[rees2001]

I really enjoy the inspection process both as a team leader who is having our team's robot inspected and as an inspector. I take pride in knowing my kids can answer all of the questions inspectors will ask them about the robot. I also take pride in knowing our robot should be "easy" to inspect. As the size and footprint of the robots have gotten smaller it does get more difficult because we are trying to fit just as much stuff in a smaller space but that doesn't mean the obvious stuff can't be obvious.
In most cases If I lined up 10 robots in front of you, you could tell which ones will have trouble being inspected and which will be easy. At championship I had the pleasure of inspecting some great robots and some less than great robots. I am in the group that heard robots need to compete, be safe, and be compliant. Not, Compete. Be safe. Be Compliant.
I have seen different inspectors put too much focus on certain aspects of the rules.


If you showed 100 inspectors our bumpers 90 would check the box, 9 might have issues with what we consider "supported" or find something else to have issue with. And that one inspector will say they are illegal because they are not perfectly perpendicular to the floor at all times, there are slight loose points where the bumper fabric is sagging a bit and the numbers are .745 inches wide at the narrowest points. Our bumpers don't fall off, change colors during matches (or at any other point for that matter), they are not difficult to tell what team we were on from halfway across the dome, nor do fall below 2 inches of the floor or fail to protect our robot from impact.

The point is, some inspectors see things differently. No matter which inspector we get we will work to make sure our robot is Compliant, Safe, and can Compete. That can be said for most teams at all events. Some inspections take 20 minutes others take hours. it is the nature of the beast.