Question 1: What was the general strategy or plan behind your bot design?

To build a standard line following robot (diff drive) and try different gear ratios to find the maximum speed, then optimize the program.

Question 2: What technologies/mechanisms did you use?

I used a single light sensor, of course, and two rotation sensors. "Kokomo Joe" had a 1:1 gear ratio with the 49.6 x 28 fat tires.

Question 3: What was the most challenging aspect of construction?

Getting the speed proved to be tough. When I increased the speed, I would miss the line.

Question 4: Are there any special features you care to talk about?

On the "Accurate Stop" event, I wasn't sure if the bot would go straight enough to stay on the paper for sixteen feet with a diff drive. That morning I added a second rotation sensor and programmed it to keep the rotation sensors in sync. A couple of times on practice runs it appeared to be correcting, but my first two official trials it curved off the paper. On the third run I really angled it, and it finished.

Question 5: What surprised you about how your bot behaved/performed during the event?

It performed pretty much as expected, because I had taken the time to make up practice courses at home. On the "Continuous Line" event, I think the light sensor hit 4 out of 5 gaps in the line (or maybe all of them) but just kept searching forward and finished the event that way. IOW, Jona's gap spacing happened to be the same as my programmed "forward motion between scans". Had me sweating for those last few seconds!