Last Minute Setbacks

Ultimately, the robot competition did not go the way we had hoped. During the competition, Geronimo was only able to return one of the six pets to the safety zone. This was primarily the result of last minute failures that occurred hours before the completion began.

Perhaps the greatest setback occurred around 6:00am, just two hours before the playing surface was closed in order to prepare for the competition. We noticed that the magnetic sensor on the catchment plate was not responding properly, and as such, would not tell Geronimo to stop and remove the pet from the arm. As the lab was closed at this time, we were unable to simply wire up a new sensor. This setback prevented us from picking up more than one pet; had the sensor been functioning, we could have easily picked up the first three pets, if not more.  Though we were never able to confirm the cause the failure, we suspect a faulty wire was the cause.

Though the failed magnetic sensor was the most upsetting setback, it was not the only setback. Just an hour prior to the magnetic sensor failing, the wheel encoders and the IR detectors ceased to function, effectively preventing Geronimo from picking up pets on the upper level of the surface. Due to the time that was required to debug these sensors, we decided to move forward and focus on the three pets on the lower level of the surface.

We also experienced major setbacks involving the arm the day before the competition. For these, please refer to the section on Geronimo’s Arm.

Author: Josh Smith