[EricH]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

As intention flipping is no longer a part of the game, then we should take steps to minimize it. Right now, wedges seem to be the biggest cause of flipping, both intentional and non. I agree that more than 90% of flips are unintentional, but wedges increase the number of flips, and theres no way you can argue that.
Im not saying eliminate wedges as a whole, Im just saying enforce the flipping rules a bit more strictly and ask teams who's wedges become hazardous to do something about it. That could be as simple as adding stops to the wedges to prevent teams from driving too far up them.

Very few tips are intentional. Even with the rules, some teams may decide to do it on the spur of the moment, and are promptly shut down, depriving their partners of a teammate. Regarding proportion of tippings: I saw more robots tip over due to entaglement high up, say in their arm (we were one of them, but we righted ourselves), or just plain having 9+ pounds too high up.

If the wedges are used properly, the flips are kept to a minimum. If someone has a drivetrain and a wedge and that's their robot, that could be and probably is improper use. If a team uses them for stabilization or defense against defenders, that is more likely to be a proper use.

If you add stops to the wedges to keep teams from driving too far up, how does that stop a team with, say, two tetras at the top of their arm from going partway up, tilting just enough to move their CG beyond a point of support, and falling down?

Expect that at least one and probably more robots will have some form of wedge, unless FIRST bans them. Implement a self-righting system if you have weight for it.