Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

In terms of it staying at the top of the pole:

TRIGGERED – the act of pushing the bottom disk of the TARGET so that the sensors are tripped and a signal is sent to the Field Management System (FMS). When a TARGET is TRIGGERED, the MINIBOT RACE on that TOWER is complete.

Page 12, Section 1

By this definition, it doesn't seem that it needs to remain there, it just needs to touch the top.

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

I agree with that, because it also states in the manual that the scoring is based on the number of lights illuminated at the top of the pole.

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

We were thinking about launch our MINIBOT vertically to the top of tower. But the rule <G19> provide something interesting:

<G19> After DEPLOYMENT, MINIBOTS must remain completely autonomous.

I think that if you store some energy (like elastic through rubbers i.e.) on your ROBOT to launch your MINIBOT, it won't be autonomous.

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

The launching thought has come up SO many times, but the ruling as far as minibots after being deployed states that:

<G46> MINIBOTS may only be used to climb the TOWER.

So it's dependent on whatever GDC defines 'climb' as.

Also:

<R92> Does not necessarily rule out springs. Part J says that you can have:

non-metallic rope or cord.

But yeah, refer to <R92> for all the FTC bot components that are usable.

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

The limits are what is in the specific kits. There are no springs in the list, so if you use a spring it would be on your host robot, and would need to conform to safety and envelope rules regarding that bot. You want to use stored force you're going to need to use the rubber bands or surgical tubing route.

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

You could potentially use surgical tubing/rubber bands to launch the minibot part of the way up as well.

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

If I read correctly though, you must deploy below the marked section of the pole which from the base is an 18" zone.

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

Yes, but I believe what he is saying, is to use those to give it a boost.

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

Well what if you created a "jumping bean" minibot. You set it, and it uses rubber bands or surgical tubing to "jump" to the top without necessarily gripping the pole.

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

"MINIBOT RACE – a competition in which MINIBOTS are DEPLOYED, climb the TOWER, and TRIGGER the TARGET. The MINIBOT RACE begins at the start of the END GAME."

"climb" would be the operative word here, I think... Rational engineering understanding would not try to lawyer that into fly, toss, etc. It's a climbing race, pure and simple.

"DEPLOYMENT – the act of positioning a MINIBOT on a TOWER. DEPLOYMENT starts when the MINIBOT breaks the vertical projection of the TOWER BASE circumference during the END GAME. (Related form, DEPLOY, verb)"

"positioning a MINIBOT on a TOWER"... I would also interpret that as disallowing applying any momentum to the minibot. "Positioning on" clearly implies simple placement (on the climbing pole).

Finally, the POLE is 10 feet tall; if the minibot doesn't climb back down on its own, you will either have to have a retrieval pole or have the field reset people get it down for you (not good).

I think any attempt to do anything other than climb the tower and come back down (without damaging the target!) will either be explicitly disallowed by Q&A or result in yellow/red flag...

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

based on my understanding of the game manual and others' posts, the minibot must trigger a plate system, requiring 2-4 newtons for the lower plate to raise at least 1/4". The upper plate is probably for stability and compression purposes (2.2.5, 4th paragraph).

As was stated earlier (definition of Triggered, ch.1):
"When as target is triggered, the minibot race on that tower is complete."

Once the sensor is tripped, it is irrelevant what the minibot does, as long as it doesn't break tele-op rules and can get down so referees don't have to and possibly penalize you for it <G59>: One thought is to have a limit switch on the top of your minibot, triggering a downward climb of the minibot.

be careful of <G42> which says "Robots, minibots, or hostbots may not intentionally detach parts or leave mechanisms on the field (with the exception of appropriate deployment of the minibot)." No parachute jump off.

As for the energy equivalent. Energy can only be stored as follows <R01>:

Electrical Energy
Compressed Air (120PSI max)
Change in altitude of robot center of gravity
storage achieved by deformation of robot parts. (i.e. spring compression)

End Game rule <G19> says:
" After deployment, minibots must remain completely autonomous."

Again, as <G42> states, you can only detach pieces as per appropriate Deployment of a minibot, which is defined as:
"Act of positioning a minibot on a tower. deployment starts when the minibot breaks the vertical projection of the tower base circumference."

FIRST
has made clear when deployment starts, but not when deployment ends. IF deployment has not ended until the hostbot and minibot have separated, then using springs or pneumatics to launch the minibot (with stored energy) is perfectly legal (as long as they're safe). The energy transferred to the minibot will be from storage of the hostbot springs, and will be autonomous ONLY AFTER separation. From an energy standpoint, launching a minibot is legally autonomous. In essence, the question to be addressed is specifically when deployment ends. If climbing the tower seems to include "jumping bean bots" that don't actually touch the tower, then a bot that is launched up the tower is also "climbing."

I like the idea of launching the minibot from the hostbot: However, we just completed our projectile launchers from physics class. The most powerful device was an air cannon using pneumatics and a cylindrical shooter, it shot a racquetball over 70 horizontal feet. Just some ideas..

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

Deployment "ends" when the minibot is "positioned on" the tower, by definition. Autonomous for the minibot starts immediately, you can't do anything after that to help it out. My take....:cool:

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?
 

Launching the mini bot from the hostbot is a little.. erm sketch. I was more referring to the mini bot having its own energy storage device and using that somehow to propel itself up.

Re: Do minibots need to stay at the top of the pole?