Bumper Fabric
 

I was wondering if there is anything against the rules that says we cannot spray the fabric?
We were thinking of putting on spray on the fabric to make it more slippy to enhance how our intake goes down to intake the ball?
Is it legal to do this?

Re: Bumper Fabric
 

Ask the Q&A, obviously. But if you want my opinion, the answer is going to be no. There's a specific list of materials the bumpers can be made out of, and "slippery spray" isn't one of them. The bumpers ARE supposed to be covered with rugged, smooth cloth, however. If you can find red and blue cloth that's slippery enough to meet your needs but still counts as rugged, then you can make new bumpers or recover your old bumpers at the event.

I'll note you're in luck with that, because most teams have to opposite problem. Over the bumper pickups seem to work better with a grippy bumper, but that's not allowed at all in the bumper rules.

Re: Bumper Fabric
 

Our friends from the Netherlands - the Rembrandts (4481) showed off their very cool shiny bumpers this weekend in Raliegh

http://teamrembrandts.com/wp-content...5/day5-3-2.jpg

Re: Bumper Fabric
 

Team 67 HOT used some sort of latex or something on their bumpers, its really interesting. I would ask Adam what they used if you want to go that route

Re: Bumper Fabric
 

We are using pleather (http://www.joann.com/pleather/xprd757783.html) this year. Seems to be a decently robust material for durability... and the appearance is really striking.

As for if the "slippery-ness" helps much, I would say that we still had more issues than I would prefer with getting off of defense.

We will continue to have our bumper team research for alternative solutions for anti-defense methods.

Re: Bumper Fabric
 

Ask the Q&A, and mention that Cordura (the recommended fabric) is polyurethane-impregnated Nylon. I'd like to see whether FIRST can justify distinguishing a user-applied substance from a manufacturer-applied substance, using the specifications included in the rules.

Re: Bumper Fabric
 

Thanks for the compliment. And yes we use a material that is used in the sailing industrie. It's the same material sailing boots use to keep parts of the boat from getting wet. It's a very smooth shiny looking material but still rugged so as far as I know it's still legal. Also its a very strong material so sharp metal object will have a hard time puncturing it.
If your looking for a smooth material I can defenatly recommand it. I don't know the exact name at this point but if you like I can check with my team. Just leave me a message ;).

Greetings from the Netherlands

Re: Bumper Fabric
 

If you google search for PVC canvas you will find the material that we used this year. Atleast it's some sort of PVC canvas. I hope that works for you.

Re: Bumper Fabric
 

If you are using the Cordura, just flip the fabric and use the wrong side out. the coating is a bit slippery. We have done that in the past when we wanted to reduce the friction on the bumpers.

Re: Bumper Fabric
 

Wow, you have a "bumper team"? :eek:

That's cool, how big is your team anyway?

Re: Bumper Fabric
 

'Bumper Team' may be a bit misleading.

Like many teams, our mentors and students wear a number of different hats, very few of us are completely dedicated to any one specific task.

While i may lead available students in bumper design/build at a certain point in the season, it is not without input from the rest of the team.

We are constantly looking to innovate in every area, and bumpers are no exception.

We prototype different materials to test fabric interactions for friction, durability, appearance, etc. Sometimes this is as simple as walking around the fabric store with a few swatches and getting funny looks from old ladies, sometimes we get as far as putting it on a robot and trying it out.

Any specific questions about HOT bumpers, just ask.

J.