Swinging hammer shooter question

[jalmos]

A little late in the season to ask this.....

Our teams robot has a swinging hammer that hits the ball to launch it. Works pretty well but we are wondering about rules/safety.

Our arm is all within the frame except when it swings to hit the ball near the back of the robot. When it swings down it is outside the frame, but still within the 20" rule. I am concerned about the rules and safety. Seems a little dangerous but from what we have read it is within the rules. I am wondering what an inspector will think....

The arm on comes out in a small slot on the back of the robot and the sides are guarded but the back isn't guarded. If we were to guard the back of the swinging are it would be greater than the 20" rule. Do you think this will still be ok, legal, and allowed.

[Josh Fritsch]

Your hammer as a mechanism does not sound illegal as it is within 20". However there are a couple things you should consider:

G28

Deliberate or damaging contact with an opponent ROBOT on or inside its FRAME PERIMETER is not allowed.

Violation: TECHNICAL FOUL


High speed accidental collisions may occur during the MATCH and are expected. ROBOTS extend elements outside of the FRAME PERIMETER at their own risk; no penalties will be assigned for contact between two such extended elements.

A ROBOT with an element outside its FRAME PERIMETER may be penalized under this rule if it appears they are using that element to purposefully contact another ROBOT inside its FRAME PERIMETER. Regardless of intent, a ROBOT with an element outside its FRAME PERIMETER that causes damage to another ROBOT inside of its FRAME PERIMETER will be penalized.

You will have to be careful during a match to not damage an opponent.

The second thing to be mindful of is

R9
ROBOT parts shall not be made from hazardous materials, be unsafe, cause an unsafe condition, or interfere with the operation of other ROBOTS.

Make the system as safe as possible using guards where you can (not violating any other rules) and be able to demonstrate to an inspector how you have tried to make it as safe as possible.

[maths222]

In general, if something seems scary/dangerous to you, it will seem even more so to an inspector. Make sure that it can't hit anyone when the robot is disabled, and ensure that you don't hit other robots with it during a match.

[Twitchy]

Can you shorten the hammer by .125, that way you could at least put some brackets out towards the rear of the robot? Maybe mount some polycarbonate/lexan panel to those brackets, so another robot can't get in the danger zone of the swinging hammer. Something you also might want to consider is you could potentially end up damaging by accident one of your alliance partners during a match.

[Jibri Wright]

May I ask how the hammer is currently guarded? Do the guards deploy after the match or are they just there? I ask because the robot must start the match within its frame perimeter.

[jalmos]

Thanks for all your posts. Our robot is guards the swinging hammer on each side of the robot with plexy and at the start of the match all is within the frame. The only issue is when the hammer swings out, still within the 20" rule, it is not guarded and a possible risk could be there. Any other suggestions or ideas. I appreciate your time.

Jalmos

[Peter Matteson]

Originally Posted by jalmos

A little late in the season to ask this.....

Our teams robot has a swinging hammer that hits the ball to launch it. Works pretty well but we are wondering about rules/safety.

Our arm is all within the frame except when it swings to hit the ball near the back of the robot. When it swings down it is outside the frame, but still within the 20" rule. I am concerned about the rules and safety. Seems a little dangerous but from what we have read it is within the rules. I am wondering what an inspector will think....

The arm on comes out in a small slot on the back of the robot and the sides are guarded but the back isn't guarded. If we were to guard the back of the swinging are it would be greater than the 20" rule. Do you think this will still be ok, legal, and allowed.

I could see it being considered in violation of the following rules:

Originally Posted by GDC

G3 ROBOTS whose operation or design is unsafe are not permitted.

Violation: FOUL & DISABLED. If the issue is due to design: Re-Inspection.

An example of unsafe operation would be uncontrolled motion that cannot be stopped by the DRIVERS.

R9: Protrusions from the ROBOT and exposed surfaces on the ROBOT shall not pose hazards to the ARENA elements (including the BALLS) or people.

I think that design is up to the whims of the inspectors and referees at your events. I would consider an unguarded hammer swinging out of the frame dangerous and capable of damaging the field, other robots or people. Not all people will see it that way though.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

jalmos,
We have seen a few robots with this design in pictures thus far. While they look a little scary, they may be a legal design on your robot. Where this will become critical is the actual use on the field. You should train your drivers to only release the hammer when it there is no chance that it will fall and damage another robot or hit anything outside of the field border, like a ref or other volunteer. The refs will make a call on the field if this violates game rules. If it truly does not exceed the 20" limit (we will be asked to verify that), you should be OK. In general, it should never end the match in a high energy state that endangers other participants. You should also be sure that it does not damage the balls. this makes the field supervisors very upset.