[Jeff Pahl]

Originally Posted by magnets

No, not really. When my shooter dry fires, the lexan arms shatter in an enclosed area at the bottom of the robot. When we break the shooter, it's safer than if it took an actual shot. Standing near an arm smashing itself into the bottom of our robot is way safer than having a 2 lb ball be thrown at you from a foot in front of the robot, and getting the shooter arm to hit you on your head.

If it is obvious that when your shooter self destructs that all shrapnel will be contained safely inside the robot, then it would not be necessary to dry-fire the mechanism. The safety concern is with a robot where the mechanism is not contained in such a manner and the possibility exists that it could throw parts outside the field border into an area where people are present. Or throw parts into an adjacent pit. I would consider a robot that was designed to contain all parts in the event of a failure to be consistent with the desired intent, and would commend the team on the design.

Unfortunately, however, not all robots fall into that category yet. I eagerly look forward to that day.