A plea for a quieter pit area

[sanddrag]

Call me old and grumpy, but I've really had enough of the noise. And I don't really mean the cheering or the music. I've mentioned this in previous years, but lately it has really gotten out of hand.

Yesterday, I visited the San Diego regional. It took me all of about 10 minutes after my arrival to find myself having someone YELLING ROBOT! at the top of their lungs right behind me. There was no impending danger of anything. There was nobody late for their match. And it was loud. So loud in fact, you could hear it all the way across the arena. And it builds. One person yells it, then another person yells it. Then the people in the surrounding 4 pit areas yell it, thinking they are helping. At one point, I was knocked into and nearly run over by a team yelling ROBOT! as if the act of being obnoxious gave them the right to shove everyone else out of their way.

What is with young people and this sense of entitlement?

For any outsider to FIRST visiting the pit area, it would have been downright terrifying to have these people yelling so loudly. It was not pleasant, at all.

If you're yelling ROBOT! you're:

1. Being annoying
2. Being obnoxious
3. Being arrogant
4. Being rude
5. Creating noise pollution, in an already dangerously loud environment
6. Not doing a darn thing to contribute to anyone's safety. Most of the time, y'all yelling "ROBOT" are a mob of a dozen ancillary members who serve no actual purpose in getting the robot to the field. Your mob of people yelling "ROBOT" creates more congestion in the isle-ways than if a couple people just quietly and calmly went through.


So here's what I ask, when you are transporting your robot:

1. Do it slowly. Do not think it's okay to just barge through a large group of people. Do not think you'll make it okay because you're transporting a robot. Do not think you'll make it okay by yelling "Robot!"
2. WAIT for people to move out of your way. Be patient. The pit area is a slow-moving place. People like to wander and mosey around. It creates a hazard when you run through it with a large robot often placed unstably on a cart.
3. Quietly and politely say "excuse me." Tap a person on the shoulder if you need to.

Here's the bottom line. When you're moving your robot, you only need to worry about what's maybe 6 or 8 feet ahead of you.

I should not be able to hear you from 200 feet away.

.

[Bethie42]

I support this
Us hapless scouts do not enjoy being mowed down by rapidly-moving carts, either.
I suppose the idea is that if the cart is moving rapidly enough, and if one yells loudly enough, the sound will precede the cart, people will move out of the way, and you can just press forward at ever-increasing speeds. In reality though, I really doubt that the robot+cart is moving that fast and if it is, it's a safety hazard.

Thank you! Looking forward to our Week 4 regional!

[RoBoTiCxLiNk]

I do support this, although I'm usually the one yelling so that people know we're coming. Half the time it's people socializing in the middle of the aisle, and they should just move over to the side of the aisle, and not congest the middle. I never yell if there is no one in the way, and only ever loud enough to get the peoples attention. i have seen teams being alot more obnoxious about it, but i think what we really need a plea for is more observant and alert people in the pits that can see robots coming. that way their legs, and my voice, can be saved.

[davidthefat]

Personally I find it very useful, but they tend to be slightly rude at times. I find myself thinking too much and zoning out as even I am walking (very unsafe). Those who yell bring me back to reality.

[Katie_UPS]

I agree and disagree. Sometimes its helpful, especially when you're one of the socializers in the middle of the walkway (I confess and apologize). However, if it takes a lungful to shout it, then yeah: its overkill. Also, I can remember transporting a robot; there isn't always time to go slower (lots of repairs, forgot to change bumpers, etc), and rarely did I have an extra hand to tap someone -the lots of someones in the aisle- and ask them to move aside.

Also, visitors in the pits either a) know whats going on and aren't alarmed by the announcement of the oncoming robot or b) don't know what happens behind the curtain and aren't aware that teams have to transport their robot in a timely manner- thus they need the memo.

Proclamation: Nessicary in congested areas
Volume: Should be reasonable- loud enough to be heard within 7-8 seconds walking distance, but not across the entire pit.
Running Over People: Not acceptable. <not serious>As a safety captain, I have to say that</ns> Injuring people (or potentially injuring people) in the name of getting to queuing (or for any reason) is not okay. Ever.

[GaryVoshol]

Far too often, yelling "ROBOT" means, "Get out of MY way!" It shows arrogance - where I want to go is of primary importance. And it all becomes a case of crying wolf - nobody pays attention anymore.

If there is a crowd of people in the pit aisle, simply ask them to let you get your robot past. There's no need to yell at them. The only time you need to shout is if someone unexpectedly moves into your path - then it is a safety issue because it probably is easier for that person to jump out of the way than it is to stop the robot from hitting him.

[Brandon Holley]

Fully agree with this thread. It drives me nuts to see people obnoxiously yelling ROBOT as they bombard their way through the pit area.

In my 11 years of FIRST, I have always found the following technique to be the most effective at getting through a crowd of people:

Have one of your team members get in front of your robot (not the one pulling the cart, a separate person, possibly the one carrying the control box). As you move through the pit at a moderate pace, have the person in the front politely say "Excuse us" or "Excuse me" to people who are 10-15 feet in front of the moving cart. If someone is in the aisle gently tap them on the shoulder or corral them off to the side, simple as that.

You WILL get to the field faster this way, and the rest of us will be grateful for the sheathing of the obnoxious ROBOT call.

-Brando

[ttldomination]

I can't say that I agree with everything said here.

BUT, it does agitate me when teams are going for that elusive safety award and they assign their loudest people to escort teams from their pits to the fields (Perhaps in a last ditch, yet successful effort to get these people out of their pits). These people have the shiniest vests, the brightest batons, and the most piercing voices. I remember at Worlds, I could hear some of these people from clear across the pit area.

The above has to stop. From a competitor's standpoint, when it's Saturday morning and you're tired and perhaps you've had a rough event, it tends to get really freaking annoying.

But I suppose hearing "Robot" is somewhat of a FIRST tradition, but in some ways, it's gotten to be too much.

- Sunny

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

Far too often, yelling "ROBOT" means, "Get out of MY way!" It shows arrogance - where I want to go is of primary importance. And it all becomes a case of crying wolf - nobody pays attention anymore.

If there is a crowd of people in the pit aisle, simply ask them to let you get your robot past. There's no need to yell at them. The only time you need to shout is if someone unexpectedly moves into your path - then it is a safety issue because it probably is easier for that person to jump out of the way than it is to stop the robot from hitting him.

I found the best way to slice through pit crowds is to carry a clipboard and look like you know where you are going. People just seem to slide out of your way.

I think people yell "Robot!" because it is hardwired in. IIRC, this practice started with the new emphasis on the safety awards (2007?, I can't remember) when they started chastising you if you didn't have two people walking in front of the robot yelling. I've been directly chastised for not yelling before.

I think the best way would be to have the safety inspectors go around telling people to make teams aware, but not yell. Then the teams gunning for the safety award would go around making people aware... and then the pits quiet down.

[pfreivald]

The general obnoxiousness is relatively new, and completely unnecessary.

I've always taught my students that robots have the right of way in the pits, but that just like with driving, right of way must always be surrendered, not taken.

We generally put one person out front 5-10 feet to gently ask people to move, and who only raise their voice if they are (a) not heard or (b) ignored (which does sometimes happen).

[Brian Ha]

Definately will be telling my team, it just seemed like the way to go for robotics never really noticed that it bothered anyone. Funny thing is that we told our freshmen if they heard this get out of the way.

[Brandon Holley]

Originally Posted by Brian Ha

Definately will be telling my team, it just seemed like the way to go for robotics never really noticed that it bothered anyone. Funny thing is that we told our freshmen if they heard this get out of the way.

Your comment I believe is why this practice will never go away. For some teams its a celebrated and well-rehearsed routine. For many people new to FIRST, they see this practice happening and assume its just the way its done.

Does it get people out of the way? Yeah, probably.
Is it sometimes so over the top that it causes distractions and irritation? You bet.

There's definitely a compromise somewhere in there.

[Koko Ed]

While screaming "Robot" in the pits is unecessary the business of the pits do come first. I drive fork truck for a living so I have to be mindful of people in the way at all times and it greatly annoys me when people use the ailses too hold drawn out conversations when I have things to do. The same goes for the pits. If you are just aimlessly hanging about the pits you need to be elsewhere as far as I'm concerned. You are keeping teams from getting to the field and many of them are are often running late and need to get there ASAP.

[Brian Ha]

True and one of the things is our mentor has noise canceling headphones, but truth be told you shouldnt have your entire team chilling in the pits. Dont take up more space then your alloted and really look to see if there are robots coming and move if they are, and the one kid who just posted the stuff above, thats inappropiate, im always fooling around at robotics but that was way to far.

[JesseK]

I'll never forget the scene in Atlanta, 2008 when we were the first match after lunch on Friday with Simbotics. We had been fighting a drive trainsmission issue all day and took lunch to rebuild the transmission. At 12:58 we left the pits, and with the help of many forward advancing units had a clear pathway to (literally) run with the robot all the way from the pits to the field. We set it down at 1:02 (or so).

Not a single person (that I could hear) yelled 'robot'. There were some 'excuse me's, some 'coming through' and a 'we're late, look out!' or two, but I would say they were for a purpose that time.