Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesCH95
I would be quite upset if we were prohibited from driving the robot on the ground in our pit because it is very easy to do it safely.
When we test our robot on the floor (which is about the only way to evaluate certain performance changes) we establish what we call the 'kill radius.' This terms stems from my experience using axes/mauls/chain-saws - the radius around an operation where a bystander could be hurt. We spread team members around this 'kill radius' to keep people away from our robot when it's being run. This is a practice that has earned us compliments from various safety officials.
In addition to establishing a kill radius around the robot we put one person on the controls whose sole job is to mash the disable button if anything goes wrong. To avoid confusion only one person is ever allowed to issue verbal commands to the drivers, with the exception of "STOP" which everyone is allowed to say.
Now, if teams are at a loss for how to operate their robot with the drive disabled... pull the drive motor breakers. This is what we do when we operate the robot on workbench or other place where we want the wheels on the ground but cannot afford to have it drive. It requires no nuances or expertise and takes just a few seconds.
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This post has made the most sense to me so far. It shows a thorough understanding of the hazards inherent in their robot and the countermeasures that minimize the probability of an accident and minimize the impact when an accident occurs. It is a lack of that understanding of the hazards that leads to preventable accidents.
This is supposed to be a "sport for the mind". Teams should be using their intelligence and creativity to create a culture of safety that employs good practices to adapt to the conditions as required rather than codifying very specific practices in "full sets of rules" that will be difficult to enforce as each year's game causes the hazards to change. The GDC has a hard enough job covering all the "holes" in the Game rules. How would one expect them to create rules that anticipate all the possible hazards, especially if there are so many teams that take creative approaches to the game? The Game Q&A is up to over 400 questions about the game. We would probably have to have a separate Safety Q&A each year if there are more rules regarding safety than there are now.