Two subtle changes to the rules that have
huge impact, and the potential to really hurt some teams if they're not careful.
Quote:
<R03>Maximum ROBOT size, including BUMPERS and all extensions, must be constrained to one of
two volumes:
A. 36 in. by 40 in. by 24 in. tall (~91 cm by 101 cm by 60 cm tall).
B. 30 in. by 32 in. by 36 in. tall (~76 cm by 81 cm by 91 cm tall).
The ROBOT must remain constrained to the maximum inspected volume at all times during the
MATCH (i.e. A ROBOT may not switch between volume A and volume B without being reinspected).
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The first big change: Bumpers are now
included in the robot size limit. This means that your physical robot must take into account the ~3.25" on each side a bumper will take up, but also take into account the fact that bumpers are soft, squishy, and tend to shift, and are probably not as dimensionally reliable as what we're used to using as a frame perimeter defining part. Leave extra room, and don't forget the bumper size entirely.
However, bumpers must still be removed for inspection so that the robot can be weighed. So don't make them 100% integral to the frame just yet.
The second, more subtle change. For the first time since 2009, the robot is limited to the same size in its starting configuration as during the rest of the match. However,
the rule is not the same as the 2009 rule. 2009 was frame perimeter based, and banned any extension over the starting perimeter. If you chose to be small, you were stuck small.
This year, however, it's a fixed maximum size. If you want to reach over the bumper to expand your intake, grab a rope, or anything else, you can do this,
but only if your base/frame perimeter is smaller than the maximum size. Say, for example, you choose the 36"x40"x24" size. A drive base/bumper assembly built at 36"x40" cannot have a drop-down intake of any sort, and will be constrained to a bumper-cutout intake with 6" on each side (another change, down from 8"). However, if the team instead builds their bot 36"x30", they have a full 10 inches outside of the bumper to extend and build anything they want. This mechanism must still retract due to <R02> for the start of the match.
Plan your drive base carefully. Bigger is not necessarily better, and may lock you into a design and prevent you from duplicating something cool you see at a first event.