2015 Skills Canada Robotics Competition Question / Response Summary

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1 2015 Skills Canada Robotics Competition Question / Response Summary This document provides a summary of the questions asked and responses given as of Thursday October 16 th. Question 1 The English and French Robotics scopes have been posted to: If you are receiving this message and are no longer a Skills Robotics Participant then send me a message and I will remove your from the group. If you are receiving this message and you live outside Ontario the Skills Ontario Task is identical to the National Task however the Human Resources Interview and Resume Submisssion Requirements are Ontario only experiences. PLEASE READ the ENTIRE scope before sending in questions. Question 2 Hello Skills Robotics Community It appears I had another 'Senior Moment' in the scope editing process. Please note the text on page 15 of the English Skills Ontario Scope Document that states: Note: Teams will have the option to use alternate start-of-the-game Crop Object patterns / set-up arrangements THIS IS an ERROR given there will only be ONE Crop Placement Pattern used consistently throughout both the Tournament Play and Playoff Experiences. Also note the references to a raised plywood court apply ONLY to the national court and this is a direct request by the host province Saskatchewan that they want the raised plywood court used. Regarding the object paint colour I expect we will use standard available at Canadian Tire basic Red and Blue. I will update the group on the specific spray can ID s in the coming weeks Original Message----- From: Jaret Brown [mailto:jaret_brown@wrdsb.on.ca] Sent: September :27 AM Subject: Skills Robotics 2015 scope What is the reasoning behind the raised court floor? Our issue is that reproducing the field this adds a substantial cost. What is the type and exact color of paint being used for the game pieces? Although the first question clears up one point regarding the crop placement, we are still unclear with the extent of the alternate start of the game crop object pattern. How this reads to us is that we would have the ability to place crop game pieces in any pattern of our choice. Furthermore:

2 Would the collection bin be split 50/50? Would the golf ball game pieces be restricted to the center bin in the collection bin and split again 50/50? Jaret Paul Brown Lead Mentor FIRST Robotics Skills Canada Robotics Eastwood Collegiate Institute Question 3 1) You are correct ONLY crop objects can be placed / left on the scoring structure. 2) Yes the driver and spotter can switch roles during a game. The driver must remain in the assigned driver s space means the controller must stay in this space so if they switch roles then the former spotter now new driver must stay in the assigned space. There is no requirement for the driver to be seated but they could choose to sit in a chair. From: Canner, Michael [mailto:michael.canner@tdsb.on.ca] Sent: September :42 PM Subject: Question 3 Hi ; Interesting challenge this year! Checking on 2 points for clarification 1- Can we assume only "crops" may be put on the scoring platform and the robot may not leave any other material or object on the platforms 2 - just to confirm the spotter and driver may switch during an active match such as one collects crops and hands off the controller to the other to place the pieces assuming the new driver assumes the proper seated position - rule 14 of tournament play Thanks for all you do! Mike Canner Transportation Teacher Weston C.I. Question 4 Hi Henry I have revisited the Crop Field Image, and added the following details: Golf Ball Diameter: 1.68 in Interior Dimension of the Crop Field Centre Square: 8.0 in

3 Exterior Dimension of the Crop Field Centre Square: 9.5 in Crop Field Centre Square is constructed using 0.75 in Quarter Round Stock From: Sent: September :09 AM To: Tone Subject: Re: Question One Hi I have a question related to the size of the square that holds the golf balls. Your diagram of the crop field does not include any dimensions for the golf balls. Henry Question 4 Part 2 Round part faces out. See image below.

4 From: Sent: September :12 AM To: Tone Subject: Re: Question Four Thanks But does the round part face in or out? Henry Question 5 Hello, I have a question around collecting the opponent's crops. it says that should you possess the opponents' crops at the end of the game your opponents earn points. However, it gives no penalties towards holding an opponent's crop at another point in the game. This means that strategies involving collecting the opponent's crops and holding them until the end of the game would be entirely legal, as long as you drop them a few seconds before the end of the game. Am i correct on this? Thanks, Lucas. Response: YES a team could adopt a Hording the opponent s crops strategy. Question 6 Hi bob, in the scope it says a robot can choose to pick up opponent s crops. We were wondering if a robot can chose to move crops inside the harvest area to mix everything up? Justin

5 Response: YES Questions 7, 8, 9 and 10 Responses to your questions. Question One: Robots can touch the Destination Stand but neither the robot or its Crop Management System can lean on or use the Destination Stand as a source of support. Question Two: A non-laser light source can be used but Laser Lights are NOT allowed. Question Three: If a part of your robot detaches and has the ability to move independently then movement of this Independent Element and the Primary Robot must be controlled by the single six channel controller available for team use. Regarding the concept of leaving detached / inanimate robot parts in the court they cannot be positioned to block an opponent s access to the Crop Bin or the Scoring Area / Destination Stand. NOTE: IF a Bin was placed on the floor by your Robot with your Opponent s Crops inside the Bin then your Team would still be considered In Possession of your Opponent s Crops at the end of the game and subject to the 2 Points per crop item penalty. To avoid the penalty you must deliver ALL Opponent s crops in your possession to the Open Floor of the Scoring Area surrounding the Destination Stand before the End of the Game Buzzer. Question Four: Robots CANNOT physically interact with the opposite Team s Robot. From: Jepson London [mailto:londonjepson@gmail.com] Sent: September :32 PM Subject: Robotics Competition Rules Hi, I'm speaking on behalf of the Northern Secondary School Robotics Class wondering if we could get some clarification on various rules about the Ontario Technological Skills Competition - Robotics Contest. This is our list of Questions. 1) How close can a robot get to the Destination Stand? 2) Can light be implemented in our robot (ie. laser pointers)? 3) Can parts of our robot be detached and independently move or remain inanimate and if so in what areas can these parts be left? 4) Can a robot physically interact with the opposite team's robot? If you could find the time to answer these questions for us it would be very much appreciated. Thank You. Jepson London Question 11 Your interpretation of the court layout is correct. Drivers are positioned diagonally from their own end of the Crop Bin. Red Crops are on the same side as the Blue Driver. Blue Crops are on the same side as the Red Driver.

6 -----Original Message----- From: Jaret Brown Sent: September :59 AM Subject: Fwd:Questions Good morning, We wanted to confirm that the robot starting side is on the same side as the opponents crop pieces. Therefore our crop pieces would be diagonal from us. Brown Jaret Paul Brown Lead Mentor FIRST Robotics Skills Canada Robotics Eastwood Collegiate Institute Question 12 Response: The If Teams want to dump / off load crop objects to the floor then this must be done in the Scoring Zone. Rule will only apply to Opponent s Crop Objects a Team has removed from the Crop Bin. Teams will be allowed to drop opponent s crop objects in the crop bin before exiting the Crop Bin.

7 Note: This does not apply to Opponent s Crop Objects a team has carried out of the Crop Bin and is still in possession of these Opponent s Crop Objects when the robot returns later to the Crop Bin. Once a Team carries an Opponent s Crop Object OUT of the Crop Bin then they own full responsibility to either (a) deliver this Opponent s Crop Object to the Open Floor of the Scoring Area or (b) maintain possession of this Opponent s Crop Object until the End of the Game and accept the penalty points related to being in possession of this Opponent s Crop Object. From: Canner, Michael [mailto:michael.canner@tdsb.on.ca] Sent: September :34 PM Subject: Question Hi : Looking for another clarification please; While in the crop area you pick up an opponent s piece, do you have to maintain possession of that piece until you reach the scoring zone or can you immediately drop it while still in the crop area? The scope says off load to the floor is not permitted, not sure if the crop area is considered floor in this instance. Thanks again! Mike Canner Transportation Teacher Weston C.I. Question 13, Okay, what happens to the object/robot if the opponent drops it in the middle area? Rory Response: The Team remains responsible for this Opponent s Crop Object and is subject to the point penalty if this Opponent s Crop Object is not in the scoring area at the end of the game. If an Opponent decides to retrieve the dropped crop object from the Open Court Area away from the Scoring Area then that would release the Team that dropped the Opponent s crop object from being responsible for it. Question 14, Can the robot park over/block the other robot from fixing their mistake? Rory

8 Response: NO. The rules related to blocking are clear. Blocking your Opponent is not allowed. Question 14 Correction I have been informed by the National Game Head referee that the information I recently shared in response to Question Thirteen is unacceptable given it brings TOO MUCH REFEREE INVOLVEMENT into the game. This is how we will respond to the issues related to Crop Objects that are either (a) Opponent s Crop Objects Knocked out of the Crop Bin by accident or deliberately and (b) Opponent s Crop Objects that are dropped in the Open Court Space either accidently or deliberately. The Game Time Referee Response will be: a) Immediately assign a 2 Point Penalty to the Team responsible for knocking their Opponent s Crop Object out of the Crop Bin or dropping their Opponent s Crop Object onto the Open Court Floor Outside the Scoring Area b) The Crop Objects will be left where they landed and available to the Owner Team to come and collect. c) Robots cannot actively block a Team s access to these crop objects now sitting in the Open Court Area Question 15 YES, The Team with One Win and 100 Points will be placed higher in Tournament Standings than the Undefeated Team that scored a Total of 99 Points. From: Lucas issoawesome [mailto:shrike321@hotmail.com] Sent: September :45 PM To: Tone Subject: Robot Question Hello, I have a question about the tournament system. Under the "tournament play" section in the scope, it says "tournament standing will be based on the total number of points scored in all games played by each team." does this mean that a team that won only one game, scoring 100 points total would ultimatly beat a team that won every game, but only had a total of 99 points? Thanks, Lucas. Question 16: Further Clarification of Dropping Opponents Crop Object Response to Question One: YES. Teams are responsible for delivering the opponent s crop object into the scoring area. If the delivery process results in the crop object landing in the scoring area and then immediately exiting / rolling out of the scoring area as a result of the delivering process then it will be ruled to have NOT been successfully delivered into the scoring area and the penalty points assigned.

9 Response to Question Two: NO. Once a crop object has been properly delivered into the scoring area, came to rest / all crop object movement generated by the delivery process has ended then the Team has NO Responsibility for what happens to this crop object later in the game. From: Raake, Glenn [mailto:graake@office.ldcsb.on.ca] Sent: September :50 PM To: Tone Subject: Question 16 Further Clarification of Dropping Opponents Crop Object Hi More clarification is required when dropping an opponent's Crop Object within the Scoring Area. 1) If you drop an opponent's Crop Object in the Scoring Area and then it rolls out, are you automatically penalized 2 points for the Crop Object "not staying in the Scoring Area". 2) If an opponent's Crop Object is properly dropped in the Scoring Area and then later in the game it is accidentally/intentionally bumped or pushed out of the Scoring Area, are you automatically penalized 2 points for the Crop Object "not in the Scoring Area". Regards, Glenn Raake St. Mary's Catholic High School 431 Juliana Drive Woodstock, Ontario Question 17 Hello A question about the Channels on the controller. If the students are using a VEX Joystick controller there are channels with up to 4 buttons. Would they be able to program to use all of the buttons on that channel or only two? If they did program all four buttons would it be considered 2 channels? Thanks Corey Lehman Rick Hansen S.S Manufacturing Teacher First Robotics Team 1241 Lead Contact Response: The four buttons work similar to a joy stick using two channels which can be programmed to respond in four ways: Move the Joy Stick Forward brings Response One i.e. Robot moves straight ahead Move the Joy Stick Backward brings Response Two i.e. Robot moves straight back Move the Joy Stick to the Right brings Response Three i.e. Robot turns right

10 Move the Joy Stick to the Left brings Response Four i.e. Robot turns left If the four buttons are programed in a manner similar to the above joystick programming then they are using the equivalent of 2 channels. Question 18 From: Warrior Robotix [mailto:team4659@gmail.com] Sent: September :57 PM Subject: Skills Canada Harvest Time Robotics Question Hi Mr. Tone, We were wondering whether it was legal to use a bluetooth keyboard as the remote control of our robot? Our setup with the keyboard would still use less than 6 channels to transmit information to the robot, on a 2.4GHz network. If we are permitted to use a bluetooth keyboard, is there a restriction on the numbers of keys we can use? Best Regards, Swaleh Owais Response: YES, your team can use their keyboard based robot control system. Rationale and Conditions: 1) The Team has 100% responsibility for maintaining their keyboard to on the robot computer signal, 2) The Team must demonstrate during the Robot Inspection Process that the specific keys being utilized are generating a performance capability equivalent to / but not greater than the functionalities of a six channel radio unit Question 19 Response: Yes, your team can use the on the robot capability to change the functionality of a radio channel. You will be required to demonstrate this procedure during the Robot Inspection Process. From: Carl Monfils [mailto:monfica@ecolecatholique.ca] Sent: October :37 AM

11 Subject: channels Hi, If we use the robots arm or another robot component to flick a switch that changes the use of some channels, is that considered using more than 6 channels. Example: when the robot arrives at the scoring area, the driver uses robot movement to switch the pwm signal from one speed control to another disabling one esc temporarely until it is switched back on by the robot movement. Thanks, Carl Monfils,EAO Enseignant en éducation technologique 9-12 Collège catholique Samuel-Genest 704 Carson's, Ottawa k1k 2H3, Ontario