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Unread 08-04-2005, 11:36
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Re: Free Kittens/Tetra Grabber

In this hypothetical situation, the rumored contribution of a tetra grabber by Team Generous can be accepted by Team Needy without penalty, as long as a few conditions are met.

If Team Needy accepts the tetra grabber from Team Generous, they must account for the contribution of the tetra grabber in their updated robot cost determination. Per the examples included in Section 5.3.4.4 (Additional Parts/Cost Determination), Team Needy must establish a fair market value for the labor expended by Team Generous to build the tetra grabber, add in the cost of materials included in the grabber, and account for the total.

Alternatively, Team Needy could include Team Generous as de facto new team members, and make them a recognized sponsor of their team. In that case, as also defined in Section 5.3.4.4, they would not have to acocunt for the labor costs and would just include the materials cost in determining the value of the tetra grabber.

Having done that, Team Generous would certify that the tetra grabber was constructed entirely during the permitted build periods (primary build season, at an event and/or during legal fix-it windows). If so, then they satisfy the constraints of the schedule rules in Section 5.3.3.

Finally, Team Needy would have to ensure that the tetra grabber, along with any other fabricated items they might be bringing to the competition, did not exceed 25 pounds. If they are within the weight limit, then the tetra grabber fits within the constraints of <R24> as a "Fabricated Item".

If these conditions are satisfied, then it appears Team Needy may accept the tetra grabber, install it on their robot at the competition, and (assuming it passes inspection) compete with it without violating any rules. There are NO prohibitions against having a team contribute parts, components or subsystems to another team. FIRST has said, in Section 5.3.4.4, that teams may accept donations from other sources as long as they account for them.

So that satisfies the "legality" question. What about the "morality" question? Is this a "good" thing to do - on the part of Team Generous as they donate the tetra grabber, and on the part of Team Needy as they accpet the tetra grabber? Again, FIRST has already answered this. Please refer to the debate from last year about the Team 60-254 collaboration. FIRST's statement at the time detailed where they stand on this issue. At the time, they provided this response:

Quote:
Originally Posted by FIRST Q&A:
ID: 788 Section: 5.3.2.2 Status: Answered Date Answered: 2/24/2004
Q: If high school students on my team make parts for another team, does the team receiving the parts need to bill out our high school students at a typical labor rate as part of the $3,500 limit?

A: Gracious professionalism, "coopetition" and collaboration are some of the hallmarks of FIRST. We have all been amazed at the level that FIRST teams aid each other - not just at competitions, but throughout the year. By working together, we have increased our effectiveness inspiring youth and recognizing the value of science and technology. For the case when one team assists another team, this is viewed as "coopetition" - teams helping each other inspire youth. Of course, teams that work together must adhere to the FIRST Rules. In this case, several rules are directly / indirectly related to your question: <R09> Teams must fabricate and/or assemble all custom parts and assembled mechanisms on the robot by the 2004 team after the Kickoff; <R68> Additional Parts must be generally available from suppliers such that any other FIRST team, if desires, may also obtain them at the same price (a specific device fabricated by a team from non-2004 Kit materials does not have to be available to others, however, the materials it is made from must be available to other teams). <R73> The cost of all non-2004 Kit parts and materials used in the construction of a robot must be recorded (in US$) by the team, and a list of all such items and their costs made available during robot inspection. <R74> All costs are to be determined as explained in the cost determination section. 5.3.2.2 Cost Determination. To account for the value of cases when one team donates material to another team, if the donating team members or sponsors do the work without any associated labor costs, that labor is not considered as a cost to the team receiving the donated material. The cost of the raw materials must however be accounted for by the team receiving the material. If the donating team does pay for outside labor, the cost of outside labor must be accounted for by the team receiving the material (along with the cost of the raw materials). We are trying to create a community where working together helps us collectively achieve our goal of inspiring and recognizing science and technology.
While we can ignore the specific rule references to the 2004 rules, the fundamental philosophy of the answer is quite clear.

Hypothetical kudos to Team Generous for trying to do a good thing. I'll keep my hypothetical fingers crossed for Team Needy, that they do well in the competition.

-dave
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