I agree with a lot of the above-
First-FIRST robots are OSHA nightmares. If you are letting rookies drive you never just hand over the controls and step back. Somebody always has a hand on a switch ready to kill the machine- perhaps even just unplugging the controller.
Even experienced drivers sometimes do unsafe and stupid things (like leaving the program tether still plugged in to the laptop as the robot flies out in an autonomous mode) : )
Second- If a "cheerleader" can break a robot in one easy swoop then it must not be very durable. Since the season is over why not beef up the frame and bumpers so it can take the hits? Maybe you can patch the damage with her name on it.
Of course there is nothing on any robot the team builds that they can't fix. Look at this as an opportunity to warm up for the new season. ; )
The benefit of getting more kids interested in robots far outweighs a few repairs- even if they are big ones.
WC
