Another Bumper concideration
 

The rules state that the bumpers must be between 2.5" and 8.5" on the bot.
Consider this. You have a lifting robot and you have bumpers. When you lift, the bumpers, which are attached to the lifting body, will be raised also. The bottom of the bumpers will now be between 6.5" (4" lift) and 14.5" (12" lift). Do you think FIRST will allow this?

Re: Another Bumper concideration
 

If you are talking about the lifting robot ... Who says the bumpers need to be attacked to the lifting portion. <<--- Proper design.

If you are talking about the lifted robot ... the bumpers still remain within the 2.5" to 8.5" of the bottom of the robot (not measured from the floor).

Re: Another Bumper concideration
 

I've seen several robots that have lifting cylinders at the corners of their bot and they lift the whole bot. Please tell me how they can keep the bumpers (if they choose to employ them) 2.5" of the floor.

Re: Another Bumper concideration
 

The rule means that the bumpers are measured from the bottom of the robot, not the floor. The robot can go as high up as they want as long as the bumpers stay attached to it as it does it.

Re: Another Bumper concideration
 

The intent of the rule is to keep the bumper to bumper contact under control. During the end game this is no longer a consideration. If you are no longer moving and you raise your bumper I wouldn't see a problem if I was the inspector.

However, if you raised your bumpers and then moved and contacted a robot from an opposing alliance out side the bumper zone this would be a big problem. If I were a ref you would be disabled and get a yellow card.

Re: Another Bumper concideration
 

I point you to figure 8-3 which states bumpers must stay within 2.5" and 8.5" inches measured from the FLOOR.

See rule below:

STANDARD BUMPERS must remain within the BUMPER ZONE when the ROBOT is
resting on the floor in PLAYING CONFIGURATION. They can not
be articulated or moved outside of the BUMPER ZONE. The one
exception to this is STANDARD BUMPERS may be within or
below the BUMPER ZONE during the END GAME if the ROBOT is
in its HOME ZONE (see Figure 8-3)

I don't see any mention of bumpers being allowed above the bumper zone.

Re: Another Bumper concideration
 

Has anybody posed this to the official Q&A?

Re: Another Bumper concideration
 

I suggest doing this and soon if you really want to know the answer. Everyone digs to deep into the rules and every year there are rules that people find that you can flip around.

My take on the rule is that the bumper must be secured to the robot, so if your robot were to raise, then you cannot keep your bumper in the same spot and i think that the ruling would be that as long as your bumper is made right it will move with your robot.

Re: Another Bumper concideration
 

Well it's official. Bumpers can not be elevated with a lifting robot. http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=4969