[Peter Matteson]

Finally, definition of a shooter. I have a sneaking suspicion that this will affect many teams plans.

Question: Can you clarify this for us? What constitutes a shooter mechanism, or more specifically, where does a loading mechanism end and a shooting mechanism begin? Stated in rule S03, a shooting mechanism cannot exceed the initial footprint, but can a mechanism designed to get the balls from the floor to the shooter exceed the footprint? What if this system is not around ground level (within the bumber area)?

Answer: A shooter includes the mechanism that delivers the final dynamic impulse that ejects the ball from the robot, and any parts of the robot that contact the ball while and/or after this impluse is delivered. Depending on their exact design and construction, a subsystem that delivers balls into the final energy transfer mechanism may or may not be considered part of the shooter.

Ball delivery mechanisms that are not part of the shooter are not automatically limited to the operating volumes indicated in Rule <S03>. However, they still must satisfy all relevent 2006 FRC rules.


http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=455