Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

Our team was thinking of building a robot that would pin other robot's trailers to the wall close to our alliances throwers so that way they could easily throw the rocks and cells into the trailer. We would do this by having an indent on the front of our robot the shape and size of half of the trailer. This indent would have bumpers all around it, so it would just be bumper to bumper contact. the indent would just fit inside the 38in. width requirement. I can't find any rules that would prevent this.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

Just logic; If you stop, your trailer stops, and you become a easy target. For the other two robots, and the other 3 throwers

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

I don't see what would stop the other robot from pulling their trailer away from you. They'd have their full pulling power, and would gradually pull away from you. You'd slow them down for sure, but I don't think you could actually permanently pin them. It'd be even easier for them if they were partially on the carpeted area, while you'd be on the regolith.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

There is no rule against pinning this year, and as long as the system you have doesn't qualify as "entanglement" of the other robot (and maybe the trailer, unsure about that) and doesn't physically attach to the trailer, there is no rule that expressly forbids this.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

I don't think you could build official bumpers in an indent, because the bumper zone is defined by the polygon formed if you wrap a string around your robot, so you can't have official bumpers in indents.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

I dunno this might be stretching it, but everything else(2/3) of the robot were covered by bumpers, then technically they'd have enough of the robot covered in legal bumpers, and the others were just extra.

So i dunno. Thats probably pushing it a little too far.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

To answer your question, yes, pinning your opponent and/or their trailer is allowed. The practicality however is questionable.

When you pin them:
-You are on regolith and they are on carpet (This is the intent of the carpet).
-They stop making them an easier target.
-You also stop making you an easier target.
-You are close to your opponent making it more likely that your human player will accidentally hit your trailer...I know, I know, you have perfect aim right?

On the other hand, pinning them to dump the contents of your robot into their trailer may be a more viable strategy.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

Is there a rule saying that you can't make something that pushes and pulls your trailer back and like a tail wags, making it a harder target? As long as its within the dimensions.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

the truth is pinning has pros and cons..
pro-u get a rbot against a wall con-we r on ice like surface a push might not work

con the wall is a scary place and makes u an easy target..

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

Try <G29>

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

If your robot could be fed while you sit there and pump rocks into the pinned robot, then you'd have a viable pinning strategy.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

<G29>Arena Interaction –ROBOTS may push or react against any elements of the ARENA, provided there is no damage or disruption of the ARENA elements. With the exception of a ROBOT towing a TRAILER, ROBOTS may not grab, grasp, grapple, or attach to any ARENA structure. If a ROBOT violates this rule, the TEAM will be given one warning. If the referee determines that the TEAM is disregarding the warning, their ROBOT will be disabled for the remainder of the MATCH. ROBOTS that become entangled in the ARENA elements will not be freed until after the MATCH has finished, unless the entanglement represents a safety hazard.

I'm not sure that applies. As long as you do not touch the trailer or hitch with anything except bumper to bumper contact you should be good. You'll have to innovative there. You also run into the problem of the friction of forward wheels "wagging" sideways which is basically double the friction which is still basically none though.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

GBilletdeaux930, in the post I responded to, wanted something that would wag the trailer back and forth like the tail of a dog. That sounded like grasping the trailer to me.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

Yea the only way to do it would involve grasping...

So your pretty much stuck.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

And you must use a specific design of trailer tongue defined within the rules, so you can't do it that way. Just swerve back and forth constantly ;)

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

Or get your entire alliance to pin them :rolleyes:

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

<R18> seems to forbid a moving hitch -- "B. The Trailer Hitch must be rigidly attached to a fixed location on the ROBOT..."

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

i cant find anything in the rules that defines grasping but i think i read something earlier that said if the referee rules that if you where to back up or spin and the opponents trailer where to have the same orientation as before that was considered grasping. could someone clarify this for me.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

You're probably thinking of the definition of POSSESSION in 7.2. But that's a pretty good approximation of robot grasping as well. There have been rules against grasping, grappling, etc before (e.g. Rack n Roll) but I don't recall any specific definition.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

say what now

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

I agree with csl, its not <G29> that prevents you from wagging your own trailer like a dogs tail, its <R18> through its requirement that your trailer hitch be mounted to a FIXED location. <G29> is what stops you from grabbing, grasping, or grappling another robots trailer, presumably with the intent to hold it in place relative to your robot so you could dump the contents of some sort of hopper into it. However, I think shoving a trailer into the wall will be similarly effective for the 2 to 3 seconds you would need to do so.

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

what this guy is saying, actually makes sence... if you pinn them in the right corner, ie: away from the opposing alliance's PAYLOAD SPECIALIST'S (there are two such corners on the field)

this is a good startegy, you can indirectly cancel out high powered teams with a box on wheels with a little wedge in the shape of a trailer. now thats a viable strategy for rookes...

imagine a game where rookes > vetreans. that would be shocking, and that is possible

Re: Is pinning opposing robots trailers allowed?
 

The Robot. Section 8, Page 3. Rev A
BUMPER PERIMETER – the polygon defined by the outer-most set of exterior vertices on the ROBOT (without the BUMPERS attached) that are within the BUMPER ZONE. To determine the BUMPER PERIMETER, wrap a piece of string around the ROBOT at the level of the BUMPER ZONE - the string describes this polygon. The BUMPER PERIMETER may extend up to, but cannot exceed, the maximum ROBOT volume constraints defined in Rule <R11>.


Wetzel