I know there are going to be changes to the bumper rules coming up but I have a question about the 2024 rules.
Would it be legal to make a bumper set that consists of 4 parts with each side of the bumper assembly (wood and noodle) independent of each other. There would be 2.5"+ of pool noodle/foam on either side of 2 of the bumper pieces. I hope my drawing is clear.
I looked through the manual and the only thing I can think may break the rules is R409.
Thanks so much.
JMH
Yes, you can still run four section bumpers.
The new rules allow wider gaps between the bumper sections but DON’T allow a mitered corner. So, your system should be good!
To my knowledge, yes those are legal. There is no requirement that the pool noodles in the corners must be supported by hard materials. Just keep the plywood backing rules in mind so that the wood butts together between segments (R401).
You might want to keep in mind the primary direction the robot travels to stop things going in that bumper gap. (aka put the gaps on the sides, not front/back) That could be a tear point in the future, and you don’t really want to be repairing them at a competition (and your robot is disabled if a frame perimeter corner is exposed).
Looking at the rulebook, there are even examples of this same design in the rules, see R410:
From a former robot inspector. (2019-23, I never got the chance to inspect this year)
