Two questions about keeping it in the footprint

[Petey]

I'm wondering what thoughts people may have on these two rules.

Originally Posted by Manual

<R16> Once the MATCH has started, the ROBOT may assume a PLAYING CONFIGURATION that is different from the STARTING CONFIGURATION. The ROBOT must be designed such that the PLAYING CONFIGURATION of the ROBOT shall not exceed the dimensions specified in Rule <R11>.

It is clear that a robot must be within the 28x38x60 footprint when it is placed on the field (SC). It also must be within that footprint once it has assumed the PC.

Is it allowed to exceed the footprint in the process of assuming the PC?

What I'm imagining is a robot that begins with a component hanging parallel to the body of the robot in SC. In PC, that component rests perpendicular to the body of the robot. In both SC and PC, the component is within the footprint, but in order to get from SC to PC it (momentarily) must swing outside the footprint.

Is this allowed? Or are we to read this rule as simply allowing multiple playing configurations for the robot without any sort of special allowance for the space spent changing from SC to PC.

Originally Posted by Manual

some stuff about bumper zones

I'm reading a lot of conflicting quotes in this forum about bumper zones. I think the rules may be in tension.

My reading of the rulebook supports the conclusion that a robot may never extend outside the 28x38x60 footprint, which may (but not must) be the same as its bumper zone.

As a way of understanding this, you could have a 28x28 robot that reached out to 36 inches, because that would be within the footprint, even though it extended beyond the bumper zones.