Dropping marker signals?

[Tim Vanderhoek <vanderh@ecf.utoronto.ca>]

As we've already agreed a number of times, the ability to construct a
map and the ability to accurately determine speed using feedback are
two very related and very desirable things that we haven't yet
nailed-down.

Here's an idea that can help aid map construction.  I have more
specific thoughts about it, too, but I don't want to express those
until at least Joyce (The Interface Girl) has had a chance to also
think about ways of using it.  (Why?  If I am too specific, that
impedes creativity of others...)

We are apparently allowed to drop objects.  Suppose we drop additional
beacons/sensors.  At certain points (say beside barriers, or whatever),
we can drop a simple beacon.  What are possible ways of using this
beacon? Ways I can think of:

 o Could the beacon be used as a "retransmitter" of some sort?  Say
   the enemy is out of our sensor range but comes within sensor
   range of the dropped beacon (which would obviously require IR
   sensors to detect the enemy beacon).  The dropped beacon could
   somehow rebroadcast this information to our robot.  What methods
   can you think of that would allow the dropped beacon to rebroadcast
   information to the main robot?

 o Could the dropped beacon be used to help determine our location, ie, to
   help us construct an accurate map.  If we drop a beacon in
   location X relative to obstacle Y, then whenever we know we are
   position R from X, we can calculate our position R' from Y.

 o Could the dropped beacon be used to generate interference of
   some sort?  Perhaps fit the dropped beacon with a small rotating
   mirror that would wreak havoc on attempts to locate other robots.
   General havoc is in the advantage of the defending robot, I
   believe.

 o Could the dropped beacon be used to help us judge our speed
   (probably not....I can't think of a reliable way to do this...can
   either of you?)


Obvious disadvantage to this idea:  We don't yet know what rules
                                    Malone has in mind for dropped
                                    paraphenalia.


Hehe.  My family watches dogs for other people.  This Christmas we will
at some point have four dogs visiting at once...  Proofreading this
message, I realized that there are multiple possible interpretations of
the Subject: line.  ;-)


-- 
Signature withheld by request of author.