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Originally Posted by Andy Baker
Tomorrow, I could buy standard gearboxes from Bayside, HD Systems, Boston Gear, Mectrol, or others. These standard, purchased gearboxes would be legal on FIRST robot for 2005, if FIRST keeps the rules the same as they did last year. Why should our standard gearboxes be treated any different from the ones that are currently available in the industrial market?
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The difference is that these products are designed and manufactured specifically for FIRST robotics. They would not be used for anything else.
I admire the entrepreneurial spirit, and I'm tempted to use the products myself, but I'm afraid that this could eventually lead to a situation that would compromise FIRST's objectives.
Now I can buy a transmission component, or an entire transmission. Why not a chassis, or a chassis with transmissions, wheels, axles, chains, sprockets? It might come in four wheel, six wheel, or omni wheel versions. All I would have to do is drop in the kit parts and I'd have a box that moves. Then I could focus on designing and building the appendages. Or maybe I could buy those too, with a guarantee that they'll get to me before the ship date. The deluxe package would include two sets of everything, one to ship and one to practice with. If I were on a tighter budget, at least I could buy a "Game Analysis Report" a week after kickoff, to save me the trouble of coming up with my own strategies.
Maybe I'm stretching the possibilities too far, but maybe not. Might the focus of FIRST move away from engineering? Is it possible that teams would spend all their time raising money to buy the best "standard" components, at the expense of the design experience?
One could argue that "standard" components allow under-resourced teams to build something that moves. But FIRST already does a pretty good job of providing the components for a very basic robot.
Andy, I'm sure that you're started your business intending to benefit FIRST, and not just to make a buck. I would hate to see you lose time and money, but I'm honestly concerned about what FIRST-custom products might mean for FIRST over the long term.
Question for Dave Lavery... Should the rule makers consider disallowing products that are designed and manufactured specifically for FIRST robotics?