Team Update 14 (2016)

[ChuckDickerson]

... continued:

It is my understanding of the rules and definition in the 2016 manual that what is under the yellow tote in the above is a spare MECHANISM because it doesn’t meet the FIRST game manual definition of a ROBOT (doesn’t have the control system (RoboRIO)) but is “a COTS or custom assembly of COMPONENTS that provide specific functionality on the ROBOT. A MECHANISM can be disassembled (and then reassembled) into individual COMPONENTS without damage to the parts”.

Thus this is our “competition MECHANISM” just prior to sealing the bag:



Note also that the RoboRIO has been removed thus it does not have a “control system” so it doesn’t qualify as a ROBOT.

Finally here are our two bags as they were bagged on bag and tag night and as they still sit right now:



Obviously the “Competitition MECHANISM” (which we intend to add a RoboRIO from our 30 lb withholding allowance to upon unbagging and then get inspected) is on the left. A complete set of spare parts (both COMPONENTS (in the yellow tote) and whole MECHANISMs) is in the bag on the right.

Our intention is to immediately disassemble our “spare parts MECHANISM” into separate “modules” (or sub-MECHANISMs) once we are allowed to unbag, have our pit setup, and can access the appropriate tools. It is not in any way our intention to “compete” with two ROBOTS. We simply desire to make transportation easier and more manageable by having all our separate spare MECHANISMs assembled into one larger MECHANISM so all those parts aren’t loose in the bag. I believe this is entirely within the spirit of the competition and in no way un-GP.

I fully agree that it would be against the spirit of the rules if a team brings two robots and attempts to gain a competitive advantage by say:

1) Building two differently designed robots. For example a low bar, low goal, breacher robot and a wholly different high goal, hanging robot and attempts to compete with both by starting with one and tries to “upgrade” to the second at some point in the course of competition play.
2) Build two identical robots (as in my team’s case) but choose to use a legally inspected one on the competition field while the second un-inspected one was used on the practice field for testing, etc.
3) Building additional robots to hand out to their alliance partners to use during eliminations.

The question I do have is what then actually constitutes a team’s competition ROBOT? It is fairly clear in my mind that “something” becomes a team’s competition ROBOT when we stick the inspection sticker on it. However, WHAT is that “something” that constitutes the ROBOT? Every single piece and part can be removed, replaced, repaired, “upgraded”, etc. throughout the competition as long as the team follows the re-inspection requirements in T15. What rule(s) would actually restrict us from replacing every single piece and part of our legally inspected “competition ROBOT” with an identical spare replacement “module” from our pile of spare parts we bagged on bag and tag night and brought in legally at load in? Nothing as far as I can tell. It would be entirely legal and within the spirit of the rules and completely GP. Teams routinely build and bag all manner of “spare parts”. However, taken to the next level, what would restrict us from keeping our “spare MECHANISM” that looks identical to our “competition ROBOT” except for a missing RoboRIO and if needed due to a catastrophic failure, replace ALL of our MECHANISMs we have preassembled into one giant MECHANISM as a complete spare “robot” at one time and go to the inspection station and asking for a re-inspection and thus creating a whole new ROBOT nearly instantaneously? Again, just for clarification I/my team have no intentions of doing anything like this and absolutely will not because I believe as a team mentor that this is against the spirit of the rules.

My questions to all are:

1) Was anything we chose to do during build season or up until bag and tag night against the letter, intent, or spirt of the rules as you read, interpret, or understand them?

2) Would anyone interpret anything we chose to do during build season, what we bagged on bag and tag night, or what we intend to do at competition to be un-GP?

3) Given our team’s “resource level”, which I imagine to be fairly typical of the average team, is our conscious decision to play to our strengths by hoping to “win the war of attrition” giving our team an unfair competitive advantage in any way by bringing a complete set of “spare parts” that are currently bagged in an assembled spare MECHANISM that to “a reasonably astute observer” might appear to be a ROBOT?

4) Prior to last night’s update I firmly believe we followed the rules as they were written at the time up until bag and tag night. As an LRI, I can assure you that it is not the GDC’s intent to dis-allow teams bagging spare parts. Does the new wording added to the blue box in last night’s update clarify or muddy the intent of the rules regarding spare parts and what constitutes a ROBOT and/or what can and can’t be brought to an event in a bag?