Wow! This is a great way to store the carpets and provide floor protection!
Does anyone know what material each carpet section is made out of? How are the section connected so the playing field is one smooth surface? How much does it cost to make each section?
YEah this is really kool, looks like a system first should try, as opposed to using tape to fix the torn sections just replace a tile. Def, post more info on this.
This is actually Mr. MOE, using MOEWidow’s account…
The carpet sections you see here are courtesy of the NASA Goddard Mobile FIRST Playing Field. Mike Wade and Pete Baltzell of NASA Goddard are the mastermind’s behind this.
Each section is 4’ x 4’ and has carpet on one side and a PVC backing on the other. Each section can be easily carried by one person, but is a little awkward for those folks who don’t have a large wingspan.
The carpet “tiles” fit together by pieces of velcro. On each side of the carpet tile, there are three mating velcro pieces underneath the tile. NASA has velcro strips that are twice as wide as the width of the velcro underneath the tile, so when you place the velcro, half of the width of the strip sticks out. This allows you to attach an adjoining tile to the one already in place.
We used the NASA field at the Duel on the Delaware last year. The carpet segment sizes were the same, but had plywood underneath. They were heavy and very awkward. Mike Wade redesigned the field and came up with the current set-up, which is excellent. Another advantage of the PVC is that it doesn’t absorb the water, like the plywood did. Those of you who attended the Duel last year and were up on the field would either smell Carpet Fresh or mold, as a number of carpet tiles got wet at the Maryland State Fair a month earlier.
Kudos to Mike and Pete and the NASA field design. They improve this thing every year!
The field is now on it’s way to the Final Bin Bash on October 25 and Ramp Riot on November 15.
Wow this is amazing why hasnt FIRST used this save alot of problems on torn carpet and them worrying.
How is the actual surface? Can you feel the bumps in between the tiles? I’m just curious because I’m wondering if that could cause problems with autonomous (I.E. hitting a bump, and timer stops before getting to a point and autonomous messes up). I really like the idea though, I hope FIRST is looking at this lol.
I’m probably not the best person to respond (those participating in the event and the referees have better experience). However, the carpet holds up fairly well. When we originally put it down, it was fairly smooth. Once the carpet edges begin to fray, they need to be taped down. This tape may create some hills and valleys in the playing field surface.
Overall, and definitely for an off-season comp, this field is very good. The nice thing about the field that FIRST should consider is that if a section becomes damaged (as was the case this season and last season in Zone Zeal), it can be replaced fairly quickly, in theory.
as one of the duel refs i have to say i didn’t notice any negative affects on Autonomus due to the carpet seams. They are placed closely together and there are steel strips that run underneath between the sides to hold them parallel/keep the carpet together. Just walking on it durring the day i do not recall any severe hill or valleys.
the only negative affect i noticed on mike’s field was the ramp sections… which did not match up evenly in one or two spots… but there was little that could be done to fix that.
Although I wasn’t at DoD, I have seen this field significantly grow since 1999 when parts were first used in the loading dock of Building 5 at NASA GSFC. The carpet is glued to the panels. This works OK and it provides a new challenge for those playing. It is amazing how much slip there is on carpet that is just laid down on the floor compared to carpet that is attached to a backing. I believe the actual carpet is the carpet that was used at the Chesapeake and I think Virgina Regionals. The whole remaining portions of the field (borders, player stations, etc.) are government surplus material for the most part. Then entire field surface fits onto 2 pallets, and the borders and player stations onto 2 additional carts.
Mike, for those of you who don’t know, is the guy withe the DeWalt Drill in his hand I i believe Pete is on the floor in the white Crew shirt. All of us here in MD and surrounding areas owe both of these guys a lot since they routinely set’s this field up around 2 dozen times a year all along the east coast.
Hope this helps some Ken.
Steve
actually… the guy in white on the floor is Bob from 365. I can see if i have a different picture from the DoD set-up day with Pete in it if anyone wants me to dig one up.