Can the robot extend outside of the bumper zone.

[markulrich]

If you had a 27"x27" robot with bumpers on all sides could you reach out an arm to extend your robot's footprint to 27"x38"?

I assumed the answer was yes, but had read somewhere that you couldn't. Sorry if this question was already answered.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by markulrich

If you had a 27"x27" robot with bumpers on all sides could you reach out an arm to extend your robot's footprint to 27"x38"?

I assumed the answer was yes, but had read somewhere that you couldn't. Sorry if this question was already answered.

The somewhere in this case is Update #1. The answer given is No.

[markulrich]

Grrr. . . does this mean that we are required to have bumpers on all 4 sides of the robot? We can't just leave a 28" side bumper off even if we still have 2/3 covered?

PS - Any way to get e-mail updates for the game updates, or do we just need to check regularly?

[bduddy]

Originally Posted by markulrich

Grrr. . . does this mean that we are required to have bumpers on all 4 sides of the robot? We can't just leave a 28" side bumper off even if we still have 2/3 covered?

PS - Any way to get e-mail updates for the game updates, or do we just need to check regularly?

You still only have to have 2/3 of your robot covered with bumpers. However, you cannot extend past your starting footprint, bumpers or not. Although of course, if the GDC's justification wasn't bad enough already, it really doesn't make sense once you consider teams don't have to be fully bumpered...

[Ty Tremblay]

Updates are usually posted at 1700 on Tuesdays.

[bduddy]

Originally Posted by icdumbpeeps305

Updates are usually posted at 1700 on Tuesdays.

Don't forget Fridays... and you mean EST, right?

[EricH]

Originally Posted by icdumbpeeps305

Updates are usually posted at 1700 on Tuesdays.

And Fridays, though I think that's at 1200. (Might be 1700, though--I can never remember.)

[markulrich]

If implemented as intended, a ROBOT that is driven into a vertical wall in any normal PLAYING CONFIGURATION will always have the BUMPER be the first thing to contact the wall.”

Doesn't that mean that we need to have bumpers on all four sides?

After all, think of what might happen if metal on our robot hit the arena/robot/trailer bumpers!!!!!!! Probably spontaneous combustion.

[JamesByrne]

It is made really clear that your bumpers must be the outside perimeter. and that the whole thing must be covered in bumpers.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by markulrich

Doesn't that mean that we need to have bumpers on all for sides?

After all, think of what might happen if metal on our robot hit the arena/robot/trailer bumpers!!!!!!! Probably spontaneous combustion.

It doesn't necessarily mean that. However, let's do some simple math.

You do like most teams and build an inch short of the sizing box (to fit in), so your robot is 27" x 37" in the bumper perimeter. You now have a total bumper perimeter of 27+27+37+37 inches = 54+74 inches = 128 inches. You must cover 2/3 of that, so 128/3= 42.66666 is approximately 42 and 2/3 inches that you don't have to cover. That's a full long side of the robot and then some.

For a 27 x 27 robot has 108 inches, divided by three is 36 inches. Again, more than one side of the robot.

HOWEVER, 7" of either one is taken by the trailer hitch. For a full-size robot, that means that 35" uncovered is available to work with. That is a full short side and then some, or most of a long side (which means that you won't have 1/3 unprotected due to the segment rule).
For a 27 x 27 robot, that's 29" available, again, just over 1 side of the robot.

James, where does it say that the whole robot must be covered in bumpers?

[comphappy]

No it is only still 2/3 but there will have to be bumpers to some extent on all sides now.
See quick drawing attached.

bah, need to get faster at my sketches eric beat me to it.

[bduddy]

Originally Posted by comphappy

No it is only still 2/3 but there will have to be bumpers to some extent on all sides now.
See quick drawing attached.

bah, need to get faster at my sketches eric beat me to it.

If you're willing to take the apparently throwaway statement ("If implemented as intended, a ROBOT that is driven into a vertical wall in any normal PLAYING CONFIGURATION will always have the BUMPER be the first thing to contact the wall.") beyond the ludicrous extent to which the GDC has already stretched it to, sure. But otherwise, the only rule that says something like that is <R08>I:

Originally Posted by section 8

BUMPERS must protect all exterior corners of the BUMPER PERIMETER (see Figure 8 - 2).

[markulrich]

But if you leave one side unprotected then the bumper would not be the first thing to hit the wall.

Also, what about drivebases where the perimeter changes during a match? What if your manipulator was in the bumper zone and therefore part of the robot perimeter?

[Dan 1038]

According to the update posted today, the answer is definate NO! See page 2 of the link:

"When in the PLAYING CONFIGURATION, no part of the ROBOT may extend outside the vertical projection of the BUMPER PERIMETER."

http://usfirst.org/uploadedFiles/Team_Update_1.pdf

[Taylor]

I feel there may be some confusion regarding the term "BUMPER PERIMETER"
It is defined as the polygon created when you wrap a string around the robot in the horizontal plane to which the bumpers will be attached. The BUMPERS themselves are outside the BUMPER PERIMETER.