Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Pahl
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.
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Thanks for the response. I do understand the point of the rule, as some systems may fail more catastrophically than others.
EDIT: Just to clarify, when we dry fire, the shooter arm goes > 180 degrees into the bottom of the robot where the lexan on the arms shatters. None of the lexan leaves the robot.