Pearadox 2022 drive team lesson #1
Introduction
What is the drive team to FIRST?
A DRIVE TEAM is a set of up to 5 people from the same FIRST Robotics Competition team responsible for team performance for a specific MATCH. There are 4 specific roles on a DRIVE TEAM which ALLIANCES can use to assist ROBOTS with RAPID REACT. Only 1 of the 5 DRIVE TEAM members is permitted to be a non-STUDENT
role | description | # of people | criteria |
coach | a guide or advisor | 1 | any team member, must wear “COACH” button |
driver | an operator and controller of the ROBOT | 2 | STUDENT, must wear a “DRIVE TEAM” button |
Human player | a CARGO manager | 1 | STUDENT, must wear a “DRIVE TEAM” button |
technician | a resource for ROBOT troubleshooting, setup, and removal from the FIELD | 1 | any team member, must wear “TECHNICIAN” button |
What is the drive team to us?
The drive team is a group of people who are responsible for the robot when it is in que and on the field. They are in charge of changing batteries, putting the robot on the field, competing, and removing the robot.
role | description |
coach | The coach is in charge of the drive team, they are the ultimate authority and responsible for everything that happens on the field |
driver | The primary controller of the robot, they drive the robot and perform all of the primary tasks (shooting, intaking) |
operator | The secondary controller of the robot, does things that the driver is too busy to do, they may have buttons that do more specific actions and they may have some buttons that do the same thing as driver buttons |
Human player | Does the human player task and may signal additional things for the other members of the drive team |
technician | Robot cart valet, should cover areas of expertise not covered by other drive team members |
Pit Crew
Drive coach
Match timeline:
pre-Q/start of Q: talks with the other teams in their alliance to coordinate strategy’s that are made by the strategy lead things like starting placement, atuon, teleop, and endgame.
Putting the robot on the field: waits on the field until driver/ operator give them a thumbs up.
During the match: directs major strategy of the team, like when to play offense VS defense. Where to be on the field, when to complete the end game task.
After the match: discusses the match with the drive team about what went well/ wrong. Prepares strategies for the next match.
Things we look for in a drive coach:
Needs to be able to take criticism, you’re the filter for the rest of the drive team
Needs to want to be drive coach
Needs to be a good communicator
Needs to be able to learn and adapt fast
driver
Match timeline:
pre-Q/start of Q: Runs though any pre-match checks, configures driver station and changes battery.
Putting the robot on the field: either helps the drive coach put the robot on the field or sets up the driver station.
During the match: operates all the primary robot tasks and listens to the drive coach for new information
After the match: rests and listens to the drive coach debrief
Things we look for in a driver:
Practice practice practice
Needs to understand all of the degrees of freedom the robot has
Needs to be a good communicator (including how we can improve the robot or controls)
Needs to be able to adapt fast as the drive coach changes strategy
Consistently attends and is engaged in meetings
feels comfortable with repairing the robot.
operator
Match timeline:
pre-Q/start of Q: Runs though any pre-match checks, configures driver station and changes battery.
Putting the robot on the field: either helps the drive coach put the robot on the field or sets up the driver station.
During the match: operates all the robot tasks the driver is to busy for, and depending on the year finds balls or game pieces to collect. Watches the driver station laptop, specifically camera feeds like the limelight and communicates information to the driver.
After the match: rests and listens to the drive coach debrief.
Things we look for in a operator:
Needs to be observant
Needs to be ready to take over as driver at any point in time
Needs to be a good communicator
Consistently attends and is engaged in meetings
feels comfortable with repairing the robot.
Human player
Match timeline:
pre-Q/start of Q: Runs though any pre-match checks, configures driver station and changes battery.
Putting the robot on the field: either helps the drive coach put the robot on the field or gets the HP station ready.
During the match: may vary year to year
After the match: rests and listens to the drive coach debrief.
Things we look for in a Human player:
Needs to be able to fill in as operator
Needs to know when to put in game pieces
Needs to be good at signaling
technician
Match timeline:
pre-Q/start of Q: Runs though any pre-match checks, configures driver station and changes battery, needs to feel comfortable repairing a variety of subsystems on the robot and needs to be ready to troubleshoot on the spot
Putting the robot on the field: moves the cart to the load in gate and then parks it in the designated area
During the match: sits on the cart, watches the match to see what goes wrong, both robot and strategy wise.
After the match: returns robot to the pits, then goes to the drive team debrief
Things we look for in a technician:
Needs to have knowledge of the technical side of the robot.
Consistently attends and is engaged in meetings
feels comfortable with repairing the robot.
Next week
topic:
Match strategy
Driver practice:
defense
Driver practice