Bumper Rule

[Raul]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

With a give maximum sized robot of 38" x 28" giving us:
((38*2) + (28*2)) = 132" perimeter

2/3 of 132" = 88"

Technically I guess you can only cover 88" worth of sides if you wanted to.

Some people tend to cover just 3 sides of their robots so using the 2 most basic configurations of robot design...

1) 38+38+28 = 104" (38" Sides & 28" Rear)

or

2) 28+28+38 = 64" (28" Sides & 38" Rear)

In configuration 1, you are good.

In configuration 2, you are not.

If you design your robot to be a wide base (example 2), and your widest part of your robot is facing forward, and you leave that unbumpered, I guess you are breaking a rule.

That kinda sucks...

Hey Elgin, try doing that math again on #2.

[Raul]

Originally Posted by Compnerd

Do the bumpers have to surround the frame/base of the robot completly, or can there be a gap? My team has looked at the rules, and everyone interprets it slightly differently. Anyone know??

To answer your original question - yes, there can be gaps as long as you cover 2/3 of the perimeter, and no bumper segment can be less than 6" long.

[JesseK]

Specifically, the rule states that a STANDARD bumper as defined in Fig. 8-1 must be no shorter than 6 inches. Since they also do not want "hard" bumpers in the corners, you must place a vertical pool noodle to soften the corners of the side or front bumpers such that it covers the corner.

The extra vertical pool noodle that isn't part of the STANDARD bumper cannot count toward the minimum 6 inches. Though it is unfortunate, this is the only interpretation of this rule I can come up with.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by JesseK

Specifically, the rule states that a STANDARD bumper as defined in Fig. 8-1 must be no shorter than 6 inches. Since they also do not want "hard" bumpers in the corners, you must place a vertical pool noodle to soften the corners of the side or front bumpers such that it covers the corner.

The extra vertical pool noodle that isn't part of the STANDARD bumper cannot count toward the minimum 6 inches. Though it is unfortunate, this is the only interpretation of this rule I can come up with.

Can you quote the rule stating that you "must" use a vertical pool noodle on the corners? I've looked and can't seem to find it anywhere...

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by eagle33199

Can you quote the rule stating that you "must" use a vertical pool noodle on the corners? I've looked and can't seem to find it anywhere...

There is nothing requiring that a vertical pool noodle be used in the corner, but because the only thing that can be used in the corner is a pool noodle or cloth piece of bumper (and not wood, or other "hard" materials), most teams cut a pool noodle the height of a bumper and stand it up in the corner.

Figure 8-2 on page 10 of THE ROBOT shows exactly the scenario I am describing in the top left corner of the view of the robot on the left.

"If needed, a pool noodle corner can be wrapped into bumpers - but only pool noodles & cloth may penetrate corner space"

And lower left on the image....

"hard" bumper parts do not extend into the corners."

Basically what this is saying is that you can not "miter joint" the wood going around your robot behind your bumpers.

I'll try and get a good picture of what we have done and has been accepted in the past with these rules (which have not changed much, if any over the years of bumpers - other than the REQUIREMENT to have them this year as opposed to previous years.

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by JesseK

... you may place a vertical pool noodle to soften the corners of the side or front bumpers such that it covers the corner.

The extra vertical pool noodle that isn't part of the STANDARD bumper cannot count toward the minimum 6 inches. Though it is unfortunate, this is the only interpretation of this rule I can come up with.

Fixed your post.

The note in Figure 8.2 says, "if needed, a pool noodle corner can be wrapped into bumpers - bou only pool noodle and cloth may penetrate the corner space"

[JesseK]

Yea my bad. The point of the post was to clarify that the vertical pool noodle isn't part of a standard bumper by definition, therefore the vertical pool noodle should not be used in the 6" minimum dimension. I've thought about this several times due to the fact that our team this year is going with an open-front design and due to the nature of the bumper rules we unfortunately cannot have bumpers on the front, at all.

[Brandon Holley]

Heres a quick question:

What if one were to put bumpers on their robot in such a way that they fit all regulations and made contact within the bumper zone, but also extended below the 2.5" mark??

[AndyB]

If it was below 2.5" it would not fit regulations.