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Originally Posted by Gdeaver
Too often I am repairing or replacing parts that are poorly designed and many times it is very apparent that the designers have have little experience with the physical world. They live in the virtual world of their software.
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We all could benefit from more experience.
I've never met an engineer who does not make mistakes. The ones who don't make many errors are not doing anything. The comments you said above about designers paints a poor picture of what they do. I would think that they would enjoy working with someone of your experience and they could learn from your efforts of making their designs better.
Now, as the case for fiberglass and usage on a FIRST robot... I don't see the big deal. What was the harm in making it legal? (as stated above, it is legal to use, if it is a commercially available product within the budgetary scope of FIRST's rules) Sure, some teams may have a very slight advantage over another team who does not have easy access to this stuff. It's not like they are using more powerful motors or they have a dramatic weight difference between their robots. When has a team with fiberglass materials on their robot had a decided advantage? There are a few teams who use it each year, and then there are teams like 71 who beat them with a PVC pipe - based design.
Also... if a team sees another team develop and use an exotic material and actually create an advantage with this usage, then LEARNING TAKES PLACE. The following year, all of those teams who were bested by the innovative team FIND A WAY to get this same resource. Either they raise money to get the same materials, or they find technical resources to keep competing with the other team.
Competition and inspiration go hand in hand. Those who inspire will be pushed to do it again and again by those who see this as a healthy competition. Those who are inspired will compete to be an inspiration to others. You can have your cake (competition) and eat it (inspire) too.
Andy B.