Ball Feeding Tube Legality

[phrontist]

If we were to feed our shooting mechanism with a flexible tube that left the the starting dimensions of the robot, would this be in violation of any rule? The one which comes to mind is that prohibiting any part of the shooting mechanism from leaving the footprint. I plan to submit to Q&A, but for now I'm curious what the community thinks.

[Rick TYler]

[Edited] According to <S03> your ball transfer device may extend outside the original size envelope as long as it does not shoot balls.

Also, our balls don't seem to require nutrition. Why do yours require feeding tubes?

[KenWittlief]

I guess you will have to ask. You can certainly break your robot down into subsystems: ball collector, ball holder, ball shooter... when a ball is being passed from one of those subsystems to the other what do you call the part in between?

ball transporter?

ball queue?

[henryBsick]

I would have to say its legit. As long as no part of the tubing touches the ball as the final impulse via the shooter is delivered to the ball per rule <S03> and a few Q&A's which links lie in this thread.

[phrontist]

It seems to me the tube isn't part of the shooter. If the tube is part of the shooter, what isn't part of the shooter?

Ah ha! I found the clarification I needed. This definatively establishes the legality of our situation!