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SparkFun will be closed on Tuesday, November 5th to support our team in being able to go out and vote! Orders placed after 2 pm MT Monday, November 4th will ship on Wednesday, November 6th. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
It's now officially April, which means the AVC is just a couple months away! If you've never heard of the SparkFun AVC, it stands for Autonomous Vehicle Competition, and it has become our signature event. It's taking place on June 20th, 2015.
This year, the event is being held at our new HQ in beautiful Niwot, Colorado. To help the AVC Competitors get ready, we've created a course preview video, showing you (generally) what you can expect.
If you haven't yet registered as a competitor, there is still time to do so...
If you just want to come check out the event, grab a ticket using the form below!
We'll post more updates as the event approaches - hope to see you there!
For the discombobulator, make sure the ramp approach angles are shallow so nobody can jump over it. In addition, I would make the platform spin faster unless you make the exit small.
Another thing which would make this more evil is to NOT have it running for any practice sessions.
My thoughts exactly on both points.
FYI, the shortcut / discombobultator example in the video shows only 50 points awarded for corners when taking the shortcut. Example 5 in the official rules states that the vehicle should have received 100 points for completing all 4 corners. Which is correct?
The video doesn't show the ramp leading up to the discombobulator (I know, it's a work in progress...PLEASE post photos as the competition nears). Will the ramps on both sides also be ~4-ft in width (same width as the discombobulator)? Will the ramps have a crescent cutout so that a vehicle may enter and exit the discombobulator anywhere along the ramp width?
In previous years, the course has been setup for testing the afternoon before. Will that still be available? Will the discombobulator be setup for testing as well?
In previous years, testing was allowed in between heats. Will that still be allowed?
Will there be a bump for start and finish line like previously? Also will the day before be available for practice on the course?
When is the deadline to register as a competitor?
sdaf
I think you meant 4 feet radius, not diameter - for the discombobulator? Unless you are expecting to cut it down a lot, it looks twice as big as you said.
Will there also be yellow stanchions marking the entrance to the shortcut? Will there also be red ones along the length of the shortcut (marking the boundary)? What about the 25 points for clearing corners, do you still get those if you choose to enter the shortcut?
I'm excited to see robot combat at AVC! I'm assuming it's autonomous? I definitely want to see more autonomous robots, but there aren't very many out there, so will you have divisions for both autonomous and remote controlled? Also, what rule set will you be using?
Our robot combat will be remote control only. If you want to bring something autonomous it will still need a radio to put it in a fail safe mode. Robot combat is a great way to get started with the basic electronics and mechanics of building a robot.
So then, it's the AVC/RVC...
What is the event date?
Helpful info, indeed - June 20th, 2015
4 feet in diameter huh...
Why would it not surprise me if the sole reason for your move was to get a newer parking lot for AVC?