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Endurance...
Judging from what I have seen at the UTC Scrimmage and beyond, this competition is absolutely merciless on robots. In something that was just supposed to be a scrimmage, I saw robots leave the building in pieces. This is the way this game works, and it is unavoidable at this point. In this game, there really is no such thing as incidental contact. Incidental tipping...maybe, but contact, no. Build to endure was a key phrase thrown at us all at the beginning of the year, and FIRST meant exactly what they said! This phrase holds true even more for the many wall bots which will be gracing this competition. Taking away the means of passage from one side of the field to another is a strategy, a good strategy, but a very risky one. All I know is that if your robot is sitting at the top of that ramp, blocking my way, it better be prepared to take a rather large pounding, because that wall could mean the difference between a winner and a loser. I haven't seen a wall bot in action yet, but if UTC gave me any indication of how things are going to be, wall bots may be in grave danger...whether you are the most experienced team on earth, or the newest of rookies.
Good Luck,
Andy Grady
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