[Andy Grady]

Just a little word of warning for your team. According to the FIRST definition for hanging, that robot looks as if it is not hanging due to the hook of your robot touching the side bar. This may or may not be something your team has already discovered, but I just figured I would let ya know, just in case ya missed it because it would be a shame if all that hard work and wonderful design was in jeopardy of getting you points.

From the FIRST Q&A Forum...

ID: 566 Section: 4.3 Status: Answered Date Answered: 2/15/2004

Q: Is a robot legally hanging if from the floor it extends a rectangular tower (open in center) over the top of the vert bar to contact the horiz bar and pull itself up resting against the outside of the vert more than 12" up?

A: For the your situation, if the vertical post is removed as a SUPPORTING object, it is not apparent that the robot would not be touching the platform. Given that the referees need to make immediate decisions, the situation you present is not easily answered. In theory, the method suggested in your situation (i.e., pulling up on the horizontal bar while being held out by the vertical pole) is legal as a means of hanging. However, the clearance between the robot and the edge of the platform must be substantial enough such that one can instantly see that the robot would still be hanging if the vertical bar was removed. One additional caveat, and which is appropriate for this solution as well, is that the hook / box / lasso that is supporting the robot on the horizontal bar MUST be solely supported by the horizontal bar. If the attachment mechanism is being held in place by the extension of the vertical post (e.g., if the vertical post were not there, the loop of the attachment mechanism would slip off the end of the horizontal bar), then this would not be a legal solution. As it is impractical for the judges to determine whether the friction between the horizontal bar and the attachment mechanism would be sufficient to resist any horizontal element of the force vector, all judgements will be made in the most conservative manner possible. In other words, if the attachment mechanism is being pulled in the direction of the vertical post and it is TOUCHING the vertical post, then the vertical post will be determined to be providing a portion of the support function and the robot will be determined to be NOT hanging under the rules of the game. Bottom line: teams taking this approach are playing a risk. If they are POSITIVE their attachment mechanism will never touch the vertical post and the vertical post will NEVER provide any support function, then they can go ahead. But if they slip and bump up against the post, NO POINTS.