Our team was debating climbing mechanisms, and have iterated down to 2 designs. One is vastly simpler than the other, but may infringe upon the rules (hence the post). Keep reading for details.
So if a robot starts on the ground, and extends an arm to the second horizontal pole, with an attachment that** loops over the top of the pole**, would that be an infringement of the rules? I do not recall the rules manual saying that there may be small protrusions into a 3rd level, but rather that the robot may only be in 2 levels at once.
I think that this is an infringement of the rules, but some of my team members disagree.
I argue that the robot would need to get off the ground, and climb until it is at level 2 before it can hang from the 2nd bar. Whereas my team members say that there is only a small protrusion into level 3, so the robot can climb into level 2 (above 1st bar.)
For a valid climb, your robot may occupy more than 2 zones, however, it may not contact the pyramid in more than 2 zones. An attachment to the second horizontal pole, as mentioned above, counts as contact in LEVEL 2. However, this contact cannot be made while in contact with the ground (LEVEL 0), as these are not consecutive levels, thereby such an act would invalidate the climb. The robot must be completely lifted off the ground before contacting the second horizontal bar. However, if this condition is met, the climb may proceed as valid.
You may be in a zone, as long as you do not contact the zone (Q&A) Therefore, you may reach above the horizontal for any given zone and come down to the horizontal and be just fine. This is where you are incorrect and your teammates are correct.
However, your teammates are also incorrect, and you are correct (though not for the right reason). Remember that you must contact the zones sequentially, and only two at a time, including level zero, the floor. This is why extending to the second horizontal from the floor is not going to net you any climb points–you’re out of sequence, or 3 at a time, or both.
tl;dr: As described, the first method will not get you any climb points, while the second will, but is overly cumbersome (in my mind, not having seen your setup).
Does this “loop” touch the second pole while on the ground?
Airspace is not part of the pyramid in terms of contact so you could “loop” over the pole with out touching it. I don’t really see how this would be useful, however.
If you are on the ground: [Level 0]
…You can also contact anything up to and including the top surface of the first horizontal bar. [Level 1]
If you are not on the ground and are only contacting between the ground and the top surface of Bar 1: [Level 1]
…You can also contact anything up to and including the top surface of Bar 2. [Level 2]
If you are only contacting above (not inclusive) the top of Bar 1, up to an including the top of Bar 2: [Level 2]
…You can also contact anything above you. [Level 3]
In your case, if you are on the ground, you cannot contact anything above the top surface of Bar 1. You’re looking to touch Bar 2, which is 30" above your allowed zone–not a small protrusion, even if those were legal in the rules (which they’re not). You are skipping a level; not contacting 3 at once: you’ve entirely missed Level 1.
Additionally, “I argue that the robot would need to get off the ground, and climb until it is at level 2 before it can hang from the 2nd bar” is untrue. You can contact Bar 2 (up to and including the top surface) as soon as you lose contact with the ground by entering Level 1 (up to and including the top of Bar 1).