[robocup-small] new ball.

[James Bruce]

Beng Kiat Ng wrote:
> I thought the hockey ball were much heavier. Suprised that they can be chip
> kicked 2/3 the field. I agree that unless the new ball is much better, it's
> not worth the effort. And slowing down the ball without allowing down the
> robot is not going to help.

Maybe you are thinking of a field hockey ball?  In the US we have balls 
for roller hockey / floor hockey, which probably aren't the same thing 
as a field hockey ball but I don't know for sure.  The roller hockey 
balls I was referring to are these:

http://www.sportsunlimitedinc.com/3packballs.html

We also have generic "low density" balls and a liquid-filled Franklin 
"ultra high density" ball.  Those are the ones I used in my previous tests.

> One more thing. The current rules had been fine tuned for the golf ball.
> If we were to use another ball, many of these rules (like ball hold,
> dribbling etc) might need to be changed.

Yes of course.  My main worry is that they'll be some issue about the 
new ball that we don't forsee; At this point its pretty clear what you 
can and can't do with a golf ball.  A new ball means we need to think of 
all the possible ways a team might exploit the rules.

> That's why we never succeed to change the ball.

I really think a demo by an interested team is the only way a change 
will happen.  We need to get enough teams behind a specific new ball 
that it has the momentum to go through.  Personally I'm on the fence 
about it; I haven't really seen a proposed ball that is unequivacally 
better.  I do know that after all the other tests, my hardware person 
kind of sneers at me when I pull out another type of ball.

Jim Bruce
CMDragons/CMRoboDragons

P.S. We had fun pushing a size 5 soccer ball around the field with our 
robots, but I'd have to say that at least for now that's firmly in the 
realm of silly (mainly due to the size ratio).  It's kind of interesting 
to see a ball that doesn't actually fit inside the goal.