2009 Autonomy Requirements

This documents the autonomy requirements for Orange Force for the 2009 Lunacy season. Please send your comments to Richard.J.Wagner at gmail.com.

There are three possible robot starting positions (invariant with alliance color):

  1. Near Fueling Station (NFS), always on the left side of the alliance driver stations.
  2. Outpost, always on the right side, opposite our own alliance's Outpost Payload Specialist (PS).
  3. Far Fueling Station (FFS), always on the left side (our Commander's view) of the Crater at the far end.


The Lunacy Crater.

Strategy One (Outpost)

Run directly across the field to the friendly Outpost and prepare to receive an empty cell. May collide with opposing robot doing the same thing. Can vary starting positon (angle slightly left or right) to avoid collision, but if we are heavier we may welcome the chance to push the opposing robot back to our Outpost PS for easy scoring. This is the easiest autonomous mode for preparing to receive an Empty Cell (EC): just drive straight to the wall and stop. The dropped EC will fall right into our intake. Then in driver controlled mode, the robot will go to a friendly PS and spit the EC into an airlock. This will probably preclude starting with Moon Rocks (MRs) on board.

Strategy Two (Outpost)

Turn sharply right or left and head for the friendly corner as a defensive maneuver to avoid PS scoring. Wait out the autonomous mode cowering in the corner (trailer toward corner).

Strategy Three (Outpost, NFS, or FFS)

Start with the turret camera pointed at a targeted opposing robot's trailer, track the trailer and pursue. Fire when in range and continue firing as long as lock is maintained and ammunition remains (need some way to count shots, don't we?).

Strategy Four (NFS or FFS)

This is similar to Strategy Two. Robot is biased left or right in a corner and runs directly to the friendly Outpost or Fueling Station. This is also a defensive maneuver only, in case we are too vulnerable in autonoumous hunter-killer mode (Strategy Three). If the Outpost is the destination, the robot can be turned to face the wall, and if accurately done, will be ready to receive an EC.

Strategy Five (Outpost, NFS, or FFS)

This is a losing strategy, but I put here for completeness and because several team members think it might be good. Run directly for the middle of the field and stay there, maybe moving in a circle or something. Scrimmage experience shows that the middle of the crater is no place to hide with good PSs throwing MRs. Robots blindly moving in the center will collide, jam, and present immobile targets to the PSs.

BCR Supplemental Page

Autonomy.html, this file created February 17, 2009.
Last updated February 18, 2009, by Rick Wagner.