Important Changes from 2005 Rules/Regulations/Requirements
 

I'll start this thread so anyone can mention any significant (but maybe easy to miss) changes in the rules (robot size/weight, crate size, parts suppliers rules, etc) since last year. Please don't post here until after we have the rules. This is not a pre-kickoff speculation thread, it is a post kickoff factual thread. And hopefully a mod can make this a "Sticky"

Re: Important Changes from 2005 Rules/Regulations/Requirements
 

The thread has been opened to discuss any significant changes from the 2005 rules.

New Rules for 2006
 

I wanted to make a thread for interesting new rules that are diffrent from the way things have been in the past.

and
Wetzel

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

Okay... After looking at the rules over and over again it was noticed that "No robot may throw a ball with an exit velocity of greater than 12m/s."

Now... If you were moving at 5m/s already.... and shot it at the 12m/s.... Wouldnt you hit 17m/s? Can someone clear this up for me? Is this doable?

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

I find these two rules, under the Referee Interaction section of the Game, very interesting:

4.3.6 Referee Interactions

<G42>

<G43>

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

If you shot a ball 100% in the vector that you were traveling in, then yes the ball would be traveling at 17 m/s, BUT the muzzle velocity of the ball would still be 12 m/s, it is velocity at the muzzle of the firing device. Chances are that you will not be firing a ball in the vector of motion though... which means that not all of the 5 m/s will go into increasing the ball's velocity.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

Hmmm, I assume the spirit of the rule is that the muzzle velocity is supposed to be 12 m/s, so I aggree with you, but this may be clarified so that your not to intentionally throw the ball at more than 12 m/s, who knows. I doubt they'll rule like that, but they may.

As for other rules:
<G05> In order for a ball to score, it must enter the goal and exit via the exit chute. A ball that bounces out of the
goal is not scored. Once a ball is scored for a particular ALLIANCE, it cannot score again until it is
entered onto the field by the opposing ALLIANCE’s HUMAN PLAYER.
<G10> Starting Positions - At the beginning of a match, the three alliance ROBOTs must be placed inside one of
the three 5’ x 5’ robot starting zones located at mid-field to the right of the DRIVER’s station and not
touching the tape boundaries. It is the responsibility of the head referee to verify that this rule is satisfied
prior to the start of the match. The match will not be started until all robots are in the starting position.
<G18> ROBOT Extension Size – ROBOTs may not extend beyond a 60-inch limit in either horizontal cardinal
dimension as specified in <R08>. Robots that violate this rule will be disqualified.
(<G22>)
• Contact outside of the bumper zone is generally not acceptable, and the offending ROBOT will be
assessed a 5-point penalty, and may be disqualified from the match if the offense is particularly
egregious or if it results in substantial damage to another ROBOT. Incidental contact will not be
penalized. Contact outside the bumper zone that is a result of tipping caused by contact within the
bumper zone will be considered incidental contact.
• If a ROBOT extends outside of its 28 inch by 38 inch starting footprint, it is responsible for the
extension’s contact with other ROBOTs and must not use the extension to contact other ROBOTs
outside of the bumper zone. Likewise, other ROBOTs will not be responsible for contact with the
extension outside of the bumper zone. Again, incidental contact will not be penalized.

<R29> Teams may bring a maximum of 25 pounds of custom FABRICATED ITEMS (SPARE PARTS,
REPLACEMENT PARTS, and/or UPGRADE PARTS) to each competition event to be used to repair and/or
upgrade their robot at the competition site. All other FABRICATED ITEMS to be used on the robot during
the competition must arrive at the competition venue packed in the shipping crate with the robot.
<R49> The total cost of all non-Kit items may not exceed $3,500.00 USD. No individual COTS electronic
component shall have a value of over $200.00 USD. No individual non-electronic item shall have a value of
over $400.00. The total cost of components purchased in bulk may exceed $400.00 USD as long as the cost of
an individual component does not exceed $400.00. The following items are EXCLUDED from the total cost
calculation:
(The $400 single component part)


I know thats a doozy of a list, but I found em all very different, interesting, and I think that all of them will play a significant roll in this years game.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

During elimination rounds, the 8th seeded alliance picks first for the second round of selection.

This will make finals very interesting.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

I thought this rule was very interesting, as I havent seen something similar in past years as well as many teams using wedges as a big strategy.

<R04> "Wedge” robots are not allowed. Robots must be designed so that interaction with other robots results in
pushing rather than tipping or lifting. Neither offensive nor defensive wedges are allowed. All parts of a
robot between 0 and 8.5 inches from the ground (the top of the bumper zone – see Rule <R35>) that might
push against another robot must be within 10 degrees of vertical. Devices deployed outside the robot's
footprint should be designed to avoid wedging. If a mechanism or an appendage (a ball harvester, for
example) becomes a wedge that interferes with other robots, penalties, disabling, or disqualification can occur
depending on the severity of the infraction.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

interesting for those who like to tip over at the beginning of the match

<G17> ROBOT Orientation - ROBOTs must maintain their vertical orientation with respect to their starting position throughout the match. ROBOTs may not intentionally tip over onto one of their initially vertical sides and operate with this side parallel to the ground. If a ROBOT is accidentally or intentionally tipped over onto its side, it cannot score any balls in any goals from this orientation.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

Wow. That sounds like the Hotbot rule.
Too bad.
Those were great bots.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

There is no such thing such thing as pinning on top of one of the ramps. Sweet! *Begins thinking about amazing plays that could occur atop these ramps*

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

Team 610 will be missing the wedge, we have traditionally been very good defensively and have had some great wedges :(. This is the first year that I have been involved where they encourage defensive play, but then they disallow wedges totally :confused:. I was wondering if the rule <R04> (wedge rule) means that the structure of the robot basically has to be a box now? does this mean that we cannot have an angled front of the robot like /-\ ?

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

Well there is definately a decrease in the impact rules. I'm pretty glad for that.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

The way I read it you can have an angled side as long as it is no more than 10° from vericle.

;)

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

Here's one thing I'm glad to see cleared up from previous years (for similar concepts - 05 endzone)...

G09: If your robot is fully on a platform (i.e. not touching carpet), and is touching a robot on the carpet, your robot is STILL considered on the platform. You can get points for your opponent being on your platform also.

Also, if you decide to use bumpers, you must use the design in the manual. 2 pool noodles wrapped in nylon fabric.

G21: A robot can go inside the HP corner goal 3" (break the plane). However, you cannot have any part that is designed to go in that 3". It's incidental only. I imagine that will be at the discretion of inspectors and refs.

G17: Cannot score from a tipped over position even if you were "intentionally" or accidentally tipped over.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

This has disturbing implications, depending on the clarification that I think is warranted (emphasis mine):

<R44> Specific items NOT allowed include:


• Batteries different from or in addition to those provided in the Kit.

We all agree on "different from", but "in addition to"? Is that meant to disallow battery farming? Can't it be reasonably assumed that there might be a lot of immovable robots (accumulating offside penalties...), due to bad design choices causing depletion of their only two legal batteries? At a small regional, where teams are sometimes only minutes removed from their last match, before having to rejoin the queuing line, that would be disastrous.


This is very much inconsistent with past practice, so I'm wondering if it's an error. Surely that's not what was intended by an "engineering trade-off".

As a note on the context, the rest of the rule also deals with no additional or different motors, and traditionally, that's to be expected. Is the same thing now required of our batteries—both quantity and type?

Edit: And this applies equally to backup and main batteries, apparently. Not much use for a backup, if you can't have another one charging.... This has to be an error.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

You might want to see R39 from last year, which reads exactly the same. I believe it regards the use of, for example, two exide batteries on the robot rather than the possession of 10 batteries to farm. No changes.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

I'm pretty sure this is a change from last year, though not totally:

<R82> 12 awg wire or bigger if its on a 40 amp breaker
<R83> 14 awg wire or bigger if its on a 30 amp breaker
<R84> 18 awg wire or bigger if its on a 20 amp breaker

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

You know, I was wondering the same thing, but didn't check last year's book (it was nearly 3 a.m. :) ).

But now that I RTFM, specifically <R51> which is the rule we all know and love, I think we're OK. I still maintain, however, that they should phrase <R44> differently, just because the words "in addition to those provided in the kit" could be easily interpreted as including identical COTS spares (<R51> notwithstanding, of course). Why not merely say "Batteries different from those provided in the kit"? Let the spares rules and <R51> handle the rest (since <R51> specifies the quantity limit of one at a time, as opposed to motors, where, apart from <R43> and the CIMs, the quantity limit is the number of motors from the kit, as properly specified in <R44>).

Sorry for the (minor) mess. I should have known better. I only got as far as <R46> last night, before getting some sleep.

FIX-IT WINDOWS
 

This is different and significant.

The way I read it, since there are 5 weeks of regionals they are essentially giving each team up to 12 sessions of up to 5 hour each (Max of 60 hours) after ship to make spare parts (only 50 hours could be for upgraded parts).

Seems like a rule we all can live with. Thoughts?

Joe J.

Re: New Rules for 2006
 

Wow, this is a change. It seems pretty clear. But I am sure it will get murky by the time we are done.

It seems to require retyping of last year's code to read encoder pulses or to navigate using the encoders or whatever.

Could changing variable names count as altering?

I understand some of the concerns the rule is trying to address but I don't know how this rule will work out in practice.

What do others think?

WAIT DON'T ANSWER YET! Go here instead.

Joe J.