[Joe Johnson]

Lewis & like minded folk...

...I agree with you fully. This has really gotten silly and sad.

Now we learn that upright means upright ALWAYS (except for going under the bar). This is a major new rule. One of last year's Champion (Beatty/Hammond --- oh yeah, Pepsi sponsored them too ;-) would be totally illegal as would any robot that does not remain itself upright during the match (I suppose a legalist may even argue that unless special precautions are taken, any robot climbing the ramp would not have its rotating light "upright" and would be illegal).

We are almost to WEEK 4 of a 6 week process. To require teams to make such a change at such a date is bad form. And to suggest that teams should have so called alternate mountings in case the one we designed in from the start is ruled beyond the pale is ...well... ...beyond the pale.

To make such new interpretations of rules that have been essentially unchanged from prior years without making much more noise about them is not right.

I call for a CLEAR and reasonable light rule. How about this:

1)
The light must be oriented in such a manner that it is expected to have its base pointing downward the majority of the match (more than 60 seconds).

2)
The light must be clearly visible from at least 7 of 8 "octants" (octant = a generalization of "quadrant", specifically, a 45 degree wide sector of a horizonal plane with its center on an theortical vertical line through the center of the bulb) for any horizontal plane higher than 2 feet off the ground.

3)
For brief periods of time (for example going under the bar, moving an elevator mechanism to lift a crate, etc.), the light may be partial obscured without violiating the spirit or letter of this rule -- which is to ensure that the audience can easily (and at almost every instant) determine the color designation of each and every robot on the field.

This seems to me like a rule everyone can live with.

As always, your thought are welcome.

Joe J.