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New Rule
Raul,
Good to hear from you. Haven't seen many of your good words lately.
I like the fact that the new rule limits the redesign of a machine after the competition has started, but I don't think this is the way to achieve it. I would prefer that FIRST just make the rules of what is acceptable and let professional ethics take it from there. Maybe I have blind faith in the profession, but I figure if someone is going to bend the rules, no amount of controls is going to stop them. I have seen the extreme amount of effort you put in to stay within the rules.
I think the new rule adds additional cost and burden during the build process. We would always machine spares during construction, but usually not totally complete them until we got a chance to see that everything is working. Then finish them up and take them to the competition. Last year you had to finish them, but you didn't have to pack them. This year packing the crates for 5:00 Tue is going to be tough!
The biggest problem, though, is what is a team to do if they have a catastrophic failure during a regional. I think that Joe's idea is not only a good one, it is necessary. Any robot can break this year!
Looking forward to seeing all you guys and your creations.
Regards
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