How to build good bumpers

[MrBasse]

Originally Posted by rich2202

I've seen a lot of sagging bumpers. If your wood ends exactly at 4'" (assuming the limit is 4"), I can guarantee you that some part of the noodle/covering will materially sag below 4". Especially after it has encountered another robot (or the wall) a few times.

As I recall, the noodles themselves are not stapled, or otherwise attached to the wood, so all that is holding up the noodles is the cloth. That cloth will loosen up.

I wouldn't guarantee that. Ours never have since we started focusing actual energy on our bumper design.

And properly attached cloth won't loosen up very much. If it did we would all have pants that fall off and baggy seat fabric in our cars and on our couches. Make them extra tight at first and any slop that develops will bring the bumpers to the place where you want them to be by competition time.