Different levels of passing inspection

[ChuckDickerson]

Please keep in mind the inspectors are human and volunteers and were working very hard to get 400 robots inspected in just a few hours Wednesday evening so that every team would make their first match Thursday morning. We inspected 90% of the robots and could have gotten almost all of them done if all 400 teams had done their part and were in compliance and ready when they came out of the crate or soon there after rather than waiting until 8:00 to start the inspection process.

Originally Posted by rich2202

I can appreciate being lax with compliance at the Regionals to allow as many robots as possible compete. I presumed that compliance at the Championship would be more strictly enforced, but that was not so. They basically had the same attitude - let the robots compete.

Would you please explain your context here a little further? I can read this statement and interpret your intent different ways.

A) You observed other robots you believe were illegal. Did you bring this to the attention of an inspector? If so did the inspector refuse to listen to you or investigate further?

or

B) Your team's robot was out of compliance and your team knew it but since your inspector didn't catch it you competed anyway knowing full well your robot was illegal even after one of your students and one of your adult mentors signed your inspection checklist stating your believed you were in full compliance.

I certainly hope you are not implying case B above but I have to wonder how you know the details of other teams inspection process? Did you possibly witness other teams inspection taking what seemed to be a very short time while yours took much longer and thus you made an assumption that other inspectors were being "lax" and just letting anything go while your inspector was being a bit too diligent?

Many of the Championship level inspectors have many years of inspection experience and given a fully compliant robot (as all at Championships should be right?) can inspect a robot in 15-20 minutes. An inspector with less experience may take significantly longer and more thoroughly "check off" one line item at a time on the inspection check list. A seasoned inspector, particularly one with a decade or more of experience often as a team mentor, can stare at a robot for a few minutes, find issues, count motors, eyeball breakers and wire gauge and color, trace pneumatics lines, and spot about a dozen other things at one time. Just because an inspection didn't take an hour doesn't mean it was "lax".