevial

Competition Championship Event
1

THis thread is about interesting ways you use normal devices for souting/communicating ect.ect

I’ve downloaded all the pdf maps of atlanta and the dome + MARTA and converted them to jpeg and put them on my psp. along with all of the Team pictures in my division + there info for quick refrence, since it will be difficult for the head scout to send us info.

Also I was thinking? has anyone ever put up a wireless network in the dome or pits? Say for the scouts and the mayby the driver ect. Can access there data wirelessly from the ground? For example. My scouts in the stands are constantly updating a file with robots data ect. I ahve a match coming up, “hey lets access the info” I open it up through a wireless device, a laptop, psp, phone, pda ect. and its easily accessible right there? Has anyone done this?

2

I dont know if it has been done but its a good idea and it seems like somebody would have done it. If it hasnt been done it should be.

3

Last year at the Championships in Atlanta Team 296 set up a wireless network for their Sundial system, which in my opinion is a wonderful little application. We always had one of our student’s laptops on with the countdown timer going for our next match. It also greatly helps at Atlanta to know how behind / ahead the match schedule is running, which the Sundial also shows. :slight_smile:

4

This year our team set up a wireless server with ALL our data from scouting to design and everything else. Of course it was encrypted but it was handy for our programers and scouts to update robot info and other stuff!

5

Sundial will be back this year for all 4 divisions, thanks to some wonderful people at FIRST, Hatch, and NASA. Use a Wi-Fi card to connect to the network (wireless coverage graciously provided by NASA) and get access to match schedules, countdowns, standings (new at GTR 2006), and results (new at CMP 2006).

The data is being copied real-time from the scoring computers over a seperate network link, so it will reflect 100% the official data.

6

Just wondering… with this wireless network also provide an Internet connection?

7

I don’t believe so. The bandwidth requirements and the need for a custom DNS server for Sundial make it difficult to have internet at the same time.

Also, a recent document from FIRST stated that there were no plans for wireless internet at the time.

8

In Phoenix and LA we set up a wireless network which included a directional antenna and a laptop running as a server for STAMP in the pits so students in the stands could input and retrieve match data. We also had a chat going between pits and stands.

9

Novel ways to communicate:

  1. Scouting methods:
    –walk around and memorize
    –walk around and write random thoughts on scraps of paper
    –walk around and record on Excel spreadsheet forms
    –above but feed data via optical character recognition into database
    –form a partnership and have somebody else do the dirty work

  2. Countdown timer to next match:
    –wear a watch
    –use a white board in pit
    –program a laptop with a coutdown timer in Powerpoint
    –synch laptop with wireless system throughout pit areas

  3. Communicating from the Georgia Dome to the GWCC pit areas
    –Have your fastest team member run with paper-based messages
    –Use semiphone flags or smoke signals from the balconies
    –Run 2000 feet of Cat-5 cable and hope it won’t get run-over
    –Use a wireless link that has a dedicated RF spectrum that won’t interfere with the robot communications

Just remember that a stone in the hands of a caveman serves many purposes!