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Unread 05-03-2006, 23:09
GB330033 GB330033 is offline
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Re: 2006 NASA/VCU Regional!

I watched VCU on NASA TV, and was intrigued by 539. They reminded me a lot of my team's robot last year: a small, non-scoring, defensive robot.

I wasn't there, so I only know what I saw on TV. I didn't see a ramming plate, but I did see the piston powered brake, at least, it looked like a brake. It seemed that they would push someone, and put down the brake to avoid being pushed back. Brilliant strategy. I also didn't see the vacuum you speak of, but once again, I only saw what was on TV. However, I'm curious, if the vaccum weighed 120 pounds, what was the rest of their robot?

I don't think they were trying to damage other robots, I believe they were simply playing defense. FIRST said very early on that there would be a lot of contact this year, as was made evident by the bumper rule. Though 539 may have been driving a bit fast at times, they were playing within the rules. I don't think that a robot designed solely for destruction would have
a. Made it through inspection
b. Not been noticed by the officials
and c. Made it onto an elimination alliance

It just doesn't add up. Clearly, if they weren't stopped by the officials, they were playing within the rules. Their machine was built with a defensive strategy in mind. That's the beauty of FIRST, everyone comes up with a different strategy for the problem at hand. Some decided to build shooters to score points, some decided to build defensive robots, some decided to do both. 539 is one of the rare teams who decided on sole defense. I think it's painfully clear they 539 saw the game, knew the game, and realized how important defense would be. They then created a robot for pure defense. Remember it's better to be good at one thing than to be bad at many things.

Edit: Hrm, upon further investigation, I noticed that 539 ended up allied with your team in the end. Usually, no matter the outcome, alliance partners are good friends and have a good time. Did yall have a falling out after the quarters? Like I said, I only know what I saw on TV, and what I saw was a bot built for defense. Being on their alliance, you likely know more than I do, but your whole post seems somewhat harsh for an alliance partner.
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