Today's post is a guest blog from our friends over at 3D Robotics.
ReplaceMeOpen
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3DR’s creative team put this video together to capture the spirit of the 2014 SparkFun Autonomous Vehicle Competition, held this year at the Boulder Reservoir in Boulder, Colorado. This year was different in that, besides being bigger and better than ever, for the first time SparkFun opened the AVC to an unlimited number of entrants—“If you can build it, you can bring it” was the mantra. That incantation conjured forth a huge range of participants: 1,300 people, some as young as 12 and 13, came out to the Boulder Reservoir, where over 90 teams from around the world competed!
The record attendance offered yet more proof of the enormous cultural pivot that drone technology is making. And while the draw to AVC is ostensibly the fun of competition between the teams, there was a sense that the real goal is extrinsic: “The contestants all gathered at their wooden workbenches under this big-top tent,” said 3DR’s Lon Breedlove. “I overheard one of them, he’d busted a motor at the last minute and needed a new one. And his neighbor, who was just about to compete against him, reached into his bag and gave him one!”
Learn more about the AVC here.
This year was the 3rd year at AVC for me and my daughter, Belle, and the thing we both love about the AVC is that, like golf, you're really competing with yourself to see if you can master the technologies and the techniques needed to build a vehicle that can drive around and obstacle-laden course. Planning for AVC has become a year round event, as we investigate new ideas that might help our vehicles run better next year. It's actually quite addictive!
And, on a similar note, the first year we competed I snapped a steering linkage during a practice run the day before. But, another contestant, Michael Shimniok, who's Data Bus entry was based on a simlar chassis to mine just handed me a replacement part. The people I've met, and will meet at future AVVC are the real joy of the competition. A really great bunch.
Wayne
I know exactly what you mean. This was my 2nd year, and so far each time I participated I've overcome a new obstacle, and while I haven't even gotten close to winning yet I am getting ready for next year's AVC regardless of who wins, it is very much addicting.