Banging the driver station

[orangemoore]

All actions have consequences.

Regardless of intention, if you prevent another team by your direct (including autonomous) actions from playing to their full potential you deserve a penalty.

I find it difficult to believe that anyone on the receiving end of a direct hit that stops them from playing would being okay with a team not getting any type of penalty. It wouldn't be fair to the team affected.

What that penalty is debatable. I think a combination of a Foul and a yellow/red card if repeated or egregious.

[Levi Madden]

At Kansas City, the refs said that if your drive station did fall in auto, you could pick it up, without the penalty for crossing the line.

[philso]

Originally Posted by Levi Madden

At Kansas City, the refs said that if your drive station did fall in auto, you could pick it up, without the penalty for crossing the line.

There is no guarantee that you are able to catch your laptop so it does not get damaged and leave your robot unable to compete.

[Sohaib]

It is really simple to secure your driver station. Use the velcro. (hook side on your driver station) This has already been pretty common, but we were surprised to see no other teams were using clamps like we were. If you do go with this approach, make sure your driver station has an SSD, an HDD can be effected by the shock the "castle" wall may receive.

Another option is to use suction cups on the lexan "glass" of the driver station.

[FrankJ]

Originally Posted by orangemoore

All actions have consequences.

Regardless of intention, if you prevent another team by your direct (including autonomous) actions from playing to their full potential you deserve a penalty.

Not reading the rules and updates and understanding the consequences is also an action with consequences.

While the head referee is the final interpreter of the rules, they cannot change them & are supposed to interpret them as written. There are no rules against hitting the field hard enough to dislodge driver stations. A bit of grey area for egregious or intentionally damaging conduct, but that is a high bar to cross.

Having said that, intentionally ramming the field with the intent of dislodging driver station is certainly against Gracious Professionalism.