Hyper fast robot line following

These robots used rotating cams and infrared sensors to race around the track. The robot that can do six laps the fastest wins.

I filmed this in January 2009 in Singapore, at Singapore Robotic Games '09.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• singapore
• robotic
• games
• 09
• line
• follow
• robot
• race
• infrared

[kubarebo]

It's boring, all the robots on a shelf visible at 2:01 seem to use same basic design. No innovation at all. It seems like everything was done from same kit...

[palmisano]

@kubarebo no kits, but yea, everyone copies the winning design from previous years . . .

[kubarebo]

@palmisano Where's the fun in *that*? Copying only goes so far...

[palmisano]

@kubarebo no fun in losing either =P

[kubarebo]

@palmisano It's entirely counterproductive, it's more like a cargo cult than engineering... Who says you'll lose if you do your homework. Quantify the performance of other designs, then come up with a fresh new thing that does better. That's where fun's at. Methinks line following can be done down to the limits imposed by wheel-surface coefficient of friction, at least after one pass. What I saw in the video was seemingly far from that. And I did motion track a few runs off the video.

[palmisano]

@kubarebo Don't get me wrong, I think the competition should be changed if an optimal design is copied by everyone and can't be improved upon. I wouldn't compete myself, with such little remaining room for creativity. btw, wheels aren't allowed for the race.

[kosilveriarn]

White can of spray paint $5, map of the complex printed on paper $1, stealing these robots by running through the demonstration spraying a white line along the ground and out to your car.....epic.

[TheBl4ckPhoenix]

Drifting Robots.

Now,yes, we are really fucked.

[kubarebo]

@TheAnniecast The speed will probably not change as long as it can still track the line. The sensors may be simplistic designs that assume a certain line length, but that's not a general limitation in line-following robots. The challenge you mention is set so that they can't use those dead simple sensors -- to make things interesting, so to speak.

[kubarebo]

@shebotnov And they are not advancing all that much in overall performance, only in safety and emissions. And yes, people whine about cars -- they are, overall, very inefficient means of moving people around. This is not a drag race, this is a contest that should be encouraging pursuing new ideas. What they are doing is a cargo cult: they copy appearances, seemingly without understanding them -- because if you understand, you know what to improve. And major improvements here require big changes.

[shebotnov]

@kubarebo dude look at airplanes, cars, and rockets. They use SAME desig for 100 years. Cars use same design for MORE then 100 years, yet noone whines. Coz its perfect. Rockets not 100, but 60 years.

[mynamebestname]

awesome speed :P

[Maharvian]

nice .......

[TheMrBlinx]

Do those have wheels or feet? Looks like they were "walking" with legs.

[msjessypp]

some sweet info here

[samuelwrssships]

Today, one of it caught fire...

[gunmanscotland]

Wot the fuck...my robot is faster than your robot....lmao these people are so easily amused.