YMTC: Redateam gets to practice after ship?

[Natchez]

You Make The Call (YMTC) is a series of situations where you are the official and make the call. Please reference specific rules when applicable. The results of YMTC are not official and are for educational purposes only.

Redateam was determined to have a duplicate robot so they could practice and develop software after ship but they did not have enough resources to make two robots. So, Redateam constructed two bases and one upper-body, which only weighed 21 pounds without the motors and actuators. On ship day, Redateam shipped one of the Redabot's bases with no motors to the Magnolia Regional and did NOT ship Redabot's upper body. After ship, Redateam met about 5 times a week to practice and fine-tune the autonomy. When Redateam attended the Magnolia Regional, they only brought Redabot's not-modified-since-ship upper body along with all their motors and actuators. In summary, Redateam only brought 21 pounds of custom fabricated items, all of which had not been modified since the end of the Fix-it Window, to the Magnolia Regional.

Based on the 2005 Robot Rules, YOU MAKE THE CALL!

[Goobergunch]

Originally Posted by R12

During the Build Season: During the period between the Kick-off and robot shipment deadline, teams are to design and fabricate all the components and mechanisms required to complete their robot. They are encouraged to use all the materials, sources and resources available to them that are in compliance with the rules of the 2005 FIRST Robotics Competition. As the robot shipment deadline approaches, all work on the robot must cease and the robot must be placed in a “hands-off” condition. The entire robot (including all FABRICATED ITEMS intended for use during the competition in alternative configurations of the robot) must be crated up and out of team hands by the robot shipment date.

The bolded section indicates that Redateam couldn't use the upper body that they failed to ship on their robot. Therefore, it seems like a pretty clear-cut rule violation to me. Futhermore:

Originally Posted by R14

Prior to the competitions: After the close of the “FIX-IT WINDOW” and prior to the competition, the team must put down their tools, cease fabrication of robot parts, and cease all software development.

A large part of me wishes that the bolded section of R14 didn't exist (only nine more days to program the Friarbot ). However, it does rule out "fine-tuning the autonomy" as mentioned in the description.

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by Goobergunch

The bolded section indicates that Redateam couldn't use the upper body that they failed to ship on their robot. Therefore, it seems like a pretty clear-cut rule violation to me.

Game, set and match. Goobergunch nailed it correctly. To even further reinforce the ruling, Rule <R24> states:

Teams may bring a maximum of 25 pounds of custom FABRICATED ITEMS (SPARE PARTS, REPLACEMENT PARTS, and/or UPGRADE PARTS) to each competition event to be used to repair and/or upgrade their robot at the competition site. All other FABRICATED ITEMS to be used on the robot during the competition must arrive at the competition venue packed in the shipping crate with the robot.

The Redabot arm is neither a SPARE PART nor a REPLACEMENT PART (it fails the "identical or functional duplicate part" test in the Section 5.0 definitions). Per Rule <R16> it is not a legal UPGRADE PART (it was not manufactured during the FIX-IT WINDOW after the last regional competition a team attends). Therefore, it is not legal to include it in the permitted 25 pounds of FABRICATED ITEMS the team can bring with them to the Magnolia Regional Competition. If the Redabot arm wasn't shipped in the crate, they can't use it.

Thanks for playing!

Next question...

[Kims Robot]

Just to note, though, had Redateam fabricated a complete second robot (motors and all), the "tuning the autonomy" would have been legal...

ID:1525 Section:5.2 Status:Answered Date Answered:2/8/2005
Q: If we find changes we want to make to our software after the fix-it window, what kind of info for changes to be made at competition may we bring? notes about the change? flowcharts? pseudo-code? a printout of actual code (to be retyped)?
A: Everything you listed.

Despite R14:

Originally Posted by R14
Prior to the competitions: After the close of the “FIX-IT WINDOW” and prior to the competition, the team must put down their tools, cease fabrication of robot parts, and cease all software development.

So goobergunch, go ahead and work on your code, you just have to retype it all at the event

While I wasnt sure about how I felt on ID1525 at first, I realized that nothing stops a team from designing an entirely new arm and all of the pieces after the fix-it window, buying all of the materials needed, and bringing it to the machine shop at competition to be fabricated... so I guess this is the same thing in the software world.