At what point does it become unacceptable for a mentor to design/build the robot

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Wing

Definitely. If anyone comments on how well made our robot may be this year, or how much us mentors seem to have built, I will be very flattered. Truth be told, it's the students that work the hardest on these robots. The students I work with are taking the initiative not only to design completely, but also make the robot aesthetically presentable and pleasing.

Of course, sometimes "Mentor Built" means the exact opposite of what some people think... One of our students has been doing an awesome job of designing and building one of our mechanisms this year. Well, last night a shaft got stuck and we needed to pull it out. After about half an hour of hammering, twisting, and otherwise abusing the robot, myself and another mentor finally got it out (the shaft actually still has the bearing stuck on the end). The students did nothing but complain the rest of the night about how "the mentors dented the robot!" Sometimes "Mentor Built" isn't all that pretty