pic: FRC Robots are the best mode of transportation!

[iblis432]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Overarching talk of safety annoys me as much as anyone, but when you're holding onto a robot with just your hands, gripping within a few inches of moving roller chain, I wouldn't compare that to a rigidly mounted chair driven by a carefully watched, responsible driver at low speeds.

Except we've already heard from the driver and he was responsible and at low speeds. In all honesty, all this video makes me think is next robotics meeting im strapping a chair to ours and im gonna have some fun.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by iblis432

In all honesty, all this video makes me think is next robotics meeting im strapping a chair to ours and im gonna have some fun.

Do everyone a favor and strap a stylish bicycle helmet to the rider's head as well. You'll avoid two things: potential head trauma from accidental collisions or falls, and guaranteed nagging from safety zealots.

[iblis432]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

Do everyone a favor and strap a stylish bicycle helmet to the rider's head as well. You'll avoid two things: potential head trauma from accidental collisions or falls, and guaranteed nagging from safety zealots.

That goes without saying. I'm no more of a fan of my brains being plastered on the Shop wall than you are. I mean, think what the sponsors would think if they came to check on their sponsored team and brain guts are everywhere? Everyone wants to keep a clean shop.

[M.Wong]

One of our mentors in the past used to joke with us saying "if you guys ever get three medals at one competition, you can put a seat on the robot."

[pacoliketaco]

Originally Posted by M.Wong

One of our mentors in the past used to joke with us saying "if you guys ever get three medals at one competition, you can put a seat on the robot."

well i dont know for sure, but i think every team gets 25 participation medals...haha jk.

speaking for exposed chains...i know quite well the danger there, though i can say that i am always cautious when riding a robot if the drive chains are exposed. for the most part we always try to cover them. on the first day in atlanta last year i was fixing a chain and caught my finger in the running chain/sprocket. pretty lucky that it was only a #25 chain, but it was still pretty bad and i had to get a few stitches. thus since then i have been wayyy more careful with chains.

as for wearing a helmet, well i guess if you are planning on going really really fast or you dont trust your holds, thats probably a good idea. but i dont think that wearing one is really going to come to the mind of someone who is attempting to ride their robot..i think they'd be focused on other things.

[M.Wong]

Originally Posted by pacoliketaco

well i dont know for sure, but i think every team gets 25 participation medals...haha jk.

Haha I should have elaborated. He meant finals/winner+chairmens+EI. I wonder if that will ever happen...

[Tom Line]

Let me ask a few very serious questions.

Is your few minutes of fun worth the school and team liability that would result if something were to happen? You're risking getting your team shutdown, thrown out of the school, or sued. Or perhaps the result could be permanently maiming someone. Can you, PERSONALLY, step up and say you'll pull out your wallet to pay for all the liability and the potential medical bills if something were to happen? The rise in insurance? Finding a new place for your team to meet?

This is as much about personal responsibility as it is about safety. Those who are blowing it off are showing a remarkable lack of both.

To the driver who posted: it's good to hear that you were thinking about safety. I don't think many of these posts are directed at you so much as the people who simply want to ignore the possible consequences all-together.

[iblis432]

You risk sudden death each time you get into your car. You risk your house exploding each time you turn on the oven. You even risk your life when flushing the toilet. Too many things have negatives you can stare at for hours, but instead you should be looking at statistics. Cars for example, yes car crash constantly. But there are still more cars in the world then there are wrecked ones.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by iblis432

You risk sudden death each time you get into your car. You risk your house exploding each time you turn on the oven. You even risk your life when flushing the toilet. Too many things have negatives you can stare at for hours, but instead you should be looking at statistics. Cars for example, yes car crash constantly. But there are still more cars in the world then there are wrecked ones.

So because everything else has risk means you should take stupid ones?

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

So because everything else has risk means you should take stupid ones?

In this case, stupid is in the eye of the beholder.

I like going through class 5-6 rapids; most people would say that's a stupid risk, but I simply view it as an entirely different way of looking at life.

[EricH]

It's only a stupid risk if you don't adequately prepare: helmet, life vest, make sure the boat doesn't have any holes, extra paddles, float plan, all that good stuff. In a car, wear your seat belt and drive defensively. These things mitigate the risk to manageable (i.e., if something does go wrong, it is not necessarily your fault).

Mitigating factors were not present in the photo--even a set of bolt-on handles would help, as they'd provide a more secure (and safe, most likely) grasping area, or a helmet for the case of a sudden stop without preparation.

When the Mythbusters do something with the "do NOT repeat NOT try this at home" message, you'll notice that they're always a) wearing protective gear or b) hunkering in a bunker or c) very, very far away or d) not being in the "line of fire" themselves or e) some combination of the preceding. This does not eliminate the risk that something goes horribly wrong. However, it reduces the damage when and if it does, and ensures that nobody gets hurt.

[jason701802]

Originally Posted by EricH

It's only a stupid risk if you don't adequately prepare: helmet, life vest, make sure the boat doesn't have any holes, extra paddles, float plan, all that good stuff.

The life jacket and helmet are for if you fall out of the boat at some other time than the rapids, if you fall out during a class V or VI, a life jacket and helmet are not going to do much of anything

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by jason701802

The life jacket and helmet are for if you fall out of the boat at some other time than the rapids, if you fall out during a class V or VI, a life jacket and helmet are not going to do much of anything

Yes they will. The life jacket will ensure your head is above water if you're knocked unconscious, while the helmet can prevent fatal bunt force trauma allowing the vest to do its job.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by jason701802

The life jacket and helmet are for if you fall out of the boat at some other time than the rapids, if you fall out during a class V or VI, a life jacket and helmet are not going to do much of anything

You missed the point entirely. The point was that if you're going to do something that a lot of people are going to regard as rather stupid, dumb, or ill-advised, then you really need to make sure that you have the proper equipment to have a chance at coming out alive and uninjured. In the case in the picture, there were risks of running into walls, getting fingers caught in chain, and getting snagged in and dragged by the robot, with no mitigating factors (helmet, handles, and that sort of thing) apparent.

(And, if you fall out during a class VI rapid, having a life jacket and helmet on a) provides some, though not much extra padding for impact and b) makes you and/or your body easier to spot and recover if a rescue operation is needed. Better than the next guy to fall out finding you a couple of years later when he lands where you did...)

[sithmonkey13]

What was it Darwin said? Something about survival of the fittest by nature killing the stupid ones? The point is, the person on the robot knows the risk, and was going to try it anyway. Safety is important, but sometimes you just have to try something. You could have the safest robot around, but just from everything on the robot, there still is a risk to doing anything. Those who don't understand the risk and ignore safety are the recipients of the Darwin awards, but those who do understand the risk take precautions. Anyway we just see the guy on the robot, not anything else. For all we know, the guy could be photoshopped on or have a paramedics standing by in case something does happen.