pic: New low bar flaps

[Alex Cormier]

loading photo ...

[Schroedes23]

Is there no aluminum bar anymore? That might mess with a few robots going under.

[jwfoss]

Do they easily spin around the bar? From my point of view our design criteria of 14" just got cut shorter...

[Alex Cormier]

Originally Posted by jwfoss

Do they easily spin around the bar? From my point of view our design criteria of 14" just got cut shorter...

They seem to flip around the bar pretty easy.

[Monochron]

I know departing from a field element with very little notice is a big change, but I honestly don't see what everyone is so up in arms about.

Sure having multiple flaps hanging inside a robot, when the design was for a solid bar across the top, but these flaps don't look like they are going to pose much of an issue for any robots that I have seen. They look exceptionally slick and very responsive to being pushed aside.

[Alex Cormier]

Originally Posted by Monochron

I know departing from a field element with very little notice is a big change, but I honestly don't see what everyone is so up in arms about.

Sure having multiple flaps hanging inside a robot, when the design was for a solid bar across the top, but these flaps don't look like they are going to pose much of an issue for any robots that I have seen. They look exceptionally slick and very responsive to being pushed aside.

Just to have some fun and add some input... I have heard of at least one team saying that the flaps cause the ball to come out of their robot.

I know my robot will not be affected by this change at all. (Or I hope so, we'll see in two weeks)

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by Monochron

I know departing from a field element with very little notice is a big change, but I honestly don't see what everyone is so up in arms about.

Sure having multiple flaps hanging inside a robot, when the design was for a solid bar across the top, but these flaps don't look like they are going to pose much of an issue for any robots that I have seen. They look exceptionally slick and very responsive to being pushed aside.

I think that depends on the robot.
Flaps may cause entanglement vs one big wide fabric.
Also, as Alex mentioned, I could see a design where it could alter the ball placement in certain robots. With one large fabric, teams have already made fabric/portcullis guides that they ride on instead of sections inside their robot.

At Lake Superior last weekend, the sewing machine on the side of the field actively creating a low bar curtain out of bumper fabric was pretty neat to see.

[JohnSchneider]

Originally Posted by Monochron

I know departing from a field element with very little notice is a big change, but I honestly don't see what everyone is so up in arms about.

Sure having multiple flaps hanging inside a robot, when the design was for a solid bar across the top, but these flaps don't look like they are going to pose much of an issue for any robots that I have seen. They look exceptionally slick and very responsive to being pushed aside.

Get back to me once you've played with them. And even then it's not a change that effects everyone. But it does effect some people because robots were designed for a specific fabric. As a collective FIRST did not give teams ample time to adjust so some teams are being penalized. They should have just played without the fabric this week and installed the flaps next week.

[Monochron]

Originally Posted by JohnSchneider

Get back to me once you've played with them. And even then it's not a change that effects everyone. But it does effect some people because robots were designed for a specific fabric. As a collective FIRST did not give teams ample time to adjust so some teams are being penalized. They should have just played without the fabric this week and installed the flaps next week.

I imagine you have played with them then, if you are continuing the discussion? How have they affected your play?

I am very interested to see real results of the change, but we are all operating on guesses at the moment. You said that it does affect some people, do you know who? I would like to see the implications of this change and you are acting like you already have some knowledge that I don't.

[JohnSchneider]

Originally Posted by Monochron

I imagine you have played with them then, if you are continuing the discussion? How have they affected your play?

I am very interested to see real results of the change, but we are all operating on guesses at the moment. You said that it does affect some people, do you know who? I would like to see the implications of this change and you are acting like you already have some knowledge that I don't.

We aren't all operating on guesses... There are events going on... there was a practice day at multiple regional today....

[Monochron]

Originally Posted by JohnSchneider

We aren't all operating on guesses... There are events going on... there was a practice day at multiple regional today....

That's why I asked you what your experience was . . .
Like I said, it sounded like you had experience, and I was hoping you wouldn't just keep it to yourself.

[Anthony Galea]

This looks terrible. I thought FIRST was concerned about the aesthetics of the field this year?

Has anyone tried bowling a ball through the flaps yet?

[mastachyra]

I have a question that might be silly, but I may have missed something big. I admit I can't read every thread on CD (Sorry I'm slacking...)

Why is FIRST changing the low bar flap?

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by mastachyra

I have a question that might be silly, but I may have missed something big. I admit I can't read every thread on CD (Sorry I'm slacking...)

Why is FIRST changing the low bar flap?

In week 1 the low bar flaps were shredded by teams at pretty much every event. Some events made new flaps out of bumper fabric (MUCH more durable), others ran without them entirely. This new design was FIRST's solution for week 2'

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by mastachyra

I have a question that might be silly, but I may have missed something big. I admit I can't read every thread on CD (Sorry I'm slacking...)

Why is FIRST changing the low bar flap?

I'll assume you've been busy the last week. The cloth from the original flap was somewhat flimsy and easily torn by robots. Apparently by robots you wouldn't think would poke holes and tear through the flaps. The GDC came up with this solution instead of trying tougher cloth for the original style of flaps. This decision has been somewhat controversial.