Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

Call me a hardnose, but I'd have ruled against you. I'd suggest that it is "strategic" loss of contact here -- strategy is to get on top of the bridge, you have to back away and allow the bridge to swing down, and then engage the bridge in order to do that. Sounds "strategic" to me.

At the moment I think you're starring in "A Robot Named Desire", depending upon the kindness of strangers.

I love cool ideas as much as the next guy, but I'd make one suggestion -- get legal. Get legal in the letter of the law. Look at my affiliation, we have some experience in this area. :-) I'm the mentor tasked with knowing the rules letter by letter. Yes, I was around "that year".

At worst case, with the current situation and a hardnose ref, you will take a 9 point foul for a 40 point success. Sounds modestly ok. However, do you have any length to give? Is your flight deck 14" out from the frame perimeter? If not, how about leaving a feeler out on the bridge -- something expendable even, a plastic straw, anything remaining in touch with the bridge as it articulates. The naysayers can go say ni somewhere else at that point. Just a thought!

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

Does anyone have video of this?!? I'd love to see it in action!

Thanks.

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

I think Dan's face really says it all in this picture. Great job! I was waiting to see the success of this strategy!

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

OK hardnose :) Only the head ref can make this call and they have been told that it is legal so there is no need for them to "get legal"

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

Sure would be nice to see that in writing, though. All I'm saying. Some independent agreement reached by whatever means falls short of "public knowledge" as appearing in the canon of the game.

It's still a cool idea. Rack and Roll, we built a double lift bot with an aircraft carrier sized flight deck, one of my favorite bots...

Good luck!

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

Hopefully watchFIRSTnow on youtube will have the elimination rounds up in the next couple days. They have 47 of the qualification rounds currently up. I really want to see a video too. I know that some of our team were taking videos in the stands but we have yet to upload them I think.

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

Very proud of you guys. These stacking robots seem to be capable of success and i hope your teams and ours continue to be able to show off this unique way of scoring in future competitions. :)

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

i almost lost my voice cheering so loud after i saw this

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

Because all head refs share a hive mind, right?

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

I still can't talk after all of the cheering at Boilermaker.


That guide on top is made of extruded polystyrene and garolite. Almost everyone in the 1732 cheering section almost had a heart attack when it went down, not because we knew that we just lost the match, but because we thought that we had just snapped off the money-maker. Luckily, the tower frame took the fall and the guide is intact and operational.

Also, did anoyne manage to pull off a double-triple balance at Boilermaker? I missed a few of the final matches.

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

Just for clarification, this was answered in the QnA: (i wished we could link direct...) so this is a copy and paste:

Game - The Game » Robot-Robot Interaction » G30

Q. If a robot uses the ramp to become completely supported by another robot. Will a foul be called if the ramp momentarily disconnects from the robots?

A. There will be no Technical Foul called if the Referee determines that the loss of contact wasn't extended, strategic, or repeated.

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

In my mind, intentionally losing contact with the ramp for the purpose of gaining points via triple balance certainly qualifies as "strategic." Even if the loss of contact is just momentary. But that's a very vague call, and could decidedly go either way.

If it used frequently, I see no way it couldn't be considered repeated.

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

Awesome job! I love seeing stuff like this! But what I really want to know is how this happened...


-D

We were lining up for the triple balance and 1756 ended up not going up on the bridge straight and got their wheel hooked on the wall. After that 1756 drove in reverse along the wall with the wheels that were touching the ground, making room to put the bridge back down and allowing us to double balance with 1501.

Re: FIRST Team 1501's worlds first three robot stack
 

Huh, that's pretty awesome! Nice job on the quick thinking backing off the bridge!

-D