If we had an autonomous programming skills that could score around 100 points, would we be allowed to map that entire run to a button on a controller, hit the controller at the start of the match and then let the robot run in “driver skills”?
I don’t know why you would, it is easier to push the limit of driver skills than programming skills. There are ways to duplicate the driver control in programming such as recordable autonomous. However this is not consistent all the time.
@briancole@1961Uranium We do plan on having a driver run the driver skills run, but so far, the programming runs have scored higher than the driver runs (the driver isn’t able to run all the functions at once), and the driver often over-compensates for errors while my program just…works? Driver feedback with LEDs would definitely be helpful (but we’re out of ports!!)
100% true. Employers think that replacing their employees with machines is a great thing. If the people have no money, no one’s going to buy their stuff anyway. They’re just avoiding the truth.
I’m sorry, what? As the driver and lead game strategy on my team, I can tell you firsthand how much more effective it is to have programming assist you, if not completely do your job. Can you say that @tabor473 's completely autonomous Starstruck robot last year was “against the ethos” of the driver control period of matches? Can you say using a PID loop is against the ethos of driver control matches, because it does work for you? I seriously hope both of you are joking, and I would hate to have to compete against your teams at a competition.
Running your auton during driving skills and having a manual override is one option. A better option may be writing small autonomous routines, mapped to controller buttons, for specific actions that are difficult for a person master. A very simple example would be a button that raises a lift an exact predefined height. A more complicated example could be adjusting the positions of multiple lifts simultaneously.
I think you misunderstood me. I completely support automating robot features in competition because that is the whole purpose of a robot: to do certain tasks on its own. My comment was simply about using machines to replace workers in the industry and had nothing to do with whether or not one should use their programmed routine during driver skills.
Notice that I did not quote the second part of what @action000 said:
This part I disagree with. The part about automation destroying jobs I agree with to an extent. An example of this is self-checkout stations. While these are cool, they are being rapidly used to replace workers, and thus increasing the unemployment rate. This is just my opinion and I may be wrong. Regardless, my post had nothing to do with driver’s skills in anyway. I apologize for the confusion.
I was not joking. I understand exactly what you are saying and for the sake of winning, you are right and some of the teams that I mentor have implemented this to a certain degree. This is, however, a DRIVERS challenge though - not a programming challenge. I believe, admittedly could be wrong, that the intent is to showcase the best DRIVERS. It would be like building a robot to hit a baseball. Not really the same thing. I want to see a human look, see, react to a ball.
Completely agree - and that was my point - it is WAY more efficient and a great teaching point to the kids.
However, you don’t run a human grocery checkout challenge and then have robots do everything. That is against what you are trying to do. Another example would be to hold a marathon - it is supposed to be a running challenge. Obviously, machines and robots can get from the start line to the end line faster, however that isn’t the point of the marathon. We still want and expect humans to do it - and then reward the best one.