[dtengineering]

I'd like to point out a few things that might help keep the "keeping your robot" and "witholding limits" issues in perspective.

Firstly, it has been quite common for teams to build two robots. One to ship, and one to practice on. It is a strategic game and engineering decision in which a team uses resources during build time in order to gain extra opportunities to work on code and driving... and even to manufacture the occasional spare, upgrade or replacement part.

With the new control system the cost of doing this increased significantly over the cost of the IFI system. Not a problem for teams with the deepest pockets, perhaps, but most teams would prefer to not purchase a second control system if they didn't have to. The witholding limit has helped our team, at least, to have the benefits of having a practice robot while still directing as much money as possible towards kids, rather than controls. For that, I am quite grateful for the introduction of the witholding limit. It not only makes our robot better, but far more importantly it makes our team better by giving the students more "hands on" time with the robot in the lead up to our event.

I am also not particularly concerned about teams who withold sufficient components and mechanisms such that they may quickly assemble those components and mechanisms into a robot when they arrive at the competition. They are sacrificing a lot of mass and potential pushing force, particularly when the limit is set to 40 pounds. Its less of a sacrifice, perhaps, at 65 pounds, but I can assure you that 110-120 pound robots will have a huge advantage over 65 pound robots when it comes to establishing position.

I also want to comment on the fact that the question of "how will the rule be enforced" isn't really that big of an issue. I am comfortable in the knowledge that the vast, vast majority of teams, and certainly -- from my experience -- ALL of the top calibre teams, will follow the rules to the best of their ability and understanding regardless of the enforcement mechanism. I am grateful that I get to take part in a competition with such classy competitors.

Finally, I want to reiterate my appreciation to the GDC for giving us some insight into the challenges they face when establishing and interpreting the rules. Often we are quick to criticize when something doesn't "make sense" from our perspective, but then our perspective as team members and leaders does not encompass the big picture of 1800 teams and events at over 40 venues in several countries around the world.

Jason