Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

Maybe it's materials for a "build-your-own sizing box"? They did say big changes could coming. Qty 4 of 60" lengths of 1"x1"x 0.125" aluminum angle comes in right around 5.5lbs. That's the amount you'd need to build a nominal cube sizing box 28"x28"x28" with an open bottom (4 horizontal lengths make the square base, plus 4 vertical legs). Maybe some corner connectors are included

It expands on the recent changes to the 112" perimeter rule. Now you would make your sizing box whatever size you want with the material provided. Bring it with to inspection, show that your robot fits.

Crazy? Yes. Cumbersome? Definitely. A good idea? Almost certainly not. But it checks all the boxes (pun intended):
-Required for every team
-Cannot be packed in a shorter box
-Multiple items
-6lbs
-Big change

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

This is a surprisingly reasonable, but I refuse to accept it as I am not ready to give up on my wild theories just yet.

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

If it's a game piece, it likely isn't fully assembled. I have a hard time imagining a safe, interesting 60 x 3 x 3 game piece that isn't impossible to manipulate.

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

As an LRI its hard enough to get every team to bring bumpers to competition. Trying to get them to bring a sizing box would be a nightmare.

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

Not to mention that sizing boxes are basically empty space, which there isn't room to store one for every team of at most events.

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

It's a battery.

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

I assumed they would bolt together in some fashion, so they would store flat when you weren't using them.

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

To be fair, my idea is an an absolutely terrible idea, IMHO. As Allen Gregory pointed out, LRI's still have trouble getting teams to build bumpers correctly and bring them, even though they've been mandatory since 2008. Dealing with ensuring that all sizing boxes are compliant with the rules prior to allowing a team to demonstrate that their robot is compliant with the sizing box is several times as much work, and a recipe for disaster.

That's not to say that "choose your starting volume shape" option isn't doable, but I would hope it's implemented better than every team fabricating their own sizing box.

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

I didn't say it was a good idea, just a reasonable guess :P Probably isn't it, it's probably (and hopefully) something we'll never see coming. Can't wait to find out on January 3rd though!

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

I think it’s a pipe that has a specific coating on it. Something like the pipes in the game with mini-bots, however, since the coating is specific to the game, a sample with the exact coating is given to each team.

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

A pole with some kind of fancy vision target on it?

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

About D:

Has FIRST ever given teams part of the field in the KOP? In my short time I haven't seen it, they've always had you buy cheap alternatives to the field elements yourself, and there have been plenty of poles used in the games.


Therefore I have to conclude that it is for some reason special, so doubt about that. I'm not quite sure how special a pole can get, and I can't think of any "coating" that would make it special either. I doubt they'd do mini-bots again, that wouldn't make sense to reuse such a specific end game after only 4 years.

That really only leaves some kind of surface rolled up... fabric would be my guess, maybe because they've added something more to the bumpers this year, I don't know.

The other option is a field surface... And the only surface that really matters is the floor during the competition...



PLEASE. DON'T! My team was just starting to make awesome progress with drive trains... I don't want to drive on regolith...

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

The game piece is a fluorescent light bulb, the long package is a bundle with a few spares to account for expected breakage.

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

So while everyone has been focusing on the long box (I doubt it's bumper fabric, but anyway) I took a look at the large, abnormally light box (29 in. x 22 in. x 22 in., 9 lbs.) If you assume the box itself is made of standard corrugated cardboard it would weigh ~3.25lb empty, leaving 5.75lb for contents. My bet is the contents are game pieces. One example of what would fit in this box is 3 balls (3 because thats how many we were given last time the game piece was foam balls) each with a diameter of 13.6". If they are made of polyurethane foam (Think dodgeball balls) with a density of 2.5 lb/ft^3 they would have a weight of 1.92lb each. 3 of these, plus the box is almost exactly equal to 9lbs.

Re: [FRC Blog] Kit Hints?
 

$10 says that if Regolith makes a return (please no), somewhere, some poor ill-advised team will still show up to competition with a 6-CIM drive.