[robocup-small] Proposal for energy budget

[James Bruce]

Michael Babish wrote:
>>A lighter ball, unless it is really light like a balloon, will travel
>>faster. It is also likely to be weaker and easily damaged by the
>>contending robots.
> 
> What about the small plastic ball used by the dog league?

Since CMU has an Aibo team, I can comment on this.  Unfortunately using 
this ball isn't really even an option.  The balls were custom made by 
Sony in 2000 and aren't being produced anymore.  The dog league has been 
trying to find a new ball for the past two years, but hasn't found one 
that is better yet.  New teams only get one ball, and broken ones are 
essentially irreplaceable.

That said, if anyone can find a similar ball you can buy now, I'm sure 
the dog league would be ecstatic about it.

> What about the real-sized soccer ball used by the mid-size league?

A size 5 (regular) ball is taller than the robot itself.  Maybe someone 
here knows the smallest "real" soccer ball you can get.

> Personally, I don't like limiting the physical batteries.  I'm not
> convinced that it will solve the problems with overcrowding on the field. 
> And I think it will introduce new problems.

Me either.  I like the proposed "one battery pack per game" rule, but 
specifying a specific battery limits things without necessarily 
promoting team play.  I also really dislike the idea of penalizing more 
onboard intelligence.