Robot interaction

VEX Robotics Competition Discussion VRC > Skyrise (14/15)
#1

Im a little confused and seeking clarification.

  1. can you interact with your robot on either starint tlie during autonomous?

  2. what is the “Interaction Zone”

please try to explain in a different way than the rulebook because the rulebook does not specify enough for me.

Thanks

#2

There is no autonomous interaction this year.
I believe interaction zone is for programming skills when you can reposition the robot twice.

#3

Robo-Sumant is correct: Interaction is limited to two interactions in programming skills. Legal interaction tiles are the tiles that of the same color that you started on. These interactions have to be on legal interaction tiles.

If the robot is touching a legal interaction tile, and touching a gray tile, then the only action you can do is to pull the robot completely onto the legal interaction tile. This brings it into the interaction zone. From there, you can interact with the robot as allowed by the rules; but once you are done interacting, the robot has to be completely on the legal interaction tile, and not touching any gray tiles.

#4

So there is NO autonomous interaction this year and the X on the floor labeled interaction zone in the game manual is only for programing skills, correct?

#5

Yep, there is no interaction during 15-sec autonomous. Also, you can still interact with the robot during driver control if it has never left the starting tile. The actions are quite limited though (like plugging in a battery, turning on the cortex, etc…)

#6

Well that sucks:o

there went all my autonomus ideas

#7

I thought you could still reposition your robot in autonomous because my school had a whole argument over it and we could find a rule opposing our thought.

If you could quote the rule I would be very greatful.

#8

Read <SG4>:

However as of you are allowed (2) ‘repositions’ in the programming skills challenge, from what i can see… our team hasn’t really put a huge effort into them yet. And wow this rule is rather wordy…

#9

I wrote a post on this before, and it was how I interpreted it:

https://vexforum.com/showpost.php?p=358308&postcount=2

However, literally 8 days later, Karthik answered a thread and ruled that repositioning in autonomous is not allowed:

https://vexforum.com/t/answered-reposition-robot-during-autonomous-period/26284/1

#10

To be honest I never planned on repositioning our robot in autonomous because I find it more annoying than helpful.

Saying this, I did like having a bumper switch which could be used to stop the robot if something failed. But there goes that option

#11

I would also like to thank teams for posting this response so quickly.

Do you guys think that this rule will stay for the next season or just for skyrise?

#12

I would expect it to stay. The idea behind it (I’m pretty sure) was to make teams actually right fully autonomous routines. With the reposition rule, you didn’t have to program much, there was a lot of human positioning, but now you need to program the full 15 seconds and (hopefully) use sensors.

#13

Unless there is an uproar about this rule, then I don’t think it will change. If so then at least not until the 2016-2017 competition game. As the game the GDC are making for next season will be made without feedback from Skyrise but instead from Toss Up.

EDIT: some of what I said above was wrong, please read the Vex Support post on the next page.
Also sorry for the unintentional pun…

#14

I like how the rule is this year. It’s more about being accurate with sensors and algorithms instead of last year’s mentality of “How often do I have to bring it back to the starting tile to re-align and make sure it’s on course?”

#15

I agree, I like this years rule also.

#16

I also second this…it is called “autonomous” for a reason. I always thought it was stupid that teams could re-position in the past. We actually made a rule for our own team of no re-positioning (in the past)…we wanted our routine to be truly autonomous. And heck, we managed to get to Worlds the past two years, so it clearly didn’t hurt us. I would argue it made us better.

It always made me cringe watching the finals at Worlds and seeing the “best” teams re-positioning their robots. Bring on the REAL autonomous routines!

#17

I can see where the confusion comes in, the rules does say this:

<SG4> During the Driver Controlled Period, Student Drive Team Members may handle their own Robot as long as the robot has never left the Alliance Starting Tile. The intent of this rule is to allow teams to fix Robots that were unable to move at the start of the Match. The type of fixes that are allowed is limited to the following:
a. Turning the Robot on or off
b. Plugging in a battery
c. Plugging in a VEXnet Key
d. Turning the power expander on or off

Nothing is said abou the Autonomus period

#18

What I’m wondering is can you cap other teams cubes in auto

#19

I agree. I was hated last year because I wouldn’t let my kids interact with the robot during Autonomous or Programming Skills. They thought such a restriction put them at a great disadvantage (not to mention they had to work harder to actually learn and do some RobotC). But in the emotional disarray of the matches, many teams improperly aligned their robots, etc. and flubbed their autonomous routines, so my kids often came out the winner for keeping everything hands free.

They still hate me, though. I’m such a meany. :rolleyes:

#20

I think you can do pretty much anything in autonomous that you would be allowed to do during driver control… except drive it, of course.