The Shooter (and Kicker) Saftey Thread

[Matt382]

Thanks for the ideas about safe practices, I will pass this on to my team.

[falconmaster]

Originally Posted by Matt382

Thanks for the ideas about safe practices, I will pass this on to my team.

Thanks for bringing this up, we will have to seriously look at how we can make our bot safe for the refs and other teams...

[DonRotolo]

Great idea, specifically the warning system to indicate a "loaded" mechanism. We have a microswitch that tells the software when the latch is latched; we'll also use that to turn on a light or indicator of some type.

Our kicker does not extend beyond the frame perimeter (if nothing breaks! ); we intend to make it so it's difficult to get a hand anywhere near the moving parts. We also will fabricate a "safety latch" that our drivers and pit crew will carry with them - if the mechanism is armed, the safety bar is installed as a secondary way of preventing accidental firing.

I also like the idea of driving around with the mechanism disarmed - our arming system takes just over 1 second, I can see us re-arming only just before taking a shot, not just after. Not sure about that though.

I also want to consider a way of firing the mechanism just before the match ends (with a ball or dry, no matter) so it's safer after the match. Need to think on that.