DPRG mailing list archives: [DPRG] Outdoor Robot Challenges

Mon Apr 14 22:12:41 CDT 2008

Hi Tom,

The indoor events begin at 12:00 noon and will probably take about
an hour or so (?) and then we'll retire to the appropriate parking lot
thereafter for the outdoor challenges which will probably start by
2:00 or 3:00. and last a couple of hours depending on who shows up.

Looks at this point like we'll be in the remote parking lot, the backup
location, but that is still to be determined.

See you there.

dpa

Tom Brusehaver wrote:
> Maybe just a general question. There is an outside long shot chance
> my new robot will be up for one of these challenges.
>
> I could see it is may 10th, but I didn't see what time things will
> start?
>
> thanks
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 1:31 PM, dpa <dpa at io.isem.smu.edu> wrote:
>   
>> Howdy,
>>
>>  !!Dean wrote:
>>  <snip>
>>  >       0) We got 3 people to build, code and try their robot; that's better
>>  >            than just talking.
>>
>>
>>  I whole-heartedly agree.  That is the main benchmark and definition of success.
>>  Everything from here on out is just tweaking and refinement.  Congratulations
>>  to all involved.
>>
>>
>>  >       1) Eric visited from Dallas
>>
>>  which Eric?
>>
>>
>>  <snip>
>>
>>  >       3) Waypoints marked with *brown* tape (hard to see against dirt and
>>  >          dried leaves).
>>
>>
>>  For future events you might consider using pre-existing markers (like water
>>  utility plates in the ground, seams in the concrete, etc) which can be
>>  accurately measured with an averaging GPS days before the contest, and
>>  published on your website in advance for folks who might want to do some
>>  testing on their own at the contest site.   Most of the waypoints that I've
>>  measured at Fair Park in Dallas are pre-marked like that in some way.
>>
>>
>>
>>  >       5) Waypoint marking method was neither very accurate nor fair--if it
>>  >          were a competition (Dean used his robot's GPS to read coords, placed
>>  >          tape on ground under robot)
>>
>>
>>  This is one of the main reasons that the DPRG OutDoor Challenges are
>>  structured the way that they are.  I'll be interested in your impressions
>>  of the way this works out next month in Dallas.
>>
>>
>>  <snip>
>>  > #1 Tip: make every effort to do a practice run 2 weeks prior.
>>
>>
>>  I second that one especially.  The contest should not be the first time
>>  your robot has ever attempted the challenges.  You learn a lot from
>>  getting outdoors and running the 'bot and identifying problems and
>>  failure modes as well as strategies for success.  It's also quite
>>  a lot of fun.  And it's SPRING!
>>
>>  Hope to see all three of these new DryRun robots in Dallas next month!
>>
>>  best regards,
>>  dpa
>>
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>>     