Remaining MI FIRST Robotic Contest (FRC) HS events - FREE to attend

[Keith Mc]

FIRST Robotics Contest HS competition events are FREE to attend.
I highly recommend coming to one, especially the MI State Championships
to be held shortly. Bring safety glasses if you wish to visit the pit area.
Links to the remaining MI schedules, maps, et al are next:

The last MI District Qualifier contest is this Fri & Sat Apr 5&6, 3013
... Bedford High School, Temperance MI
... http://www.firstinmichigan.org/FRC_2013/Bedford_FRC/bedford_frc.html

Michigan FRC State Championship - Thu thru Sat Apr 11-13, 2013
... Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center, Hewitt Dr, Ypsilanti MI
... http://www.firstinmichigan.org/FRC_2013/State_Championship/state_championship.html
This is where the best of the best in MI will fight it out, for slots at the International Championship.

Game description animation links and a FULL list of MI events are at:
... http://www.firstinmichigan.org/FRC_2013/frc_2013_season.html

Basically this year we have two main tasks to do, in 3 vs 3 robot "Alliances":
A) Collect and shoot Frisbees at hole-in-wall goals (or block others from doing so), and
B) Climb monkey bar towers of pipe one rung at a time for bonus points
(and/or place or throw special colored Frisbees onto their tops in the last few seconds)
The higher climbed, the more it is worth.

Due to the time it takes to climb, most robots seen to date seem to focus on
either (a) climbing the full height, or (b) shooting a lot and doing a short climb.
I'm surprised that very few fully defensive robots have emerged (but that may
change this week, at Bedford... :-)

- Keith Mc.

[Rodney Abke]

HI Keith,

i took my kids to the matches at Kettering and in Grand Blanc.  Pretty cool.  

I'm going to try to come to Ypsi, but i'll have to see when it gets closer.

good luck

- Keith Mc.

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[John Sugg]

I will be at the state finals. My son is on the Ferndale team (1025). Their bot is a  tower climber. They get a high score for climbing up and dumping frisbees on top of the "monkey bar tower". Fun to watch. Runs most of the day. I think there are 60 teams for the state championship. 

John

[Keith Mc]

John Sugg {sugg3d@...} wrote:
> I will be at the state finals. My son is on the Ferndale team (1025).
> Their bot is a tower climber. They get a high score for climbing
> up and dumping frisbees on top of the "monkey bar tower".

Hmmm... OOC, how do they get the load of colored Frisbees
into the robot AND climb up in only 30 seconds?

Section 3.1.5.1 states that only the appropriate colored Frisbees
score at the top of the Pyramid (IOW the Whites ones don't count there.)
Rule G35 states that the Red and Blue Frisbees that score on the top
may only be tossed onto the field ONLY during in the last 30 seconds of Teleop.

That has been viewed at most events I've attended by the Judges as
meaning you may NOT "preload" the colored Frisbees into the robot for
hauling up the tower before the last 30 seconds, because the disks
are not even allowed to enter the field before then

Now I am not sure the Judges are dealing with that rule correctly,
but that was a ruling at at least one event I have been at.

Therefore, when taken together, if your robot takes over 30 seconds
to get loaded, get TO the tower, climb it, AND dump them, it may be a problem.
.
Now I have at least one solution to deal with that, but I'm curious
as to how 1025 does it legally... Are they that fast, or do they
have another trick to stay within the rules?

ARE you guys getting a legitimate load of your color Frisbees
before the last 30 seconds of Teleop? If so, how?

- Keith Mc.

[John Sugg]

http://youtu.be/ewcBzZCDPZk

The red and blue frisbees are used by any team bots well before the last 30 seconds. Team members can only throw them across the field during the last 30 seconds. It takes just over 1 minute for their bot to load, climb and then dump frisbees at the top. 

John

[Chris Mounts]

Colored discs can be loaded to the robot at any point after autonomous. We faced off against several robots that only climbed and dumped for the 50 points. It is an interesting strategy that seems to be paying off for the teams that did it. Only other bots to put up more than 50 points reliably are the "corner" shooters that can easily clear 100 if they get tuned in early enough.