Can we fill our wheels with water?

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Tanis

To actually answer your question- In Ultimate Ascent a team in my area came to an event with the wheels on their frisbee shooter filled with water. The inspectors did not allow them to use those wheels due to the risk of the wheels leaking or spectacularly breaking and throwing water everywhere.

While I am not an inspector, I would imagine that this would not be allowed again this year. The defenses cause enough trauma to robots that the risk of the wheels breaking open is too high.

Your best bet would be to ask a Q&A question for an official judgement.

Note that in Ultimate Ascent, there was a similar blue box under R8 (which is the same as R9 this year) which listed hydraulic fluid, and was the basis for the ruling - the description is the justification for calling water a hazardous component, as it doesn't react well with robot control systems. Or, for that matter, the historic 90 year old basketball court we were competing on top of.