Air Defense System

[Rocketeeringer]

Hi everyone,

My team was brainstorming ideas for our robot's role in the game, and one thing we thought of was a defensive robot that used an air cannon or fan to knock balls off their trajectory.

This seems like a logical thing to do, since when you're playing defense you will be shorter than the opponent that is scoring.

I could not find anything in the rules that would outlaw this besides
G13, which says that "Basketballs may not be intentionally placed out of bounds," and under
Robot 4.1.8 Motors and Actuators which states that "The only motors and actuators permitted on 2012 FRC Robots include: (K.) drive motors or fans that are part of a speed controller or COTS computing device."

Although, R71 says that "For the purposes of the FRC, the following devices are not considered pneumatic devices and are not subject to pneumatic rules (though they must satisfy all other rules): a device that creates a vacuum,...", so we could potentially use a vacuum to achieve the same purpose.

So, would this be an illegal tactic? Is it within the spirit of the game?

Thanks!