Re: [simspark-devel] Immediate help is needed for preparation!

[Patrick M. <pa...@gm...>]

Hi all,

Based on the proposed changes to the 3D simulation competition,
particularly that of kicking, I've optimized one of our kicks for
distance through machine learning in order to create some benchmarks
for how changes might affect things.  The following are numbers I've
collected on optimizing a kick for which the ball is beamed to a set
place in front of the agent.  While these numbers show what is
possible in the server, we have made no attempt yet to integrate the
kick into our agent such that it is able to walk up to and position
behind the ball before kicking it.  These numbers should be considered
a lower bound for what is possible in the server, but with the caveat
that it may be hard to achieve their full potential without very good
positioning.

Current server: Distance = 12m with a height of 1.4m+ (2.5X height of a Nao)
Ball at half mass (.013): Distance = 8m with similar height above
Ball at double mass (.052): Distance = 17m+ with similar height above
Ball at +50% radius (.063): Distance = 16.5m with height greater than
Nao although lower for longer kicks
Foot Z half value (def $FootSizeZ  0.015): Distance = 12.5m with a
height of 1.8m (3X height of a Nao)

Based on the numbers above it seems that the goals of kicking above
the height of a Nao (which was not something that the kicks learned
were optimized for) as well as a distance 2/3 the length of half field
(which is 10.5m if the field is increased by 50%) are already
attainable.  Decreasing the mass of the ball will only decrease the
length of kicks whereas increasing the mass of the ball would
increase kick length.  This increase in distance with more mass occurs
because once the ball hits the ground it rolls farther due to it
having more momentum with greater mass.  I'm not really in favor of
increasing the size of the ball as it starts to look a little silly
with its larger size relative to the Nao and also a larger size will
make it harder to get the ball by a goalie and score goals.  The
larger ball rolls farther after hitting the ground when compared to
the regular size ball, which is the reason for longer distance kicks,
and makes me think that increasing the ball's radius also increases
its mass. Decreasing the height of the foot seems to add a little
distance as well as height to kicks but not by a considerable amount.
If there are other changes to server parameters or combinations of
server parameters that you wish to see benchmarked let me know and I
will try to run them (time permitting).

I'm OK with changes to the field size if it makes things better match
the ratio of the real world, however if we do this I think we should
also match in the number of players (11).  This way the amount of open
space and area which individual players need to cover is also similar
to the real world.

I like the idea of adding heterogeneous players and think this would
add a really interesting component to this year's competition.  We're
currently exploring how modifying the dimensions of the robot model
affects aspects of play, such as an agent's walking speed and
stability, so as to find a range of parameter values that can be
changed to create heterogeneous robot models without unbalancing
gameplay.

Regards,
Patrick MacAlpine (UT Austin Villa)



On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 1:57 PM, Hedayat Vatankhah <hed...@gm...> wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> As you can find in the attached document, TC has decided for a few
> adjustments/enhancements in the simulator for 2012 competitions. It is
> really nice if we can get these changes ready ASAP, so that we can use at
> least some of these changes in upcoming open competitions (IranOpen and
> DutchOpen). Sorry for being a little late :(.
>
> Anyway, according to the document, most of the changes are some parameter
> adjustments. We need your help to find some suitable values to suggest and
> request feedback from the teams. The primary parameters to adjust are:
> - ball size
> - ball weight
> - foot height
> - possibly foot shape if that is possible
>
> And the secondary parameters to adjust is then:
> - field size
>
>
> It's great if we can have some values in less than a week and then discuss
> those values in the list with all teams. Any help is highly appreciated! :)
>
> Thanks
>
> Hedayat
>
>
>
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