Re: The Use Of Practice Robots At Off Season Events
 

Probably doesn't count: In 2007, 1618 (of Columbia SC) loaned their robot to the pre-rookie 2458 for the Brunswick Eruption event (in North Brunswick NJ). 1618 provided some tools and one mentor (me) to supervise.

How it went at SCRIW last year was a little different. 1319 campaigned a "B" entry using the defunct 3371's robot (they built twins, and the latter disbanded at the end of the school year). 1553 built a robot entirely unlike their in-season entry under the banner of "1554" (apologies to the Oceanside Sailors of Long Island). 2751 picked 1319 and 1554 and won over an alliance that included 3371.

SCRIW's policy is that full-fare teams go first, then pre-rookies as space allows, then B-teams as space allows. We haven't had a capacity issue yet, but we'd be more inclined to shoehorn a pre-rookie in than a B-team because we feel it's important. Nobody's ever asked to field more than one extra robot, though I think we'd be receptive assuming we had the space and they weren't just putting flowerpots on the field.

Re: The Use Of Practice Robots At Off Season Events
 

As noted, that's up to the competition organizers in the offseason. (For the regular season, I can think of a couple of rules that would prohibit this.)

That's something to be worked out before the event between the teams. I would hope that there's a massive multi-team mentoring repair group in that pit, though. If something was broken beyond at-event repair, that should also be discussed beforehand; however, if I were on the loaning team, I would call it a "well, at least it didn't do that to us in eliminations" experience and invite the team the robot was loaned to over for a session of identifying and solving the failure point.

Re: The Use Of Practice Robots At Off Season Events
 

This is the first year that we have a practice bot to bring to an off season competition. If we do, it would be to allow a pre rookie teams to have an experience driving. The practice bot has some short cuts and is not at the same level as the competition bot anyway. Having said that it would be embarrassing to have a prerookie team beat us with the lesser bot, :)

In terms of breakage. Short of intentional damage, we would accept the risks of putting the robot on the field includes the possibility of damage. Small risk really. The electronics are hard to break. The mechanical is very fixable. Nothing we have not made before.

Re: The Use Of Practice Robots At Off Season Events
 

228's Practice robots has been used different ways.

At Bash at the Beach in the fall it has been used by pre-rookie teams to get excited for their upcoming rookie season. Our team's students have acted as pit crew, and drive coach in the matches. We handle repairs, maintenance between matches, and other issues with the pre-rookie students to get them used to the routine at a competition including the occasional emergency repair between matches.

At Where Is Wolcott Invitational which we co-host with our sister team 1071 Max, we have also loaned out in the early years to pre-rookie teams, but now that the event is reaching full capacity regularly that probably will not happen much. Pre-rookie drive teams would probably just be rotated in with our own students. This year, our practice robot will be taking over the role usually filled by team 230's practice robot, that of being team 666 "The Tormentors". This fictitious team has been used as a fill in or placebo robot for no-show teams and driven by volunteer mentors, but this year we hope to use it during the lunch break as a fundraiser for CT FLL programs. Mentors from teams can pay a fee to compete against their own students and their robot for bragging rights. This should be fun!

Also, the last unexpected sighting of 228's practice robot this year may be at Battlecry filling in for team 195's still AWOL robot, if Fedex can't get their robot home by this Friday. I'm sure our friends would much rather compete with their own machine, but not competing isn't an option. I still think Fedex will come through.

Yes, if Gus is loaning out their practice robot, we try to always help with repairs and upkeep. Afterall, we willingly loaned it out. Why would we expect a pre-rookie or other team to repair our robot? We usually have spare parts and plenty of COTS parts to keep it running for this type of off-season use.

Yes, GP still flourishes at the off-season events we have attended. Other teams are usually more than willing to help with repairs or spare parts if the practice robot needs help. Especially where pre-rookie teams are involved. It's great for them to experience an emergency repair, but it won't leave them excited to compete, if their first taste of competition is to just sit there because we can't keep them in the game.

There are certainly useful and helpful ways to employ a practice robot at off-season events. Just use some GP!

Re: The Use Of Practice Robots At Off Season Events
 

I will announce the Brawl's official policy on practice robots here after meeting with the planning committee Friday. We want to have a full 24 team event and it is not likely we will have that many unique teams (close, but not quite). So we should allow teams to run practice robots as another "team" to make 24.

I was going to chime in on how we use practice robots at WIWI, but Art nailed it already.

Just some thoughts to add to that:

- We've had quite a few teams lend out practice robots for different purposes, at our event (228, 230,173, just to name a few). The event organizers are always very thankful to teams for this gracious act. Typically when practice robots are lent to pre-rookie teams, the lending team acts as a guide or mentor to the pre-rookie team.

- Although we have not officially ended our use of pre-rookie robots at WIWI, chances are we won't see them returning. The Invitational filled to max capacity by Week 6 of the regular competition season this year, which is un-precedented for this event. As long as we continue holding Where's Wolcott at the 24 team limit, it'll be hard to fit them in.

- The 666 bot is probably one of our best uses of a practice robot. It's always gone over very well, is a lot of fun. The 230 robot has been great serving as 666 the past few years, and I'm very excited to see the 228 practice bot filling the role this year.

Re: The Use Of Practice Robots At Off Season Events
 

The practice robot policy for the 2012 Ozark Mountain Brawl is as follows:

"If you would like to bring a practice robot to operate as a separate team, you must register and pay for this “team.” We will pit your regular and practice bot team next to each other. If you would like to bring a practice robot, we will try to work you in when other robots are unable to play, for practice on Friday, or for filling in if we do not have 24 total teams. Practice robots must be FRC legal with appropriate color bumpers (signage will not be required)."

Re: The Use Of Practice Robots At Off Season Events
 

At the 2011 Rah Cha Cha Ruckus, we loaned a makeshift copy of our 2011 to the Honeoye team that would become 3951. We trained them in the usage of the robot, controls, basic maintenance. We even had our 2011 coach coaching them. Things like that. All went well until one of 3951's later qualification matches. We had started to use the autonomous on the replica bot (it was being tested, as it wasn't an exact copy of our original boy). Well, when the match started, the robot (which I believe had a faster top speed than the regular robot) ran full speed into the alliance wall in front of it. It was fast and scary enough that I (as a field reset member standing next to the field where the bot was) stepped back and ducked for cover. It was bad.

The front of the robot's frame was bent inwards from the force of the impact. It wasn't pretty. As it pertains to your question, our pit crew worked with Honeoye to make repairs on the robot. It only seemed fair. It was our robot, and they were rookies. If we hadn't lent them a hand, how could they have gotten by?

I'm guessing though, that your question is geared towards a veteran team with an established pit crew. In which case, I assume the two teams collaborate. The loaning team shows the other team how to make the repairs, and team who was loaned the robot makes them with supervision and aid of the loaning team. That just seems fair to me.