[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by BBaltrusch

5 regionals and 12 districts ran in week 0.5 and 1. There have been literally thousands of low bar crossings, and only a tiny minority of these caused fabric damage. I haven't looked that close at the robots that broke the bar, or if the same ones are doing it repeatedly, I'm sure the event staff know. This really seems like an inspection issue more than anything else. There's another thread about all the broken rules that aren't being penalized. At Lake Superior some fabric was ripped early on, but wasn't a problem the rest of the event. Not sure if the offending robots were fixed or the bumper fabric curtains were strong enough.

G12 The following actions are prohibited with regards to interaction with ARENA elements (items A-E
exclude any DEFENSE, RUNGS, and BOULDERS)
A. Grabbing
B. Grasping
C. Attaching to (including the use of hook-and-loop tape against the FIELD carpet)
D. Grappling
E. Hanging
F. Becoming entangled
G. Damaging
Violation: FOUL. If the Head REFEREE determines that further damage is likely to occur, offending ROBOT will be DISABLED. Corrective action (such as eliminating sharp edges, removing the damaging MECHANISM, and/or re-Inspection) may be required before the ROBOT will be allowed to compete in subsequent MATCHES

The new flaps were far more durable than the initial ones. Perhaps the biggest issue is that each field only had 3 flaps to begin with - two on the field and one more on the practice field. If you looked at LSR matches, we ripped two of them in half in the first 3 matches on Friday. Yes, the offending robots immediately had an inspector in their pit helping the team's correct it, but by that time the damage had already been done.

The problem with the low bar and robots isn't necessarily sharp edges. Teams have all sort of collectors sitting in front of their ROBOT as they go through the flap. Combine that with the bar sewn into the bottom of the flap and it's real easy to get caught and pull on it heavily. The fabric just isn't strong enough to withstand the forces involved after it gets a couple of small holes or cuts in it.