Robot Materials!

[kyuketshki]

Is the use of wood allowed on the robot (in a location that is not the bumpers)?
We want to use a wooden board under our circuit board as support, does this violate any rules?

[EricH]

Wood is legal.

To answer the questions directly:
1) yes
2) no

[ay2b]

Take a look at the flow chart on the last page of section 8 of the rulebook. That should answer any question you have about whether or not a part is legal.

Based on that flowchart (and past experience) a piece of wood should be perfectly legal as you describe it.

Are you competing anywhere outside of the U.S.? There are some laws regarding the transport of wood across the borders, however. I believe the section on robot transportation references this in regards to building shipping crates.

That said, many more experienced teams will advocate against using wood on a robot. One problem is weight. I think the more important problem, though, is warping. Depending on where your robot goes, the humidity will change, combined with heat from the electronics, can cause your nice flat board to bend.