first did a good rules job this year

[arabsponsor]

The way our team understands the bumpers, is you must use FIRST's design or forgo any bumpers at all. Are we wrong?

[Steve W]

Originally Posted by arabsponsor

The way our team understands the bumpers, is you must use FIRST's design or forgo any bumpers at all. Are we wrong?

You are wrong. If you wish to design your own bumper you may do it. The bumper however must be within your 28x38 dimension and counted in your 120 lb limit. If you choose FIRST bumpers then you get added size and extra weight without breaking the rules.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by arabsponsor

The way our team understands the bumpers, is you must use FIRST's design or forgo any bumpers at all. Are we wrong?

I believe you are wrong. Bumpers that follow the FIRST design are not counted against the robot weight or size limits. I don't see any rules which forbid bumpers which are part of the robot as weighed and measured at inspection.

(There are rules which constrain bumpers. For instance, contact surfaces must be near vertical, and one may not use "wedges", which seem to be defined in a way which includes articulated bumpers that lift an opponent.)

[Josh Murphy]

they did about the defensive side where you only get the bumper zone but other than that some of them are confusing comparing to previous years.

[pyroslev]

I give the Game Creators a A all over. There have been no major changes...yet. There are so many avenues for strategy that its hard, at times, to grasp it all. So to those who did a good job, we salute you.