Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

RRR...OOO...BBB...OOO...TTT!!!
:yikes:

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Looks like its the end of robot marco polo...

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

The issue comes in with the giant masses of people who hang around their pits, and won't move for politness (usually because they don't hear). and also, yelling that is fun to do, in my opinion :D

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Leave the cheering in the stands.

Speak up and/or tap them gently on the shoulder. Ask them nicely to move, they will move.
If you ask them nicely to move and they outright refuse, what makes you think that yelling would be any more effective?

Make your grandmother proud. Keep the noise pollution down in the pits.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I for one don't have a problem with people yelling robot. I mean, there are ways to be impolite about it, but I don't have any problem with people letting me know they need to get through with their robot.

There are a lot of clueless people (especially non-FIRSTers) just standing around the aisles in the pits, and at times it becomes necessary to loudly let them know that there is a 150lb, 5 foot high piece of hardware that needs to get through. Sometimes, robots just need to get through quickly in order to get to a match on time.

The music at FRC events annoys me about ten times as much as yelling robot does. Anyone want to start a petition to stop that, at least on Thursdays?

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

If only there was some other way to let someone know they have to move.

Yelling sucks. Have a member of the drive team walk several feet in front of the robot, asking individuals in the way to move. This person should have enough of a lead on the robot to be able to tap shoulders, explain things, etc. This is how we have done it for the past two years and it works very well, though for some reason safety judges always seem to prefer having us shout.

You never *have* to yell.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Never ever have ever ever (that's four evers on the ever scale) had to yell anything to get through the pits with our robot (especially robot) and that includes every Boilermaker regional with probably the smallest most crowded pits in all of FRC.

On the other hand I have had ROBOT yelled right in my ear on many occasions when there was nothing blocking the passing team at all.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

It doesn't matter how crowded or loud the pit area is, shouting "Robot!!!" blindly into general ear space of nearby people is completely unnecessary.

I do take offense to it because for years I have made my team put the (small amount of) effort into avoiding doing this and adding to the noise level of the competition. We simply send someone ahead of the robot/drive team to politely move people out of the way by saying(not yelling) things like "excuse us" or gently tapping folks on the shoulder.


Seems to be working great for us and is certainly less disruptive/abrasive than yelling.

-Brando

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Signed. This irritates me to no end.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

This is so true. FIRST students are very courteous and aware of the need to move robots around. It does not take much to get them to clear a path. Yet, I have had robot yelled at me from close range many times when the path ahead was already clear. And often the yelling is so loud and close it makes my ears ring. It makes me wonder if some students actually enjoy startling people this way. I volunteer as a robot inspector so I need to be in the pit area a lot and find it not just annoying, but at times to the point of being a hearing hazard, and occasionally so startling as to be dangerous if you are using tools, or near any moving parts.

Now I carry ear plugs with me and have started to wear them while in the pits. It seems effective and my ears no longer ring after a long day in the pits. The down side is that I no longer hear my phone ring, I never hear announcements over the PA, and I cannot hear some of what the students say when explaining things about their robot. It is not ideal, but it seems like the best option for now, since the situation seems to have gotten to the point where we may actually need to be concerned about hearing loss.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

It seems to me that different people use "ROBOT!" in different ways.

I always heard that the reason for it was as a general warning for people in the area; "watch out, there's 200+lbs of robot and cart moving near you, and you should be aware of it". So nobody takes a blind step backwards into the aisle, or makes any quick movements that could get them hurt.

Sort of the same way forklifts and trucks beep when backing up.

It's definable not a substitute for "Excuse me, we need to get through here".

And yeah, you don't need to shout it at the top of your lungs, just loud enough that people in the aisle near you can hear it.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I've poked a little bit of fun at the amount of bass at the Sacramento Regional. Those guys crank it up over there.

Easing back on the volume would help with communicating in the pits, but we would lose the overpowering sea of bass atmosphere at competitions that I hold so dearly in my heart; which I can literally feel when the bass is really going!

I agree with keeping the volume down on set up and practice day, but when matches start, the loud music kinda completes that competition atmosphere, but it does get obnoxious at times.

If you're gonna play loud music, let it be METAL! \m/

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

What you hold so dear to your heart is fundamentally unsafe and is often loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss. It is a complete shame that FIRST does this at regionals.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I've never had that be a problem at any regionals I've attended, but if it is where you are, then I would bring some earplugs or some over ear headphones along. They usually muffle the noise nicely while still being able to hear talk.

I would like it to be quieter at regionals as well. I hate all the excess noise and this would be a good way to start cutting back.