[steelerborn]

I remember being a student on an FRC team and guards were always on our mind during the design process, after going to several regionals in past years and having to add them on.

Now I do agree that guards for chain and gears are not being mandated like when I was on the team. But now that I am a mentor for 5+ years I have found that this should be the mentors job not the RI. There is a way to design things safely and keeping that as a goal is important for design intent. The kids don't know how to design things safely yet, they are still learning, that is where mentors step in to teach and show them how to do it, and then let the kids spend time in CAD making it safe. There are many ways to make a safety guard advantageous in your systems. If you are using belts or chain you can use a guard to help increase your tooth wrap or to auto tension your system.

In the end if the bot is unsafe and someone gets hurt it is on the mentors.