[jee7s]

Originally Posted by jijiglobe

Fairly certain that the way this rule is phrased, it means that your bumpers must stay fairly static relative to the chassis.

That's covered by R23 and R21-G. And, it's not fairly static, it's truly static as those rules read:

R21-G [Bumpers] must attach to the FRAME PERIMETER of the ROBOT with a rigid fastening system to form
a tight, robust connection to the main structure/frame

R23 BUMPERS must not be articulated (relative to the FRAME PERIMETER).

Originally Posted by jijiglobe

Basically, if you put a piece of plywood underneath all the wheels(or tread) on the bottom of your robot and consider that to be the floor, your bumpers must stay within the 4-12 inches off of the plywood.

This rule is meant to stop people from making designs that remove their bumpers for any reason. Similar to the height rules that allow for lenience when the robot is not oriented straight

Actually, I think the rule is more related to having a robot that articulates the drivetrain. Nothing would prohibit a robot that raises and lowers so long as the bumpers stay within the bumper zone. Under that logic, it seems that jacking up your robot from below with a scissor lift to scale the tower is a disabling offense, where pulling yourself up to the rung is not. That's where the clarity needs to be made.