New robot rules at Peachtree

[Jon Stratis]

We sent this out to all the teams participating in MN regionals after the week-0 events:

Over the weekend, we got to see a lot of robots at week-0 events, and many of you are utilizing large amounts of stored energy (in springs or surgical tubing) for your mechanisms to launch the ball. We fully expect you to be transporting your robot to and from the field and around the pits with these mechanisms "charged", or ready to fire. While this is legal, I want to remind you all of R08:Robot parts shall not [...] be unsafe, cause unsafe conditions[...].

In this spirit, we will be looking for the following with regards to these high-energy shooting mechanisms:
1. Presence of an interlock that will prevent the system from firing. Think of this as a "Remove before Flight" pin, clamp, or other device. It is not part of your robot, but it is in place when transporting your robot around the venue and carrying it on and off the field.
2. Demonstration of the interlock and its proper use.
3. A description of the safe handling of your robot, both in normal conditions and in the event it is not upright at the end of a match.

Very similar wording to what the OP received. We saw this not as adding a new robot rule, but giving teams a heads up as to how a specific rule was going to be enforced. This really is all about safety, and we do try to be reasonable about it - if it's not possible for the machine to fire while being transported, we didn't hassle any teams.

Everyone who says the planning committee doesn't have the authority to create a rule is correct. However, the LRI has the authority to enforce the rules already present, including R08. Isn't it better to know how that rule will be enforced ahead of time?