Eliminating "Start Build Day"

[EricH]

It would be "interesting" to relax the pre-build rules.

As a refresher, the current rules are, in a nutshell:
Code, CAD, and other similar "soft" products have to either be publicly available or done post-Kickoff. "Hard" products for the robot, in general, can't be in final form, or significantly towards final form (frames, etc.), before Kickoff, with some exceptions for electronics with connectors attached and similar items. The enforcement is the captain and mentor signature on the inspection form with "We followed all the rules."

In shorter form, you can have all the planning done before Kickoff, if it's public, but you can't cut metal or use unmodified nonpublic code or CAD.


So let's do a thought exercise in what would happen if some tweaks were made. Just for kicks and giggles, we'll assume no official "start build" time is given, but that KIT robots, if used, ship in early December. We'll also assume that the Kickoff doesn't move (for this one--I think we can draw conclusions that are applicable to if it does).

Non-public software and CAD usage: Basically, removing the "make it public" restriction. Frankly... Bad idea. The current rule actually increases the quantity of available resources at the start of the season. Removing that rule will allow "proprietary" items to stay "proprietary". Now, some folks will disagree that that's a bad thing, it'll more closely reflect the real world. But I would posit that being able to learn from the work posted is going to be better for the students in the long run.

Pre-build "hard" products: I could easily see a LOT of teams going kitbot here--the chance to build that before Kickoff could be big. Actually, you can almost do that now... except that you'll need to disassemble it at least partway afterwards and rebuild it. Wait, you need to do that for sizing anyway, if I'm not mistaken.

Here's the biggest trap with allowing "hard" products to be pre-built, and I'm willing to bet that a few teams walk into it. With no game to design for, teams don't know if they'll be able to use preseason robot X without modification. It's a gamble.

I could see that being a bit of an equalizer.

Personally... I would take a middle route. COTS items may be assembled, and/or put together as a robot, prior to season, and used in that configuration or in any other configuration. (Kitbot, AM chassis, Versa-everything--you get the idea.) I would probably include a couple of "allowable modification" rules as well, related to length trimming and hole-drilling and similar items. All must be accounted for on the BOM if they're on the robot. Verification would be the BOM and possibly a photo from before Kickoff. CUSTOM items must be built after Kickoff (whenever that happens to be). "Soft" products need to be public before Kickoff (if there is one).

Thus, a team could play with drive system X in the preseason, and use the exact same physical drive in the season, if it was COTS, or if "non-allowable" modifications were made after Kickoff. But if it was customized before Kickoff, it would need to be built again or at the very least heavily modified (great chance for the team to make necessary modifications for the game, just a thought).