Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

The practice matches yesterday so far have strongly reflected what today is going to be like. As for tomorow, that's stilll open for discussion

PS: 616 First match was a huge success with our allies Team 53 against 975 and 1418. Final score: Us(RED) 95, Blue:65.

Good Luck to all. :D :D

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

Nice goat sticks...at least that is what they look like.

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

wow two teams ive seen so far lift from the ground got up in the air, but neither counted....interesting how that worked out....(one was touching the fitting, the other would have swung and touched the ground if the vert bart war removed)....i guess lifting from the ground was a little tricky than what i imagined....

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

Touching the fitting? could you clarify that? Was the hook supported by the fitting or just touching it on the side? Like, did the hook land on top of the fitting, or did it slide over to the side against it?

Our robot hangs from the side and our hook slides over, so I'd be very interested if they're not counting a robot just for touching the fitting up there.

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

I cannot be sure I'm not @ VCU....i just know what the announcer said....i do know that it certainly LOOKED like both robots should have gotten the 50 pts....but like i said im not there and im not a ref....

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

I've heard it said before that you can't slide into that fitting because then you aren't only supported by the bar but by that fitting too. But I guess as long as you could show or it is visible that if the fitting was removed the hook wouldn't slide farther you would count. If not, I don't think they're going to count it.

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

From the FIRST Q&A

Q: Is a robot legally hanging if from the floor it extends a rectangular tower (open in center) over the top of the vert bar to contact the horiz bar and pull itself up resting against the outside of the vert more than 12" up?

A: For the your situation, if the vertical post is removed as a SUPPORTING object, it is not apparent that the robot would not be touching the platform. Given that the referees need to make immediate decisions, the situation you present is not easily answered. In theory, the method suggested in your situation (i.e., pulling up on the horizontal bar while being held out by the vertical pole) is legal as a means of hanging. However, the clearance between the robot and the edge of the platform must be substantial enough such that one can instantly see that the robot would still be hanging if the vertical bar was removed. One additional caveat, and which is appropriate for this solution as well, is that the hook / box / lasso that is supporting the robot on the horizontal bar MUST be solely supported by the horizontal bar. If the attachment mechanism is being held in place by the extension of the vertical post (e.g., if the vertical post were not there, the loop of the attachment mechanism would slip off the end of the horizontal bar), then this would not be a legal solution. As it is impractical for the judges to determine whether the friction between the horizontal bar and the attachment mechanism would be sufficient to resist any horizontal element of the force vector, all judgements will be made in the most conservative manner possible. In other words, if the attachment mechanism is being pulled in the direction of the vertical post and it is TOUCHING the vertical post, then the vertical post will be determined to be providing a portion of the support function and the robot will be determined to be NOT hanging under the rules of the game. Bottom line: teams taking this approach are playing a risk. If they are POSITIVE their attachment mechanism will never touch the vertical post and the vertical post will NEVER provide any support function, then they can go ahead. But if they slip and bump up against the post, NO POINTS.

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

Yay! I'm one in 500. Nice last round. 80 to 50. And kilroy kaps(sp?).

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

Things are interesting here right now. Many people are confused of when auton starts since the announcer says some wierd things. Also, we have had VERY low match scores. Our last match we had 20 qp, and we lost to 65. VERY low. On other news, Dean Kamen will be given a honorary doctorate at the VCU School of Engineering in May. Cool. No Dean or Woodie here yet, my guess is tomorrow, but Mr. Lavery is walking around.

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

Wierd things - like what?

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

My music and matches are off sync. Is anyone else having this problem?

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

Yes, I'm about 30 seconds desynched. It's quite annoying. Try either listening or watching, but not both at once... slightly less annoying.

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

For some strange reason I can't even get a live video of the VCU stream. The Audio play fine, but the video is always stuck at the first moment of the stream and never changes. Its like watching a slide show if I keep stopping and restarting the steam.

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

wierd things....he says,

Mangnifier Balls...as opposed to Multiplyer....

I haven't been watch long, and our video isn't working well. but i have heard him say this multipule times.

Re: VCU COMPETITION STATUS
 

Yeah same. I'm getting no video from VCU and no sound from Portland. Oddly enough when I put them together it was still making sense.


Update: Ahhh no sound anywhere. I'm gonna have to feed in some techno music just to stay sane.