pic: Is this corner considered protected?

[MamaSpoldi]

No one has addressed this part of these bumpers... the mitered corners of the plywood backing. This is not legal per rule <R08>.O (see also figure 8-4):

"The BUMPER backing must not extend beyond the “edge” of the ROBOT. The backing of adjacent BUMPER segments must not attach to each other if the attachment would require that the joint extend into the corner (see Figure 8 – 4)."

The pool noodles can wrap around the corner, but the plywood backing must stop at the edge of the frame. (You can see this is figure 8-2 as well, but you may have to zoom in a little to see it clearly.)

Note that in part N of this rule the statement that: " 'Hard' parts of the BUMPER (i.e. plywood backing, fastening system, and clamping angles) may extend up to a maximum of one inch beyond the BUMPER PERIMETER." is referring to the thickness of the backing (ie. the extension perpendicular to the bumper perimeter) rather than the length of the backing.

[This is also clarified in this Q&A posting: http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=11279]

Also, regarding the corner protection, I would recommend also reviewing the answer given in this Q&A: http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=11236. Our team had similar concerns about our bumper configuration. I agree that if there are doubts it is a good idea to opt for a less controversial implementation if it does not sacrifice any functionality.... or at a minimum have a retrofit already determined and ready to go to avoid too much pain if you are overruled.