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[DPRG] Off Roadbots
Subject: [DPRG] Off Roadbots
From: David P. Anderson
dpa at io.isem.smu.edu
Date: Sun Oct 29 23:00:02 CST 2006
Howdy
I went to Fairpark this afternoon in search of a large asphalt
parking lot in which we might run 100 foot linear and 100x100
foot Borenstein UMBMark squares. A 200x200 foot space gives
50 feet error all around, which seems like plenty, so I looked
for such a space.
Most of the parking lots there are concrete which have a bunch
of re-bar in it. That makes it less useful for calibrating
compasses and the like. Cheaper asphalt lots usually do not
have re-bar, (but beware asphalt over concrete). Turns out
there is a nice big apshalt lot between the African American
Museum and the Opera Hall. I ran jBot around some large
squares in several different orientations and it all measured
out fine -- no re-bar. We'd only need about 1/4 of the lot.
I talked to the PR guy at the Museum and demo'd jBot for
him (he liked) and he said they usually had not much
business on Saturday afternoons, and didn't think it would
be a problem. He gave me a couple of names to find out what
would be required to rope off part of the parking lot for the
afternoon.
If that can get worked out, I'll go back and make some GPS
measurements of the parking lot, and post them here and on
the website.
Randy wrote:
> > The more subtle
> > navigation improvements come later with exercise #2.
>
> Of course many of these problems will show them self in a "quick
> trip" sort of course, and particularly in a long, outdoors,
I think that's right. This is one of those tasks that is not
really hard to do, but is VERY hard to do well. And even harder
when you add obstacles.
regards,
dpa
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