Thanks to all of you for your kind comments. In response to some questions:
lynca - our current tether system utilizes 25 ft of
10 gauge wire pair (to limit voltage drop) running in a split nylon corrugated loom protective sleeve. This is after we tried many alternatives including
retracting extension cords,
expandable sleeving,
coiled pneumatic tubing, home-made festoon systems, and spring-loaded dog leashes. Many of these may be good options for moving in a limited area but we want ROY to be able to reach the co-op STEP if our alliance partners cannot. We'll continue to test alternate solutions (including wheel/gear mud guards, BIV-mounted fishing poles, etc) leading up to our first competition.
philso - yes, BIV's forks move upwards to clear room for fork-out-front-style robots other than ROY to access stacks. However, we've found mecanum wheels don't play nicely with our current tether system. BIV's vertical is driven by a single motor whose controller is mounted to ROY. Our second driver controls raise/lower manually.
PayneTrain - good luck at Palmetto and Virginia. If both our teams make it to World's we'll gladly trade you shirts.
JohnF - glad to hear you could use the idea. Hardware store door hinges are a bit makeshift but if they work, why not?
Good luck to all teams competing in week 1 - work hard and have fun!