[FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Posted on the FRC Blog, 7/19/16: http://www.firstinspires.org/robotic...l-noodles-2017

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Wow bumpers are explicitly confirmed

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

To be fair, they were last year as well.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

For some reason I'm hoping there's a Ken M post on this picture... caption contest materials anyone?

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I had forgot. However, this year we also know pretty much all of the noodle rules.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I noticed that they were using a slide of that pool noodle for some arts and crafts sponge painting.

First clue for 2017? Now all we need is for Frank to come out and say that this was not a clue and it'll be confirmed!

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

There will be violence next year!
YAY!

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

2017 is a rehash of Logomotion but with petal-shaped tubes. You heard it here first folks.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Paint is usually either water-based, or oil-based. Both are liquids.

Water game confirmed!!!

(couldn't help myself)

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

He really meant the Bumpers will be required to float your robot. WATER GAME! Better make sure your bumper attachments are secure or your robot will sink.

I really like the petal noodles. Can we work out some kind of game hint with that?

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Every blog post must be a game hint! Classic Chief Delphi, am I Right? :yikes: :ahh: ::rtm::

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Flower Power 2017 confirmed. :P

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Tie dye team shirts?

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Is Woodie the game piece?

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Did this happen? That is an interesting idea.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I can think of only one reason to use pool noodles as bumpers--to float in a pool!!! Water game confirmed! :^D

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I don't know, but its been a rule for several years.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

It was put in this year 2016 (almost certain it wasn't there in 2014) to prevent teams from making almost wedged shape bumpers.

So WildStang pretty much wins by default.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Can we all take a moment to congratulate the OP for beating Ryan Hall to this post.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Is there a way to spotlight an entire thread?

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Anyone have a cheap source for quality dense and or solid noodles? We're totally out.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

aaaaaaaaa

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Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Just out of curiosity, are there any teams that don't use the round pool noodles and go with one of the other shapes? It seems to me that the shape of pool noodles in the bumpers could dramatically affect robot to robot contact and I am a little surprised that I have never seen it discussed here.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Congratulations Vale.

Somebody should probably check on Ryan to make sure he is all right.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

good point, never considered that

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

He makes a compelling point, but I honestly think it deserves its own thread.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Thanks for that, now I realize that's just what they want us to think!

Powder coat game double-confirmed!!!

Edit:
Citrus Dad can only think of one reason? I smell troll...

And yes, congrats to Vale!

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I was wondering this too. I feel like the flower noodles would be better served to compress a bit more over the round noodles, which might help in playing defense. Has anybody conducted an impromptu study on this?

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I haven't seen flower noodles in local stores in any diameter. We have enough trouble finding anything between 2-1/4" and 2-3/4" in round to worry about shapes.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

The bigger issue is really solid versus hollow - solid bumper noodles compress less and resist T-Bone pins, but hollow bumper noodles compress more and are better for performing said pins and other defensive maneuvers.

If I were so hyper-competitive that I wanted to give my robotics team every edge possible, I'd consider making one of each and switching bumpers based on strategy. But I don't know if I want to put in that much effort.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I believe the strategy Chris mentioned would still be allowed in 2017? (Assuming one were willing to make 4 sets of bumpers for Red/Blue and Offensive/Defensive)

Pure speculation, but I'm wondering if solid noodles on bottom and hollow noodles on top would allow a robot to have a better chance of "getting under" an opposing robot depending on that robot's bumper height and this could aid in a pushing match

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Not a good strategy at all. If you go into a season with the intention of "getting under" other robots, I can all but guarantee you will end up with at least one red card for tipping. It was bad enough as is this year with the large bumper zone and most robots were not even top heavy.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

That was the strategy previously. It often resulted in a red card for the other team because of contact inside of your frame perimeter. This happened decently often in 2014.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

How does 2 sets of each color work with weigh in?

Yes solid on bottom and hollow on top and pulling the fabric as tight as possible makes your bumpers a slight wedge and is likely why this was ruled illegal. I believe 469 did this on their world champion 2014 robot.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I thought the weight limit was per bumper assembly?

Regardless, you could just have two reversible bumpers.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Not allowed in 2016 rules, and apparently not in 2017, either:

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Yes, this is literally the subject of the thread, and the reason the discussion even started. It's been mentioned in just about every post. He literally quoted the post stating it was illegal in the post you are responding to.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I believe he knew this and was just speculating on why it was made illegal.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

It is per set of bumpers. I had just checked because I was unsure of that as well. (Per 2016 rules).

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There is space on the robot inspection form to weigh two set of bumpers. RIs tend to go by the inspection form & not like anything that doesn't fit on the form. You would probably get by with two sets of reversible bumpers. Absent something specific in the rules or Q&A, I think more than two sets is iffy and would depend on the LRI at the event. Insert the usual disclaimer about prior years rules.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I would say per 2016, >2 sets of bumpers are pretty clearly allowed. Relevant rules are R20 and R27. As long as a team is prepared with the rules, they should have no problem with the majority of LRIs.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

You might well be right. But the only LRI that matters is the one at your event. They as always have the option of discussing that with Al or First. A few years ago, somebody thought that about using batteries for ballast. The confusion cost them in the eliminations.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

It came up at one of my events before when a team decided to make a new set of bumpers at the event in addition to the ones they already had. I had no issue with it.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Alive and well, no worries. Just busy with work. I should note that Vale gave me fair warning before she posted this thread, but I was out all day with no computer access. We'll see what happens next time. :rolleyes:

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

I wouldn't have a problem with it either, given the way the rules are currently written.

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

Did anyone click the "Photo Credit" link? It may contain some hints...there is a "Happy Birthday" banner, and FIRST will be 25 years old. After looking at the hints, I've reached the conclusion that next year, there will be a water game.

Or maybe not. A more reasonable prediction...

Starting in 2010, there has been a game piece pattern. Spheres in the even numbered years, and other pieces in the odd numbered years:

2010 - Soccer balls
2011 - Inflatable triangle-, circle-, and square-shaped tubes
2012 - Foam basketballs
2013 - Frisbees
2014 - Exercise balls
2015 - Totes, recycling/trash cans, and noodles
2016 - Gopher SoftiBalls, AKA Boulders

I predict that the game piece(s) will not be spheres. Maybe triangle shaped or a cube. There are bumpers, so there will be robot-to-robot contact. AndyMark recently released the Peanut Chasis, with a four wheel tank drive that has two omnis at one end. A kiwi drive kit was also released. I'm thinking that the field will be (mostly)flat, at least where the robots will be driving, as omnis don't like traversing rough terrain(pun intended). I also think that there will be tight spaces that robots will probably drive into and out of, making smaller chassis, easy turning, and holonomic drivetrains important. Back to the credit link, which was about a flower-themed party. Most flowers are small, so another hint that there will be tight spaces and maybe smaller robots. Unless this is just to throw us and it will be the opposite...

TL;DR: Flat field, non-spherical game piece(s), tight spaces, maybe smaller robots.

P.S. Congratulations Vale for beating Ryan Hall to the post! :D

Re: [FRC Blog] Pool Noodles for the 2017 Season
 

This phenomena is widely known and has sparked a number of threads over the years. This is one of the most in depth observations: https://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/s...+school+career