Is building a lift to buddy climb someone up with you allowed?
Yes you can. Rule G13 which normally forbids climbing on other robots has an exception for rendezvous.
Don’t climb on each other unless at the RENDEZVOUS POINT. A ROBOT may not be fully
supported by a partner ROBOT unless the partner ROBOT’S BUMPERS are intersecting its
RENDEZVOUS POINT.
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Yes but the issue is that you can’t extend more than 12 inches in frame perimeter so it would be hard to grab onto another bot.
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True, however it is permitted by the rules if you can figure out how to pull it off.
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I was thinking to buddy climb something similar to 148 in 2018.
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Keep in mind the new cheesecake rules when thinking about wrangling.
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Specifically I1.
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Not to be snarky, but I suggest you read the new rules yourself to get the full picture. Then while you’re at it, read all the rest of the rules too. It’s really important that you read and understand all of the rules or you’re bound to break them. If you read them and then have specific questions, I’m sure the community would be more than happy to help you with that.
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Extend underneath your robot. It’s not in the rules, I don’t think. So a bar that drops down could work. Have your alliance partner climb on it and a free ranking point (in the middle would be level). The only concern is height, 5ft 3in is not a lot, so two short robots would be good
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Wouldn’t that violate R18?
Except as allowed per G16, BUMPERS must be located entirely within the BUMPER ZONE,
which is the volume contained between the floor and a virtual horizontal plane 7½ in. (~19 cm) above the floor in reference to the ROBOT standing normally on a flat floor. BUMPERS do not have to be parallel to the floor.
This measurement is intended to be made as if the ROBOT is resting on a flat floor
(without changing the ROBOT configuration), not relative to the height of the ROBOT
from the FIELD carpet. Examples include:
Example 1: A ROBOT that is at an angle while navigating the FIELD has its BUMPERS
outside the BUMPER ZONE. If this ROBOT were virtually transposed onto a flat floor,
and its BUMPERS are in the BUMPER ZONE, it meets the requirements of R18.
Example 2: A ROBOT deploys a MECHANISM which lifts the BUMPERS outside the
BUMPER ZONE (when virtually transposed onto a flat floor). This violates R18.
Seems like the lifting apparatus would become the bottom of the robot
apologies for my garbage formatting
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refer to rule G16
G16. Keep your BUMPERS low. BUMPERS must be in the BUMPER ZONE (see R18) during the
MATCH unless a ROBOT’s BUMPERS are intersecting its RENDEZVOUS POINT or a ROBOT is
supported by a partner ROBOT whose BUMPERS are intersecting its RENDEZVOUS POINT.
Violation: FOUL. If strategic, RED CARD.
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You’re right, I hadn’t looked at that carefully. Thanks!
I mean, is a strip of velcro really a major mechanism. It doesn’t tackle any game challenge on its own.
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I might be wrong, but that rule was in the manual last year and we saw many robots extend below their bumpers. There might be an exception to that last year, but I don’t think it violates. Also height isn’t a concern in the rendezvous point. Please correct if I’m wrong!
Yes, that is what that rule says. In theory you can extend below your bumpers and use that to lift up partners. I look forward to some creative designs.
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I’m not familiar with how rule changes occur, but do you think it is possible that this rule might change to allow for greater extension in endgame? Or will it probably stay as it is?
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A strip of Velcro might be a MAJOR MECHANISM. The blue box from I1 states
I1 requires that the ROBOT and its MAJOR MECHANISMS were built by its team, but
isn’t intended to prohibit or discourage assistance from other teams (e.g. fabricating
elements, supporting construction, writing software, developing game strategy,
contributing COMPONENTS and/or MECHANISMS, etc.)
Examples of MAJOR MECHANISMS include, but are not limited to, assemblies listed
below:
a. an assembly used to manipulate a game piece
b. an assembly used to position a ROBOT for an end game task
c. an assembly used to manipulate a FIELD element
d. an assembly used to move the ROBOT around the FIELD
Examples that would generally not be considered MAJOR MECHANISMS, and thus
probably aren’t subject to I1 include, but are not limited to, the following:
a. a gearbox assembly
b. a COMPONENT or MECHANISM that’s part of a MAJOR MECHANISM
c. COTS items
Neither I1 nor the language in its Blue Box define specific thresholds for how much of a
MAJOR MECHANISM must be the result of the team’s effort. I1 expects and requires the
team’s honest assessment of whether they built the MAJOR MECHANISMS of their
ROBOT.
So the velcro could be interpreted as b. an assembly used to position a ROBOT for an end game task but additionally your velcro could be COTS items and probably not subject to I1. You could also maybe argue that the Velcro by itself is not a MAJOR MECHANISM without your buddy system.
So from how I currently read the rules it would be up to your LRI if the Velcro is a MAJOR MECHANISM
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I have just as much clue as you do.
Last year there was a specific exception that you had to be completely in a particular area of the field to violate said rule.
Robots that deployed climbers out of zone… uh… well, they got flagged.
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