Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

Considering that ur trailer can not go within the frame of the robot and that arms can go outside the frame....this seems near impossible any way, but I don't think there are any rules specifically forbidding it.

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

I think you misunderstand the meaning of BUMPER ZONE. It refers to the entire region of the arena from 1" to 7" above the floor. Wherever your robot is, a slice of it exists within the BUMPER ZONE.

The BUMPER PERIMITER is closer to what you're talking about. However, it completely surrounds a robot at the BUMPER ZONE height, and no part of the robot may extend beyond it (with exceptions for the trailer hitch and the bumpers themselves, of course).

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

i think there is a rule that the trailer has to be conected to the outer most point of the robot:confused: :confused:

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

All it says is that:
<R18>D:
There are other parts of this rule too, but there isn't any rule saying it has to be on the outer most point as far as I am aware.

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

To quote Inspector Clouseau [bad French accent] "Not anymore." [/bad French accent]

You need to keep up with the rule changes. See Team Update 1 and Robot Rules revision B. It now reads

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

When I read that it doesn't say it has to be on the outer most point, just as long as it is easy to attach. (outer most point being a point on the bumper perimeter as described in the update)

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

It doesn't have to be on the outermost point, but it does have to be on the BUMPER PERIMETER which is defined by the robot's outermost points:

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

That was what I was originally intending to say by quoting <R18>, sorry if I didn't get that clear the first time.

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

So, does that mean that for example, if a robot was shaped like this (letters in place to form the shape; look at the lines):
III_______
II/RRRRRRR\
I/RRRRRRRR\
|__|SSS|__| (I know, bad representation, but you get the idea)

Then would the bumper perimeter be shaped like this?
III_______
II/RRRRRRR\
I/RRRRRRRR\
|_________|


Definition:

BUMPER PERIMETER – the polygon defined by the outer-most set of exterior vertices on the ROBOT
(without the BUMPERS or Trailer Hitch 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>.

According to the definition of the bumper perimeter, if you draw a string around your robot then that defines your bumper perimeter, and that is how it would look if you took a string around and held it taut, correct?

-Zach

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

Yes. They have stated that the intention of the rule is something along the lines of that "if your robot were to collide with a wall, the bumpers would collide before any other part of your robot would".

Ahh, here we go.

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

But, if there were to be a cut out in the robot, then the bumper would still contact first, wouldn't it? Not that it matters for our reasons though. We had looked into making the trailer basically part of our robot, but none of us were looking at Revision B of section 8 (the complete manual file hasn't been updated with Rev. B yet). <R18> D clarified that this can't be done and the trailer must be free instead of snug in your robot.

Re: Blocking your own trailer
 

You are correct. Due to that update, the trailer must be attached to the bumper perimeter, which means no cutouts to brace it. (And no other braces either.)