So as a bit of history:
In 2002 (so I've been told) team 190 had what they called the "lunchbox". Basicaly, the entire electronics board and the rotating light (good old rotating light
) was removable and could be carried around and even placed on the field. The box was completely covered by lexan and had velcro on the bottom of it to aid in sticking it to the floor. In several matches where the robot was not functional, they would remove the lunchbox and stick it in a corner of the field in the endzone. Once the match began (no autonomous remember), they would hit the E-Stop button, causing the rotating light to stop spinning.
While this was only done in a few matches, it acutally made them win a few! In one instance, the opposing alliance wanted to maximze their ranking points and made the match as close as possible. Well, they forgot to count the little lunchbox sitting in the endzone in the corner and the bonus it got for being there at the end of the match.
Now obviously, this was done during a very different time in FIRST's history. The rule at that period in time read that in any single configuration, the robot must be able to pass inspection. Similarly, 2002 was a pretty crazy year for rules in FIRST (tape measures, rovers, file card drives etc.). Personaly, I would like to return to this period in FIRST because I like to see innovative solutions to complex problems.
In a game where the best strategy is to constantly turn left and throw a ball over a bar, something different is always appreciated.