FIRST Robotics Game Clue

Well as normal, FIRST has figured out a way to keep us on our toes over the holiday break and into the new year. I've looked into both clues and can say I am honestly perplexed, once again, by their meanings. I've personally tried to configure the numbers into words, but that doesn't work. And google searches only bring up the countless threads and board discussions about these numbers.

On certain boards, there is talk of the numbers being latitude/longitude degrees, and with that in mind, it brings you to Copley Square in downtown Boston. Specifically, it lands right in front of John Hancock Tower. There is also talk about more than one object or shape being used in the game, since Copley Square is made of multiple triangles and squares according to the local Bostonians aiding us in our ventures. Then turning approximately 342.242026 degrees, you find the Globe Cafe, therefore giving you squares, triangles, and finally, a circle. But of course those are not the only ideas.

After configuring with these numbers and what the IR receiver could be used for, I'm stumped. For those willing to venture on, I highly suggest visiting Chief Delphi. Definitely will get you thinking.

Happy holidays to all, and enjoy the new year!

Looks like an awful lot of glass to clean!

A square, a circle and a triangle is the First Logo.

Hi, as a robotics enthusiast and user of VEX and Parallax products, I think they are coordinates used for triangulation and navigation?

thats a nifty cable included with the ir board i find it odd that it's arranged in what could either be a representation or a rainbow or in a more technical nature the second color band of a resistor. this cable is particularly odd considering that in the offical guide 2 of the cables are unused. a manufacturer would normally completly remove thse cables consideing both the price of copper and that a smaller cable is easier to use. it is odd that the picture includes the cable at all since it could simply be assumed that a cable is included.

as for the ir controller itself perhaps our vision system this year can be enhanced by a ir signal? perhaps bonus points for identifinying your game piece based on ir modulation?

and on the note of the 3 numbers i have seen very few people try to tie them into the first clue perhaps they are some form data that the ir controler would be capable or reading perhaps somethign in a range of values it could output. perhaps they read a specific energy?

mayby they are coridnates but i doubt that they can simply be punched into google maps and followed from there that is somewhat rediculus. as for the circle square triangle i can find those on the dash of my car why bother sending us through google map they're not that uncommon of a shape combination.

they're on my printer

on my alarm clock

one of my model airplanes

my computer monitor

just about everywhere.

Come on, this is FIRST we're talking about. When is anything ever easy?

i dont know finding a circle triangle and square on my printer was easy

and all those numbers are even there on the keypad.

Sorry about getting in late, I had forgotten that the clue would be coming out! As pointed out in a ChiefDelphi forum and here, those coordinates are in Copley Square. There is a church there called Trinity church. My guess is that the 342 deals with the elevation to view the image on google earth with. It could also make reference to the Hancock Tower which can be seen from Copley. With this in mind, you may have to make 3 (trinity) towers (hancock tower). There is also the Old South Church which might have something at the elevation of 342'. Maybe a bell will come into play somewhere in the game?

Using Google Earth, if you go to the lat/lon and then put the eye elevation at 342, the light looks like it's a triangle, so maybe that's going to be the shape of the piece and you have to make towers? The shadow looks like a trough, so maybe you'll have to put something in troughs on towers? With bells on?

Good luck this year!

Maybe, just maybe, we are going to have to use a remote of some sort (Wii?) to control the robot?

Funny you should mention troughs, in 2000 the game involved two elevated "V" shaped (triangular?) troughs as scoring goals. FIRST does recycle. In the 2000 game the bonus came from hanging at the end. Back then the alliances were 2:2, now they are 3:3; can't go back with so many teams participating. Six robots trying to hang would be chaos, but ringing a bell using ir might be a feasible bonus. Perhaps the auton period in this game comes at the end rather than the beginning.

FIRST released clue # 3 today:

FRC Game Hint #3
Vet hurdling FIRST tetra

I think we are going fishing! What do you think?

***For those of you who want to learn first hand what the three clues mean, tune into the FIRST Kick-off on Saturday, Jan 5, at 10:00 EST via webcast or or NASA Digital TV: http://robotics.nasa.gov/events/2008_frcwebcasts.php

interesting thought fishing except that vet looks like vetus Latin for old perhaps they are recycling the tetras somehow this year?