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Subject: 
Re: Newbie has an idea - Nascar style racing?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics
Date: 
Fri, 22 Nov 2002 19:59:58 GMT
Viewed: 
943 times
  
In lugnet.robotics, Jeff Wood writes:
I've considered that concept, but I wanted to avoid a variation of line
following.

why?  Is line following bad?  It will be IMPOSSIBLE to build an autonomus
NASCAR style car from Mindstorms.  You just can't get enough information
about the track & your position into the RCX.

In real racing, drivers go full throttle until a specific braking point.
the faster riders generally brake later without screwing up the corner By
defining the boundries this gives the AI a little more leeway for selecting
different lines around the course.  I invisioned a program that checks its

With the gray-scale scheme Gus suggested, a robot would be able to choose
the line/shade as it goes around the track.  It could choose to follow
light-gray/white, and at the right second, move to dark, and then back to
light (through the apex of the corner)  Generally the robots will have NO
idea how close they are to the wall, unless they hit it (and have a touch
sensor).

I have a big suggestion.  How about creating a new sport.  (this may never
catch on, but what the heck...)

LEGO Racing.

For it to catch on, (for many people to try it) it would have to be possible
& easy to do at home.  So it would start with one class, limited to only
Mindstorm RIS parts.  2 motors, 1 light & 2 touch sensors.

The track should be easy to re-create.  On a 4x8 piece of wood, it would be
easy to make a 2 ft wide oval track with 4 ft long straights.  It would have
boards around the edge, and a 4 ft board in the middle.  If you've ever seen
the First Lego League table, it's just like that.  (without the board in the
middle)

This, alone, could make a good spectator event.  Cars crashing into each
other as they bounce off the walls.

But then it would be easy to print out the mat on a standard printer (not
durable) and cover the bottom of the table.  What size are most plotters?

Advanced cars could attempt different methods of following the track while
simple ones go until they hit the wall, then turn!

Does anyone have an opinion about this?

Thanks for the suggestion and the link, BTW Steve, you are my hero for the
Legway!

Thanks
Steve



Message has 2 Replies:
  Re: Newbie has an idea - Nascar style racing?
 
(...) Kinkos will do black and white, 3ft by however long, for relatively cheap. Color is expensive, but b&w isn't. (22 years ago, 22-Nov-02, to lugnet.robotics)
  Re: Newbie has an idea - Nascar style racing?
 
(...) Yes - I agree - but having a second 'formula' to allow for the experts to race honking great machines with multiple RCX's and a dozen motors would be nice. (...) Most people don't have access to plotters. The most likely thing that everyone (...) (22 years ago, 22-Nov-02, to lugnet.robotics)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Newbie has an idea - Nascar style racing?
 
I've considered that concept, but I wanted to avoid a variation of line following. In real racing, drivers go full throttle until a specific braking point. the faster riders generally brake later without screwing up the corner By defining the (...) (22 years ago, 22-Nov-02, to lugnet.robotics)

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