Continuous turret

[Ian Mackenzie]

As much as I'd like to use slip rings (commercial or otherwise) one year - they could be very handy for swerve drives - I'd be a bit worried:

<R58> All wiring and electrical devices must be electrically isolated from the ROBOT frame; the ROBOT frame must not be used to carry electrical current (this isolated ground arrangement is necessary due to polarity reversals that occur under certain operating conditions such as during motor direction reversals).

<R85> Electrical devices must be wired in accordance with Section 8.3 Robot Rules, using commercially available copper wire for all electrical connections. Aluminum (or other non-copper material) wire is prohibited. For examples of acceptable circuit designs, please see the 2007 Robot Power Distribution Diagram.

I think you could argue that a commutator involves using the robot frame to carry electrical current, illegal according to <R58>; unfortunately, 'frame' isn't defined. Even if you argue that the commutator isn't part of the actual robot frame, but a separate, isolated piece, I certainly think a commutator is an example of an electrical connection using something other than copper wire, in contravention of <R85>.