Removal of Low Bar Fabric

[Bochek]

Originally Posted by scca229

Fabric is back on the low bar at GTCR. Red now, so maybe a different type? Can anyone there gives us any details?

Red bumper fabric. Much stronger then the fabric originally provided by FIRST.

[indieFan]

Originally Posted by Nick Lawrence

lower pipe from the Low Bar

Are you saying that the lowest point of the crossbar is lower than the official field drawing specs now?

[IronicDeadBird]

Originally Posted by Oblarg

Yes, please.

Even if I didn't think the damage to field elements were a problem, this year was obnoxious simply because it was far too onerous to expect most teams to build all these goddamn wooden monstrosities to be able to test their robot.

Worst part is, we don't have the room to store them next year so we're going to have to take the time to take them all apart again, too. Perhaps a bonfire is in order...

I feel like they shouldn't have gotten so complex with the defense. Too many options for a game of this scale in my opinion.

[JacobD]

Originally Posted by Rangel(kf7fdb)

It makes pretty good sense to me. The intent of the fabric was so robots have to carry balls into the courtyard. It would change the game drastically if you could just roll it through no problem.

I don't see it changing the game too much. It is going to be difficult to get a boulder across the entire field and into the courtyard especially with the bump around the secret passage.

[Sohaib]

Originally Posted by JacobD

I don't see it changing the game too much. It is going to be difficult to get a boulder across the entire field and into the courtyard especially with the bump around the secret passage.

Any team that has done their due-diligence will know with any human player worth their money, it is already possible - and legal - to get a boulder into the opponents courtyard.

[CalTran]

Originally Posted by indieFan

Are you saying that the lowest point of the crossbar is lower than the official field drawing specs now?

The lower pipe has always been in the official drawing specs. It's a pipe that was inserted into the cordura fabric mostly to keep boulders from rolling all the way from the secret passage to the courtyard.

[rich2202]

It might not be 100% safe, but you could station a field reset person with a paddle with a long handle to deflect balls from going through the low goal when a bot is not near.

[Sperkowsky]

How bad would it be to put the low bar in a different spot? If it was not directly in front of the secret passage boulders rolling under would not be an issue.

[rich2202]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

How bad would it be to put the low bar in a different spot? If it was not directly in front of the secret passage boulders rolling under would not be an issue.

Autonomous programs may assume the position of the low bar.

[cgmv123]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

How bad would it be to put the low bar in a different spot? If it was not directly in front of the secret passage boulders rolling under would not be an issue.

Removing the fabric is a minor change that's not a big deal. Changing the positions of the defenses is a major change that would be a big deal if it happened.

[indieFan]

Originally Posted by CalTran

The lower pipe has always been in the official drawing specs. It's a pipe that was inserted into the cordura fabric mostly to keep boulders from rolling all the way from the secret passage to the courtyard.

Thank you for the clarification of which bar was being referred to.

[Joe G.]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

How bad would it be to put the low bar in a different spot? If it was not directly in front of the secret passage boulders rolling under would not be an issue.

My team, and i imagine many others, would absolutely have pursued a different design if the low bar was anywhere else. Changing this would have big strategic implications and be unacceptable to many teams.

[Jon Stratis]

Here in Duluth, both Lake Superior and Northern Lights have been running pretty much all day yesterday and today with flaps made from bumper material (1000D cordura), and we haven't lost one of them. The flaps the field came with, at least on the LSR side, both got ripped in half by the third match yesterday.

[Type]

Standish- Sterling event in Michigan has removed the low bar material. Im not sure if anybody has mentioned that yet.

[EmileH]

At Granite State, we destroyed (ripped clean through) one low bar, so we covered it in gaffers tape and replaced it with our one spare (used on the practice field). That one has a few holes too which is also gaffed over. GSD teams, if you're reading this, please don't rip our low bars

We may attempt to sew the bumper fabric over the existing materials tomorrow.