Quote:
Originally Posted by billbo911
OK, I'm going to swim upstream a bit here. (No, this is not a bid for a water game.) So if you don't agree with my opinion, then we are agreed to disagree.
1) I hope bumpers do stay.
They offer really good protection. No, they are not prefect, but when they are implemented properly, they add considerable durability.
I feel it is an utter shame to see a team spend more than $6000 and hundreds of hours building a robot only to see it ruined in seconds because of a lack of protection. I prefer  to 
Like the water game, if you want to see a Robot demolition type of competition, there already is a one for that.
My main point is:
2) Bumpers are just another design criteria that needs to be met.
When the Jaguars were introduced, I read literally dozens of complaints about their size. Yet, practically every team found a way to use them. Yes I know, some teams chose to use all Victors. That was a valid design option this year, but it may not be in the future.
If you don't read the rules completely and design a robot and bumper scheme that doesn't comply, don't blame the rules. Every year there a multiple design challenges, bumpers just happens to be one of then.
Now food for thought. How about allowing bumpers to be movable so they could be incorporated into a game piece gathering system? |
1) You make a good point, if we want to see robots get destroyed there are competitions for that. My issue is not that I want to see robots get destroyed but that I don't like seeing students not exposed to designing a robust system.
2) Yes bumpers are just another design criteria but would more not be learned by allowing them to be optional? If you use bumpers you may lose some flexibility in design but you gain an additional weight advantage perhaps. Allow teams to decide if the additional weight is beneficial.
Im saying that mandatory bumpers are like mandatory wheels, or mandating that we all have to use 6 wheel drop center with the kitbot frame and a Cim on each side. You know, it is JUST a design requirement, there is nothing wrong with that right? Give teams some flexibility, if we decide that bumpers are beneficial to our play style and our design we can use them, if not then we should have the option of taking a beating.