Mini-bots

[Al Skierkiewicz]

This is a good time to go back and look at the rules. There was nothing in the original rules that would lead to an interpretation of more than one. All rules for the MINIBOT refer to it in the singular. Further, how would you deploy two minibots on two separate towers in ten seconds and have them both hit the target in the allotted time? Remember that only one mini per tower will trigger the score.

[1631JD]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

This is a good time to go back and look at the rules. there was nothing in the original rules that would lead to an interpretation of more than one. All rules for the MINIBOT refer to it in the singular. Further, how would you deploy two minibots on two separate towers in ten seconds and have them both hit the target in the allotted time? Remember that only one mini per tower will trigger the score.

Even though this is a dead topic, the point was to have two so that way we could deploy either without having to worry about wasting time maneuvering to get to the deploying side.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

In addition to the rules not supporting two mini's, the additional weight could give you an unfair advantage in a pushing match. The robots are already very heavy without the mini. It is highly recommended that you bring out the mini separate from the main robot and install it on the field to prevent accidents and lighten the load.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by 1631JD

Even though this is a dead topic, the point was to have two so that way we could deploy either without having to worry about wasting time maneuvering to get to the deploying side.

Dragging this thread even further off topic... Your goal is a sound and useful one even that particular implementation wasn't legal. You may be able to implement a deployment mechanism that only holds one minibot but still gives you the positioning flexibility that you desire. Think about how you could make a mechanism that could pivot or reverse itself to work from different sides of your robot. Or perhaps it swing in an arc so it could engage the pole anywhere in a 180 deg arc around your robot. There's a fair number of options for having a deployment device that's robust against misalignment.

Mind you, you'll be making a trade-off here as most engineering decisions are. In this case, you're trading off deployment speed, because you're having your deployment system handle misalignment problems that you could've handled before the end game. You're getting more robustness and better odds against defender for that trade-off, though. Just something to consider.