Hostbot-Mounted Interface Plates for the Minibot

[Wayne TenBrink]

Has the GDC made any allowances for the sharing of hostbot-mounted interface plates for their minibot with regard to the restrictions of <R11> and <R81>?

I expect that most hostbots will have their own unique "mounting plate" (for lack of a better term) to interface with the minibot (to secure it during the match, align it with the post at deployment, and release it at the correct time, etc.). I know that is true in our case. However, I would also expect that I could easily attach our hostbot-mounted interface plate to many other hostbots, and then they would be able to deploy our minibot.

We are encouraged to lend & swap minbots. In fact, that is the only thing that counts toward coopertition score. However, Rules <R11> (hostbot weight includes all mechanisms) and <R81> (teams need to present all mechanisms for the hostbot during inspection) would appear to prevent the sharing of any hostbot-mounted interface plates, or at least significantly restrict it. Has anyone else looked into this?

I had intended to post this on the Q&A forum, but I can't find my password (bah!). Perhaps if others have similar questions, they could present it to the GDC.

Thanks!