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Unread 13-12-2007, 11:53
Mr. Van Mr. Van is offline
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Re: Preseason Design: What are the Limits?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cory View Post
I have parts on my robot that stay the same every year. (wheels, frame members, etc). I'm supposed to redraw these components from scratch, just so I can conform with this rule?
The sad fact is that teams were supposed to do something like this LAST YEAR. I believe we have a situation where so many teams violated the rule that the rule itself is basically useless. Teams that followed it (in the spirit of GP as section 8.8.3 notes) were punished while those that didn't follow it were not.

The question is how to address FIRST's concern that veteran teams have design solutions for various systems (like drive) that remain the same year after year. Sometimes these design solutions are good enough that a team does exceptionally well at a regional based on a design solution that was developed two or three years earlier. Given that a student might be on a FRC team for two or three years, they might never have been part of the design process!

Perhaps a possible way to address this problem is to take Alan's idea that designs (and software code) that are "published" are equivalent to COTS. That way any team is free to design away as long as the design is released to the public and any team is allowed to use it. Perhaps CD White Papers could be recognized by FIRST as an appropriate location to "publish". (I think that simply posting designs on a team's webpage would not be enough - too many teams, too many ways to bury the design.)

Does this address the apparent concern of FIRST and allow for teams to continue development year to year and year-round?

-Mr. Van
Coach, Robodox