Competitions explained
Based on a rotating schedule, one of six tablets are assigned to a pre-chosen
student to scout one robot position for an hour. For example, a student will scout
every robot in the first blue alliance position. Before our first event, our program-
ming team and scouting captain made an app designed to organize all of our scout-
ing data. This year, during sandstorm, we recorded where each robot started on the
HAB platform, how many cargo/hatch panels the team placed, and where the team
placed the cargo/hatch panels. During teleop, the team also collected data on how
many cargo/hatch panels were scored, where they
were placed, the functionality and stability of the
robot, the driver rating, and finally, where the robot
ended in endgame. This data is then used to strate-
gize which robots to select during alliance selection.
Each team competes in approximately 12 qualifica-
tion matches. For these matches, a team is queued
beforehand in the pits by competition volun-
teers. Then the drive team prepares the robot to the
best of their abilities and head to wait in line at the
field. Our drive team consists of a driver who con-
trols the wheels and lateral drive, a operator who
controls the manipulator and elevator, a human
player to put cargo/hatch covers onto the field, and a coach to direct the team on
the field. The drive team has to undergo immense stress as the competition is timed
and the whole team is depending on them. After most matches, robot repairs have
to be made. At our Waterbury competition, frequently the robot’s systems became
damaged from driving off of platform 2 of the HAB, and we needed to fix them. In
addition, our lateral termination function stopped working, so we were permanent-
ly stuck in lateral drive for a whole match. Our camera froze at the beginning of one
of our matches and left the drive team essentially blind. These issues, along with
our lift beams bending, were issues that were thankfully remedied enough during
the competition to not drastically interfere with our matches.
Issue 5: May 19, 2019
PAGE 4