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[DPRG] Can Can/Odometery and contests
Subject: [DPRG] Can Can/Odometery and contests
From: John C. Abshier
jabshier at kc.rr.com
Date: Thu Dec 7 22:45:05 CST 2006
The question was raised "Why don't most Quick Trip robots use
odometery?" The answer is that you don't need it to have a competitive
robot. It is needed even less for the Table Top version. If your robot
will run straight, go fast until you sense the wall. Take away the
course wall and make the end zone marker lines 1/8 inch wide and
odometery will flourish in the contest. A problem with contests is what
do you want them to accomplish? A quick trip with no walls, 1/8 inch
end zone marker lines and some random places obstacles would challenge
builders to build robots closer to ones that could exist in the real
world. But it may put off beginners and probably would have fewer
entries. A contest restricted to a "club kit" would level the hardware
playing field and just challenge programming. Its is easy for me to
talk as a member 550 miles from the warehouse. I think one answer would
be 3 types of contests a year. Twice a year have an entry level
competition (table top?) with some prizes reserved for someone who has
never won a prize. This would be to encourage new people to catch the
fever. An intermediate contest (harder Roborama) would be next on the
growth path. An outdoor contest (Long Haul, Robo Magellan, and/or
something else (perhaps recover tennis balls or deploy a payload to a
location, etc.) would provide a venue for larger robots in a different
environment than nice black paper indoors.
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