[kevin.li.rit]

I see a lot of robots making contact initially inside the bumper zone and then getting wedged over/under leading to inadvertent tipping. I would change the bumper rules so teams can make taller than 5 inch bumpers as long as they have 5 inch bumpers within the bumper zone. Teams would be place the bumpers outside of the 4-12 inches as long as 5 inches is always within the zone. In other words, teams can stack 2 noodles to create a standard 5" bumpers. Maybe cap the total height at 5inches.

I would also require robots to have 5"inches of bumper within the bumper zone when 100 or so pounds of force is applied to each side of the robot. Inspectors can check this relatively easily. This would help in situations where robots tilt back and forth from change in directions and their center wheel drops, and then their bumper heights change.