Sunday, January 5, 2014

Kickoff at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute 01-04-13

01-04-13
            The Aztechs 157 Robotics team joined many others at WPI this past Saturday, to kick-off the 2014 Build Season. This year's challenge was revealed through a live broadcast from Manchester, New Hampshire. Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers were featured in the presentation explaining the principles of FIRST, and they also handed the microphone to the announcers where the field elements were being assembled, finally heading the spotlight towards last year's FIRST Championship winners in St. Louis, Missouri, alliance members of teams 4251 Cougar Robotics, 4140 Fish in the Boat, and 5096 team Monkey Madness. Congratulations to all of those teams. Afterwards, this year's challenge was announced: Aerial Assist.
              This year's challenge has taken an interesting turn, along with many changes and additions to the KOP, and the Virtual Kit. The game consists of a 25' by 54' field with 3 teams on both alliance sides. There are also 3 zones; red, white and blue. Also there is a truss a little bit more than 5 feet above the ground, evenly dividing the white zone. There are human player areas on either side of the truss. The name of the game is to score as many points as possible in the 2 minute and 30 second match. Cooperation is crucial with this game, and passes are the jackpot of points.
              The competition begins with a 10 second autonomous period, with all of the robots on their side of the middle white zone. Each robot can be preloaded with a single ball in their color, and shoot into the goals. Each autonomous goal earns five bonus points. One of the high goals will be lit at random on both sides, considered as hot. Every hot goal earns an additional 5 point bonus, equaling 10 plus the goal. Then moving into your alliance color zone, you earn an additional 5 points.
              After all of the balls are scored, the drivers walk up to their station and being the teleonomous period begins and one ball is entered on each alliance into play. You can also throw and catch balls on the field to other robots, each throw is a 10 point bonus, and every catch is another 10 points. The purpose is to again gain as many points as you can.
            Now passes can come into play. Human players hand the robots a ball and the robot shoots it into the goal. That is one pass, worth 1- 10 points. The human player, to a robot, and the robot passes to another in a goal earns 11- 20 points. Then the human player, to a robot, passing it to another robot, and then to another robot into the goal earns 31 - 40 points.
            Points, scores, passes, and other are all monitored by score keeping equipment that all of the robots are connected to. That is a new feature added this year in addition to many others. That is Aerial Assist the FRC challenge for 2014. To all teams; good luck in building your robot and see you at the competitions.
           For a detailed game summary, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default/files/uploadedFiles/About_Us/Media_Center/FRC_Assets/2014_FRC_Game_1page.pdf
           Also for the 2014 Aerial Assist Game Manual: http://frc-manual.usfirst.org/viewItem/3

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