Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

I don't think that we can define the length of a robot in any manner other than the bounding box approach above. Though many robots do have a preferred direction of travel (which might be assumed to be the length axis, with the width axis perpendicular to it), there are numerous robots where no one axis is inarguably the length—the omnidirectional drivetrains, for example. Similarly, the bounding box model is what's used to check the robot footprint at inspection. A robot can do what it pleases within the box, but it has to fit.

While we're on the subject, front and back are not especially meaningful, except that to comply with the rules, teams will arbitrarily designate them (e.g. to place the diagnostic light).

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

Actually width and depth are clearly defined in most situations by <R07> (see chart on page 8 of Section 8). The width is your 28" dimension, and depth is your 38" dimension. Unless one of those dimensions is rotated in your starting configuration, I doubt it would be allowed to be rotated later.

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

i might be wrong, but that definition only is for the starting configuration of the robot. Look at this example. A robot expandes to the full 6x6 square. it has an arm that is in the bottom left corner and ends in the top right. how is that any different from making a square robot with that length arm and making it fit diagonally.
correct me if im wrong.
-coop, team 1717

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

that reminds me of the joke about the boy with the fishing pole trying to get on the bus. The bus driver said his five foot fishing pole was too long, you can only have something four feet long on the bus. So, the boy visited the garbage cans behind some stores and found a 3 foot by 4 foot box and put the fishing pole in it, and was let on the bus.

Re: <R12>
 

i really belive that the 72 in limit only applies to the footprint, that means that arms could extend farther.

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

the arm cannot extend beyond the footprint. the footprint=a shadow of your robot straight below it.
-coop, team 1717

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

...at noon, on the Equator. ;)

Edit: On the solstice. :p

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

And the Q&A comes through. The answer is that the robot must fit inside a 72" x 72" x infinity virtual box at all times. So the diagonal trick works. I suppose still under question is whether it must be designed mechanically to never exceed the size, or whether it can be a driver/controls thing.

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

:yikes: :yikes: Did I hear someone mention flux integrals ?! hehe

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

We had to back out of the West Michigan Regional due to lack of $$ - now we're going to have to travel to the Equator?
FedEx ought to love that one.

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

Awesome.

They can't enforce a mechanical limit because of the home zone rule. Also, there are software limits. If the pots on an arm limit the movement to a legal range, it would be crazy for the inspectors to make the team fully expand it. If the inspectors ask my team that, i will state "Sir, we can't make our robot do that, it simply isn't possible with our software" or something along those lines.

Re: <R12>
 

I think it means to make believe you are playing in a 72 x 72 square test tube. The test tube goes from the floor all the way to the ceiling of the arena.

Re: <R12>
 

I think we can put this thread to rest.

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

I checked your math and you got it right. Then I considered the second case, in which the long side of the robot is perpendicular, rather than parallel, to the diagonal we're considering the arm to come out on. I did the math for that, and it seems that if your arm is coming out of the center of the wider side, its maximum length is actually 54.82", a gain of about 5". Maybe this helps someone.

-Guy

Re: <R12> 72" x 72" Size Restriction
 

I think the max arm length will be based upon those who have a turret and can position the robot in a corner of the 72" square, and extend the arm to the opposite diagnal corner.

The issue then becomes interesting when the turret rotates, but that will be for our programmer to figure out!!!