Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Could you try to speak to the lead safety advisor at the event? I'd be very interested to know where the "mandatory" practice is coming from. (And, you could also point out that there are other methods that are more polite, and possibly even safer, than yelling ROBOT.)

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

While I agree that yelling "ROBOT" in the pit is completely unnecessary, I think that people should give people an idea that the robot is there. I'm not exactly the most observant person out there, so I would not be likely to notice a robot moving through. My favorite solution was Team 134's solution at DC, which was singing to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" "Ro-Ro-Ro-Robot, coming down the isle. If you'd please step aside, that would make us smile."

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I would just like to point out that the correct title is Safety Advisor.

You are free to hear their advice and politely decline it. They have no authority.

Unless you are bucking for a safety award, they are not judges.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I love it. I think this has the potential of being much less irritating, but without killing the fun some teams seem to get out from the yelling. Perhaps teams could try to come up with their own variation on this.

Soft robot,
Warm robot,
Little ball of wire.
Happy robot,
Sleepy robot,
Whurr, whurr, whurr.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I don't understand this notion that teams are entitled to have fun by yelling at the expense of others.

Also, if yelling is the most fun thing about a FIRST event, you should probably reevaluate your involvement.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Update from the Colorado regional:
Thus far very few have yelled "robot", there are plenty of "excuse me"

I love it!

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Screaming робот is obnoxious and arrogant, but a petition against it is all those things and more.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Disclaimer: This is my opinion, please do not give me little red dots for expressing it, controversial though it may be.

Background on me, as context: I'm fairly new to FIRST; I joined last year as a senior in high school, caught FIRST Fever, and came back to mentor my team as a college mentor.* I admit I've spent more time in the stands than in the pits at competitions (usually less "in" the stands than in front of them, where an area is usually set up for people to dance**), but I have spent my share of time in the pits, whether talking about the robot as a "pit ambassador" last year or just wandering around collecting buttons when I wasn't needed elsewhere.

What I've seen, as regards the shouting of "Robot": I haven't seen it being a problem. I've never witnessed teams caterwauling at the top of their lungs; instead, I saw teams approach a congestion point and say "robot" at a volume just above a normal speaking voice, at which point those blocking the aisle would acknowledge with an echo of "robot" and clear it. No muss, no fuss. It is possible there were teams at the events I attended who did engage in the more objectionable behavior and I was elsewhere or simply didn't notice.*** Yes, I can see how those that do constantly scream "ROBOT" can quickly get annoying, and I do agree that unnecessary noise in the pits can cause safety issues, as can people crowding out of their pits and into the aisles. However, I'm not sure arguing about it on Chief Delphi is going to do much to resolve the issue.**** This thread has turned nearly as acrimonious as the ones on student-built versus mentor-built robots, and has done about as much to resolve the issue as those do. Thank you, sanddrag, for bringing the issue to our collective attention, but fourteen pages of debate is a bit much, no? :deadhorse:

Again, this is my opinion. If you disagree with my opinion, please PM me rather than giving me negative rep. Thank you!



*Yes, I know this is not strictly recommended, I just couldn't stay away. :D
**The Pacific Northwest regionals tend to have lots of people dancing, though I understand that isn't necessarily the case elsewhere.
***Yes, I really am capable of not noticing someone screaming "robot" six inches from my ear. Huzzah for Asperger's Syndrome. :rolleyes:
****Yes, I know some of the higher-ups in FIRST read Chief Delphi. My point still stands, because the root of the problem does not lie with them.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I have been saying this for years. Thank you for voicing this up!

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Yeah, it's always kind of annoyed me that people constantly yell "robot," especially when you stop paying attention to it. I have the "priviledge" of yelling "robot" in front of my team's robot this year when we return from the field. I try to avoid yelling when possible, but when I don't (even if there are no people in front of me), I am always told by someone that I should be yelling. I understand yelling in especially crowded zones, but a simple "excuse me" should be the standard procedure when someone is in the robot's path.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Only heard ROBOT yelled a few times at Crossroads, I did hear a LOT of excuse me please! Very nice!
I think it was due to the wide aisles, carts could move around easily even with an overflow of people around the pits.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I talked to several of the Robot screamers at Razorback, and I think I made a few converts to the PVT, but there was at least one team that was yelling Robot even when the aisles were completely clear.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

My drive team doesn't yell "ROBOT" anymore ever since it was considered obnoxious and unnecessary at the Sacramento Regional and the Silicon Valley Regional. We were probably the WORST offenders when we were still encouraged to yell "ROBOT." We used to yell "ROBOT" continuously when we got to queuing AND we rang a really loud bell that we had since it was the "Golden Bell Award" we got in 2009 for being an outstanding STEM program, so I know all about how ridiculous yelling "ROBOT" can be. We get through the pits fine without yelling it, but every once in a while, there's a large crowd of attendees blocking our way so we do have to yell "ROBOT" to let them know we are there, but we only have one person yell it, and not as loud as we used to. It's not really yelled, but kind of said so that it is louder that the ambient noise in the pits. I do not, however support asking every person in our path to make way. I find it inefficient. So I don't like the yelling of "ROBOT" continuously, especially when nobody is in your way, but I find that it works really well to yell "ROBOT" only when it is necessary and only if our drive team is really getting delayed. Yelling "ROBOT" when you're right behind visitors can be very startling, and when they try to clear the path, they tend to somewhat panic and try to move too fast, in turn running into other people, which I consider a serious hazard. We shouldn't get rid of yelling "ROBOT" entirely, but we should emphasize its use by being considerate with an appropriate volume, and only if it is necessary. This way of letting bystanders know that we are passing through has been working for Team 701, and we hardly ever have to yell anyway.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

As chief Safety Captain for my team, I find it completely necessary to shout "ROBOT" At competitions.
Sometimes it gets carried away, but for the most part it's actually very helpful. It helps move things along in a quick and efficient manner, and creates a safer environment by reducing the chance of robot/human collision accidents, thus resulting in fewer injuries. Let me ask you this, would you rather keep everyone safe and reduce injuries considerably, and have to deal with a couple possible pesky chain-reaction shouts, OR Slow the movement of robots to the field, and produce a higher risk of injury to humans/robots?
I find the former option to be more appealing. :)

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

As a human, there is NEVER any reason for a robot to push pass me, even if it has a human in tow yelling "Robot" (*)

As an adult, there is never a reason for a robot to push past me with a child in tow that is yelling "robot" (cute grand kids included)

As a robotics mentor there is never a reason for a roboteer to push past me a cart of metal parts presuming to be a "robot" yelling "Robot".

Match times are set and clearly posted. Time management is part of the competition challenge. Once you are yelling "Robot" you have lost. Time to send a human player to the field and the rest of you to go back to the pits to figure out what you are doing wrong. No check list, no running time keeper, poor planning the work you can do in a set pit change, set up and management of pit parts, tools, layout; having a "Pit Boss" that is in charge. 100's of things to think about. Think about and fix them. Don't run me over.

Which in any case the final solution does not end up with a human roboteer going "Robot". Fix your root cause, do not push onto me your teams problems.

(*) The only reason a robot should push past me is if it has an injured human, in which case it's yelling "Injured Human, Please let us past" Oh wait that's what the EMS teams do. And I quickly move aside taking other people with me to clear the path.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

While at this years Championship I was going down the corridor between the arena and the pits. Some team, 30 feet behind me, was yelling "Robot" where no one was anywhere near them (except me). I turned around and asked them politely to wait until they had a reason to yell and to say "excuse me" instead.
I saw allot of teams doing this, yelling "robot" just for the sake of yelling "robot"
This is like crying wolf too many times. People ignore the warning.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

At IRI, I did not hear a single team yell (or even say) "Robot!" anywhere at any time. It was so wonderful. So, that settles it. The world's best teams don't yell "Robot!"

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

What was really impressive was when you were moving your robot people would get out of your way without having to say a word. You could come up to a large group of people talking and they would just part like the red sea.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I always yell "rowboat" instead of "robot."

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

What cracks me up is when you're the only person in a walkway/hallway (or with a couple other people) and 3 drive team members from another team walk up and they yell robot. Ok there's three or less people, and we can clearly see your robot. Seriously. There's no need to shout. I can understand if it's in a big crowd (but, of course, something more polite other than ROBOT!) to speak loudly, but it's not necessary to yell to one person.

I heard it yelled once, then proceeded by a healthy whack on the back of the head, followed by "You dummy, just say excuse me!"

(please note that he was hit by a teammate, not someone from another team)

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I think that yelling ROBOT isn't a problem when done correctly. It's just like "excuse me please" which can be said in an extremely offensive way or it can be said politely. I personally like the yelling of ROBOT as long as the person yelling it is courteous but when they're rude it is extremely offensive because humans are more important then robots. I think this problem could be solved if people were just more polite, changing words won't change anything though.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

It really was great. All the teams/students there were mindful enough of their surroundings and everyone just let each other know when they needed to step aside.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

We've started sort of a running bit to continually evolve what we say every time we pass certain teams/volunteers. (All spoken, not yelled.) We only do it for people we think will get a kick out of it; otherwise it's just "please excuse my robot". Scope varies by event, but IRI was great for it. We'd have conversations with random people that went literally, "Row-bot!" "Row-bot?" "Row-bot. ;)" "Row-bot..." "Row-bot :D" "Row-bot. :)", all the way to and "glow-tote" and "faux-moat".

As far as what's so grating about "ROBOT!", I'd argue it's both. It's not just the tone and relative volume--though that's probably the originating issue. The word itself compounds it: if someone's already being aggressive, there's an impression on condescension in the thought that others should move specifically because it's a robot, rather than because I'd like you to excuse me. It's also more terse, which doesn't help in this case.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

This. If people were more mindful of their surroundings ALL the time, things like this would not even be discussed. Remember the mindfullness takes place at BOTH ends of the robot cart.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I remember my first experience with someone yelling "Robot!" ...he wore a fuzzy hat and our entire team thought he kept yelling "RO-BUTT."

It got to the point where he did it even when no one was in front of him when he passed our pit, so we ended up collectively responding...."Yes, we know."

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

It's a new season so I'm going to resurrect this thread :p

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

The neverending story....

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Re-BOOT!

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

That, sadly, has to be re-told every year. There are better and less irritating ways of getting safely through the pit.

On 1923 our rule is 'If I hear you pointlessly yelling ROBOT as we walk to/from the field, you're out of the pit for the weekend.' We plan on sticking to it.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I would prefer this for example: http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/L...Prod/2470301.p

I hate the "R" word

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

There's nothing that shouting "ROBOT!" can do that a simple "Excuse me" can't do. Shouting is terribly indirect and it's often very hard to tell if you're the one that the robot is bearing down on. Direct communication is far better.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Can this thread finally die? Please? It is not going anywhere, it is never going to go anywhere, and it serves no purpose other than creating enmity.

If you dissolve all of the conflations between the actual use of "Robot!" as a means to let people know they're in the way (which is perfectly fine, unless you have some sort of overbearing negative reaction to the word "robot") and the plethora of unrelated rude/disruptive behaviors described over the length of the thread, there's really not even that much to discuss. There's no point for 16 pages of debate about word choice.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

It raises awareness.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

A thread outlining those practices which are actually rude/unnecessary/disruptive would be much better at raising awareness then a thread about something tangentially related with which a whole load of other things are being conflated.

I don't think anyone here gets all that upset if a person pulling a robot cart uses the word "robot" instead of "excuse me," all other things being equal. If they do, I'd say that's a personal problem.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Then a great deal of people in this thread have a "personal problem". Which by definition then wouldn't be a personal problem.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

How many people in this thread have explicitly objected to only that the word used was "robot", with absolutely no consideration for any other factors?

As I mentioned, you don't get 16 pages of debate over word choice (possible exception for the absurd rants I've seen about "graciously accept," I guess, but down those paths madness lies). Would a group of inattentive FIRST students pushing their robot down the aisle shouting "EXCUSE ME!" at the top of their lungs while expecting everyone else to magically leap out of the way be any substantively different?

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

It's more about the yelling of ROBOT and echoing of ROBOT yells whenever someone hears it, and the fact that some safety advisers (at least as of last year) were telling students they were required to yell ROBOT.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Yes, this is much closer to the actual problem, but this thread in particular does a really lousy job of making that clear and just ends up with people talking past each other and getting frustrated.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Not really sure what's unclear about that?

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

The fact that at most regionals I've been to, essentially all communication can be reasonably called "shouting" because the ambient noise is loud enough to cause hearing loss, for starters (FIRST really belies all of their "safety" preaching with this, it drives me crazy).

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

The point is, only the people in your way need to be asked to move. Shouting at the top of your lungs so everybody around you is unnecessary. Asking the people in front of you to move is all that is needed. There is a difference between talking loud enough for someone to hear you in a loud venue, and shouting.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

This is true. It is also not immediately apparent that this is the actual problem that the thread is about, nor does it help that it's completely mixed up with a load of pedantry about what words are best to inform the people in front of you that they ought to move.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I'd say there are a lot of people here that find people yelling "robot!" to be obnoxious and rude, myself included. To me it's no different than someone yelling "move!" or "get out of the way!".

Unless there is a deadly accident about to occur where syllables matter, yelling "robot!" or "move!" creates the appearance that the person yelling it is viewing themselves as being more important than everyone else around them, rather than as equals.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I certainly don't find this to be the case, and at any rate if this is a problem it is a problem on a scale several orders of magnitude smaller than the very real problem of people being unreasonable/unsafe while pushing their robots around.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I'm continuously amazed at the volume people manage to get to when screaming ROBOT!!!, above and beyond the ambience of the pits.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

It seems to me that an individual that is not abrasively yelling while moving their robot through a space is probably more likely to be both more reasonable and more safe about how they move around. An individual that's yelling robot probably assumes that some privilege re: movement / presence is conferred to them and they behave accordingly.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Can we make tshirts?
Collect signatures?

Ooo Ooo, who has a button maker?

....I love this thread.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

This is part of a general trend of unsafe behavior in the pits that is a real problem. Last year there was a team that sent out large numbers of members screaming a "safety chant" for a majority of one of the regionals I attended, which was amazingly awful (and rather unsafe). I find it intensely ironic that a lot of the jockeying for the safety award is completely irrelevant, if not actively detrimental, to pit safety.

I do think a lot of it could be immediately mitigated by FIRST not blasting their sound system the whole time and promoting a culture of "no louder than necessary" in the pits. It shocks me how many people don't appreciate how important easy communication is to a safe work space.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

While I won't argue, I think safety theater for the purposes of looking more attractive for the safety award is too large of scope for this thread.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I don't think there is anything wrong with saying robot or excuse me or heads up or look out. Pick a word it doesn't matter. If some one is in your way they should move. We all know the pits are loud and crowded and guess what there are robots coming on and off the field. If everyone would pay attention and not block the path for the robots no one would feel the need to yell "ROBOT". Politeness goes both ways.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I "think" I've commented on this thread before... but a recent event at a scrimmage made me think of this again.

Standing near the field entrance, waiting for a match to end to ask officials about a lost robot part (!), a group of three students (from a long-standing veteran team) waiting to enter the field SHOVED past me saying "Robot!" I was literally the ONLY person within a 5' radius, and there was plenty of room. I almost lost my cool, but as a teacher I remembered these are students, and this was a teachable moment.

I stopped them and said, "Next time, you should say 'Excuse me,' and not push a person to the side." They nodded and went on their way.

Who knows if this had an impact. But team captains and mentors need to enforce this sort of courtesy among their crews. At competitions I've escorted a cart with robot and drive team through a crowd with barely a word. The key is not being rushed, I suppose.

Signing the Petition
 

The Robodox will not shout "Robot" (or any other word that implies that we have an inherent right of way) while moving our robots at an event. We will exercise courtesy when moving our robot, making sure that everyone is as safe as possible.

We will also graciously encourage other teams to follow our example.

- Mr. Van
Coach, Robodox

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I love this term. I want to see a Safety Theater Captain button.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I would also like to remind everyone that there is a petition that was started in 2013: http://www.change.org/petitions/firs...to-shout-robot

I think if we can get enough people to sign this petition we might be able to get it implemented in the rules next year! This thread alread has 20,500+ views! Based off of this document: http://www3.usfirst.org/aboutus/first-at-a-glance that is a significant portion of the FRC body!

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

No it cant or should not die, its still a problem that needs to be corrected.

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.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I think there's an opportunity for teams to demonstrate safety here instead of participating in safety theater - measure sound intensity and hand out ear plugs for hearing conservation. Would be much safer than yelling "ROBOT."

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

At Crossroads, I was talking to Andy Baker and Samir (formerly Team 1501) in an area away from the robot pits, when a team came off the field and yelled "ROBOT" when they could have easliy gone around us. There was plenty of room to go around.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Thursday at Crossroads I had a student yell robot right in my ear. Needless to say I didn't let it pass without a comment.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

{raises hand} To save the sanity, and hearing, of everyone in the pits and stands, I agree we should end the hollering of "ROBOT!". Also, when someone inadvertently spent close to a team/robot after they yell, they are snapped at, as if the yelling of "ROBOT!" automatically keep everyone away.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

At the palmetto regional I thought that there were much less people yelling robot than last year there were only a couple of teams yelling when there was no reason to.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

As a queuer at GSDE, I had more than a couple teams literally following me out of the pit to the queuing area. Most teams only said something about "Robot" when there was a crowded aisle (something the Safety Advisers were aware of) and as I walked ahead of these teams I often said something like "hey heads up, there's a robot coming in just a second guys." as I passed by groups of people ballooning outside the area of the pit. It wasn't bad, but it's still around. I'm going to do my best to make sure people are aware of an incoming robot, but also not wake up the students in the Campus Center at WPI. :D

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

{raises hand}

yeah if you could go ahead and stop that, that would be great.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

SIGNED!!!!!!!!

Most of those that have problems moving through the pits and elsewhere usually have a team of followers yelling and no one in front of the robot. I usually stop in front of them and explain the better way to do it. Sometimes works, sometimes not.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

When someone obnoxiously yells 'ROBOT' in my ear I cover that ear, act offended, and tell them to be careful next time "safety is important". It usually produces a nice confused effect in the person because they think they were being safe by yelling.

Calling out the very thing they do for safety as unsafe itself is the best thing I have found to rustle people's jimmies.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Please, do not do either of these things at competition. If you shout "HUMAN" at the top of your lungs in response to someone shouting "ROBOT" at the top of their lungs (as people have mentioned doing earlier in the thread), you are contributing to the problem just as much as they are. It is not witty, it does not discourage bad practice, and it generates unneeded animosity. Don't do it.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I agree completely. The appropriate response is a calm explanation of a better way to do things.

However, in a different context, it can generate amusement and appreciation. I've called out "HUMAN!" on a couple of occasions when a group of students was standing in the natural path of pedestrian traffic -- but never in the pits, and never in response to an inappropriate shout of "ROBOT!"

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Maybe I was in the right place at the right time, but I never heard it shouted at Hub City a few days ago.

Maybe Texans are just polite.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I was a key volunteer at Inland Empire and spent almost all of my time there in the pits. I was amazed at the number of students who would shout "ROBOT!" while standing in their pits, sometimes when no robot was not moving near them!

I asked these students to stop shouting, explaining the pits are already noisy enough. One mentor asked me why I confronted his student for just having fun. Geez, I suppose it would be OK to shout in classrooms because it's fun, right??

I told the offending students (and several mentors) about this thread in CD. They didn't think I was serious. I hope at least a few took the time to check this thread to better understand the issue.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I have been to Mcmaster-Carr's facility at Sante Fe Springs, I am amazed how crazy it is, and I never seen forklifts driven so fast. Yet, its so quiet. Everyone knows where they can stand and where shipments flow through. I was there for 2 hours and the only time I hear a forklifts horn is when they are driving through the parking lot. Sometimes quiet is important so you can hear the real emergency.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

REFEREE!!!!!!

(I tried that once; didn't work.)

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I tried not to yell it at the SD Regional, but just loudly pronouncing it did not help. People would continue to stand in the way even if I yelled it. It wasn't just general public in the pits either, it was other teams standing blatantly in the middle of the pathway and they still wouldn't move.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

While walking through the pits I have the sudden urge to shout robot and then quickly walk through crowds of people just to see their reaction.

Reminds me of that one video where the guy has the bicycle bell and he rings it to get past people on the street.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

In my many years in FIRST, I have seen people step backwards, unawares, into a robot that was in the crowded isle because nobody yelled "robot".

In a place where people who do not understand dangers can walk into them (IE a crowded and noisy pits, with thin isles), I will yell out the danger to them, including the word 'ROBOT'.

No one deserved to get injured to avoid another being annoyed.

Safety trumps annoyance in my book.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

That's why have someone walk in front of the robot quietly and respectfully telling everyone, "Excuse us, we have a robot coming through".

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Brendan. You know that is usually what I do (Being at GSR for 12 years), but every once in a while a "ROBOT COMING THRU" is needed and more efficient.

Now I'll agree that many times yelling 'ROBOT' is not needed, but I won't sign a petition that prevents me from keeping someone else safe.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Yeah, next time I am getting groceries I will tell people to get out of my way cause I might hurt them with my shopping cart.

Seriously, if safety is an issue when you move your robot, your moving it wrong. I have moved a lot heavier stuff at an IKEA without incident. That is a lot harder to do with IKEA crowds and little children everywhere.

May I ask, why do you feel moving your robot is unsafe? I feel very safe with my robot, its properly supported by the cart, there are bumpers on every edge of the robot, I fold up my robot to reduce protrusions, we are walking slowly and there is a person in front of the cart kindly saying "Excuse me, I have a robot coming through" seems easy and safe to me.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I have NEVER, NEVER, NEVER yelled "Human" at the top of my lungs. I turn toward the yelling student and tell them "Human".

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

You didn't even mention the fact that Ikea has those goofy carts with casters on all four corners. That makes it a wonderful challenge to avoid unsuspecting passers by.

I don't think anyone would say that you can never call out "robot" if there is an emergency (think moving down an isle and a texting student approaching), just that nobody should be walking around screaming it at every possible chance. I hate the sound of yelling. We have been lucky enough to compete where pits are actually decently quiet, and I truly enjoy having a conversation as if I wasn't at a construction site. If someone doesn't heed our tap on the shoulder and polite direction, I'm going to raise my voice. But I won't do that to every person I see as I walk to the field.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

This isn't all that helpful, either, unless you follow it up by telling them that yelling is unproductive and contributes to an unsafe environment (in which case it doesn't really add anything).

This seems to me to be a correct appraisal of the situation.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I have seen a person take a step backwards on to a short robot on a low cart and fall on top of the robot (where there are no bumpers). The team pushing the robot did not yell anything (especially not "robot") and the person in question backed out of a pit (was not directly in front of the robot). Said person was taken to the first aid station with a few cuts. Needless to say, in this day and age of lawsuit silliness, I will on occasion yell "robot".

You may do as you please, but again I believe safety trumps annoyance (It seems that this is a minority belief here :( ).

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I think yelling robot is no excuse for unsafe practices of moving a robot or moving around your environment in general.

Do you see where I am coming from? There are many similar situations you described above, airports luggage, production lines, and etc. Many production lines had streamline safety to avoid sirens and etc.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

Excuse me while I go walk backwards across an intersection and I will make sure to get mad at anyone who hits me because they didn't hook their horn to alert me that they were there.

Re: Petition to end the shouting of ROBOT
 

I do see, and understand where you are coming from. And I agree that yelling is no excuse for unsafe practices (BTW: your statement is called a strawman argument, as I never said it was an excuse for acting unsafe, but you insinuated I meant that). That being said, informing those, who may not be paying attention, that there is a hazard in the area is prudent.

Again, I'm not for yelling "ROBOT" all the time, but I refuse to sign a petition that will keep me from alerting an otherwise oblivious person to a clear and present danger.