Has anyone used a reflective sensor or think one could distinguish the black gaffers tape from the carpet? Many games ago we got one in the KOP. Does anyone recall that?
We tried detecting the colored tape on carpet in 2016 for our 2 ball non-low bar auto: https://www.facebook.com/team254robotics/videos/1164671873572533/
It worked great at home, but we had trouble detecting the tape robustly on the competition field. Detecting the white tape worked great, though. YMMV.
This year will be black tape on grey carpet. What sensor did you use?
Remember that the field crew uses gaffers tape to patch holes in the carpet. They usually use a tape that matches the carpet color, but you should be prepared for having random spots of tape on the field.
You’ll want to run some experiments with the actual materials used.
Consider putting the sensor in a dark area under the robot and provide your own lighting. Venue lighting is highly variable.
Team 5422 has a control systems whitepaper that has this functionality included. They may be willing to answer questions about it.