Are the mandatory bumpers helping or hurting?

[TVwazhere]

This being my first year, i cant contribute to as much as others could, but judging by videos and being to a regional(and winning =) ) For this game i think the manditory bumpers are a good idea,but for future games should be optional.

But just because you have bumpers dosent mean your 100% safe from major damage to somthing, like, your control board on your robot.

I think it was the last qualifying rounds of the matches before the semi finals. Our team (20) had just scored when another robot came from behind and somehow, with its gripper, went around our lexan cover and snaged onto one of the most important plugs you dont want to rip out: the radio transmitter.

We were left dead for the last 1:30. After we asessed the damage, we found it unreparible because the robot had ripped the female(or male, i forget which) plug out onthe Controler side. The only thing left was a few loose wires out the end of it.

Thank god to team 2053 who came out of nowhere to lend us a spare!

Anyway, the point is: Bumpers can decrease the amount of overall damage that a robot sustains, but that dosent mean there invincible, or the "false security" disease.(At least, thats the way i see it)