Team Titanium's Twin Tucking Tabs

[jspatz1]

Originally Posted by SuperNerd256

Are you trying to get a 5 robot balance?

Hmmmm......could we get more points for that?

[TeamUpNext3528]

Holy cow man! You guys just keep adding these awesome little gadgets that will help out a lot! Very well done! We hope to balance with you guys too. See you all at world!

Your friends from UP NEXT!

[jspatz1]

Originally Posted by MikeZ

Very impressive. 1986 is a first class team and wish you all the best on Curie. I can't make the trip to St. Louis this time but 624 looks forward to seeing your team in action.

Hey, thanks Mike. We were so pleased to watch our green friends win another event this year. Almost two! You have an amazing robot, such a great shooter. If our paths cross on Curie, we sincerely hope we are with you and not against you. Good luck to CRyptonite.

[Jaxom]

Originally Posted by jblay

I'm a little concerned about problems with this rule
[R06]
Traction devices may not have surface features such as metal, sandpaper, hard plastic studs, cleats, or other attachments. Traction devices include all parts of the Robot that are designed to transmit any propulsive and/or braking forces between the Robot and the Court.

As a biased source, what I say should be taken with several grains of salt, and I've not seen these in person. However, as an inspector going to Worlds I would say that if I saw a robot with these, I'd pay very close attention to both the edges & the corners that contact the bridge. Since it looks like the bottom is actually bent in an arc instead of being a flat piece of metal that would help me feel more comfortable letting this pass inspection. As long as the corners are also well-rounded.

The operative word, to me, in R06 is "attachments." All of the items in the sentence are related to that, and I believe the intent of the rule is how the wheels are constructed. No ice studs or tire chains. I would ask my LRI about that interpretation before I passed judgement on the hypothetical robot I'd be inspecting. R09 is relevant as well, and is where I'd be looking for rounding.

I'm sure Titanium will make sure everything's well-rounded before presenting these to inspection, and it might behoove them to take the plates to the inspection station & ask about them before attaching these to the robot. I will make sure to take 5 steps back if I'm there....

[jspatz1]

Well, well. If the pickiest inspector in FRC thinks we might be OK, then we should be good to go.

[alschnelle]

Originally Posted by jblay

I'm a little concerned about problems with this rule
[R06]
Traction devices may not have surface features such as metal, sandpaper, hard plastic studs, cleats, or other attachments. Traction devices include all parts of the Robot that are designed to transmit any propulsive and/or braking forces between the Robot and the Court.

Does the "court" include the touching of the top surface of the bridge?

[jspatz1]

Originally Posted by alschnelle

Does the "court" include the touching of the top surface of the bridge?

Arena 2.2.1 defines "The Court":

"The Court for Rebound Rumble is a 27 by 54 ft carpeted area, bounded by two Alliance Walls and a guardrail system. The Court is covered with carpet (Shaw Floors, Philadelphia Commercial, Neyland II, 20, 30753, “park bench”). Hoops are located at the ends of the Court attached to the Alliance Walls. Three Bridges are located in the center of the Court. Areas of red and blue tape on the surface of the Court denote Alleys; solid red and blue semicircular areas are Keys."

Other paragraphs go on to define "The Bridges", "The Hoops", "Alliance Walls", etc.

I read this as The Court being the carpeted floor. The tabs do not touch the carpet. I believe the rule was intended to prevent sharp cleats and studs on wheels from damaging the carpet.

This is all a moot point, as the bottom portion of the tabs will be covered such that no metal contacts the bridge.

[Jaxom]

Originally Posted by jspatz1

Arena 2.2.1 defines "The Court":

...

I read this as The Court being the carpeted floor. The tabs do not touch the carpet. I believe the rule was intended to prevent sharp cleats and studs on wheels from damaging the carpet.

This is all a moot point, as the bottom portion of the tabs will be covered such that no metal contacts the bridge.

As a biased -- and apparently picky -- inspector I can gladly say that this is the referee's problem, not mine. As a part of Titanium I would offer my opinion, which contradicts Jeff's & says that the bridges are part of the court, since they're within the boundaries of the court. I agree about the rule's purpose is protecting the carpet (see my earlier post in this thread). I also think whatever touches the bridge would have to be really sharp (and should be rejected by the inspector as a safety hazard for humans), since the bridge's surface covering is pretty thick. And, if you've seen it after a full tournament, is pretty beat up.

I'm glad the point is moot for Titanium. It may not be for some other team, so if you're in that position I recommend that you get the LRI's ruling; make sure that the head ref is consulted if there's any question in the LRI's mind about what is "the court".

[twetherbee]

I can't wait to see this robot in person and in action. Nice addition.