84" zone

[Garten Haeska]

We have a simple arm that just rotates on a single pivot that reaches the top peg, but in order to floor load we have to extend over the 84" mark when our arm is horizantal. Is it legal to extend over it for like .5 of a second or would we have to go into a 5 sec grace period?

[DonRotolo]

No. If at any time your robot goes outside the boundaries of an 84" diameter right cylinder of infinite height it will be penalized.

And don't for a moment think that the inspectors won't mention to the referees on the field the fact that when your arm is horizontal it exceeds 84".

[thefro526]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

And don't for a moment think that the inspectors won't mention to the referees on the field the fact that when your arm is horizontal it exceeds 84".

I just want to expand on Don's Comment a bit, just in case other people come in with similar questions.

Usually, in years where there is a maximum size constraint, you will be asked during the inspection process if you can exceed this dimension, and will be tested to see if you can exceed this dimension. If you are able to expand beyond this dimension, the inspectors will usually note under what circumstances you can expand and pass this information onto the referees.

Personally, we can theoretically expand beyond 84" when our arm is parallel with the ground and our mini-bot deployment system is activated. Knowing this, we plan on implementing a software safety that prevents us from deploying our mini-bot while the arm is not in the home position. I would suggest that all other teams implement something similar to avoid unnecessary penalties.

[Tarzan19]

"<R11> During the MATCH, the ROBOT may not exceed the volume constraints of either STARTING or PLAYING CONFIGURATIONS (note: these limits are defined in reference to the ROBOT, not the FIELD)."

"Maximum
Horizontal Dimensions
PLAYING CONFIGURATION
84” (213.4cm) diameter vertical right cylindrical volume"

In my interpretation of the rules, i do not believe you will be allowed to exit the 84" cylinder at all.

if you have a problem with this ruling, you can always post a question to the GDC.

[2611.Shooter]

however, if you dont mind tipping your robot a bit... you can extend across the entire field. just expect to get yelled at.