Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

I agree that there has to be a happy middle ground here. And this comes from a team that has those " shiny vests and the bright batons". We do not do this to be annoying or to win an award. We do this because of the near misses that have occurred with people getting nicked or prodded with an oncoming cart.

We do not teach or students to scream robot but do ask them to politely say: "excuse us, robot coming through" if people ahead of them appear to disregard the danger or do not realize they are in the way.

My observation is that the problem is generally not with other teams (sometimes) but with visitors in the pit area. They just stand there in front of you and sometimes give the kids a dirty look because they are being inconvenienced because they need to move a couple of feet. Teams understand quickly about the dangers of the moving carts. Visitors need reminders.

My gut feeling is that this practice will not go away but can be better monitored. The safety inspectors made a big deal out of our team practice last year at a regional and actually made an announcement telling other teams to watch us as they paraded us and down the isles showing people the "right way". Were we screaming robot? NO. Were we we saying:" excuse me, robot coming through"? YES!

For the record, our team has won many safety awards including the national UL safety award. These awards are NOT won by screaming robot. It is a complete program that is ongoing throughout the year. It is a culture and an expectation for all students and mentors. We take safety very very serious. It is NOT an afterthought or a gimmick to win a plastic trophy. We believe that we are preparing our students for a healthy life after high school.

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

honestly if you standing in the isle of the pit then you aren't the priority the teams who spent 6 weeks building an awesome machine should be able to navigate the isle without having to wait on large packs of people standing in front of a pit to move. Sure we shouldn't yell it i never yell it i just say it loud enough so that the people in that large pack can move into the pit while our robot passes by.

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

Perhaps the next time I hear someone shouting "Robot" behind me, I'll simply turn around and say "And?". If a conversation ensues, maybe I'll remind them that "Robot" isn't a complete sentence.

If enough people do that, folks will sooner or later learn that shouting "Robot" does not relieve them of an obligation to use both their brains and those manners their grandmother taught them.

Yelling "Robot" (and some of the other stuff that passes for creating a safe transportation environment) is not a well-thought out method for safely transporting a bulky, and often awkward and/or oddly shaped machine in a crowded aisle.

Blake

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

I'm more annoyed with the stupid posters being plastered all over the place a whole lot more than the Safety Criers any day.

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

This is a fake account. This student is not on Team 1114.

I'm really getting tired of all this junk...

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

I cannot believe all of this. I am sorry that it had to come to this, and I am glad some people are speaking up like JVN, yourself and others. It is really sad that people have come to this. Can we please just remember what this program is about? It is about inspiring students and recognizing the importance of science and technology. It is right in the acronym.

Someone even went out of their way to create a fake account to make 1114 look bad. What has this come to?

1114, 148, and many other powerhouses inspired me, and I am sure many others too. Without them continuing to raise the bar each year, I would not have the drive to better our team.

I commend all of you guys for putting up with this, and I will be sure to speak up if I ever hear anything like this.

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

So much for my team name idea.

Although I generally agree with the post, is it really any more annoying than the constant beeping sound coming from a fork truck? It gets your attention that something with more mass and velocity than you is coming your way and if you don't move you are going to be on the losing side of the momentum balance equation.

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, this fake account stuff has happened multiple times to our team. It's getting tiresome.

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

Oh my, you really hit it on the head. Those annoying, flammable, slippery, distracting posters that are more of a safety hazard than anything a robot or power tools themselves can cause.

Is it considered too much against GP to tell someone, "No thanks, we respectfully decline to post your 'No Robot Left Behind' or 'Safety FIRST' posters in my pit area"? I say "too much" because I'm okay with being just a TAD non-GP to things that annoy the bejeezus out of me.

-Danny

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

That sucks. Some people are just tools -- good for you guys for rising above it. (FYI, I assumed it was a fake account when I read it, and just ignored it.)

-------------

On the posters: I agree! I don't think we need, "Caution! Floor may be wet! Brought to you by team XXXX" plastered on the bathroom mirrors...

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

Yes, it is really more annoying. Beeping vehicles are a specific signal that is easy to interpret, usually of reasonable volume and carrying distance, and relatively easy to ignore when appropriate. Shouting voices could mean many things, are entirely too loud when close by, and are always intrusive.

I would not mind a beeping robot cart. A bicycle bell might be more useful, though. Maybe I'll try contacting Mirrycle and asking them to donate to next year's Kit of Parts.

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

Possible solution: Get rid of the safety award. IMHO, the pit environment has been been harder to work in AND less safe since its inception.

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

Get people who don't need to be in the pits, out of the pits. If they aren't there to talk to judges/VIPs/guests/scouts, currently working on the robot, scout, or talk to alliance partners, they don't need to be there. I understand there will always be a certain degree of crowds in the pits, but the amount of people who congregate their is excessive and troublesome. There's no reason for a whole team to move from the stands to the pits after a match just to huddle around their robot and figure out what needs to be done. A few people can diagnose the issues and get the necessary people from the stands. Or have a designated "pit crew" if that's how your team prefers to operate.

At Championship, it's one thing with the hike between the fields and the pits. At regionals, it's another. Please, please, PLEASE get extra people out of the pits.

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

I've always responded to the cries of, "robot!" with, "person!" I always get startled looks. It's fun.

Re: A plea for a quieter pit area
 

Close your eyes and think. Can you imagine a quiet pit area? Aside from the announcer and the audience, you'd have a quiet competition. I think the noise is what helps make it so exciting!