Catapulting minibot

Competition Rules/Strategy
1

Assuming that this is possible to aim/trajectory correctly, is this legal:

Your robot is 30 inches tall (the exact height of the deployment line). Recessed in it, is the minibot, which is catapulted, with whatever method from the robot up to the height of 60 inches, and then continues to the top.

Is this legal?

The reason I ask this, is that I can’t find any rule that states that it is not. Although “deploy” is clearly defined, it is never defined that a robot must deploy the minibot in the deployment zone.

<G20> ROBOTS/HOSTBOTS may not contact their own TOWERS above the DEPLOYMENT LINE.
Violation: PENALTY for contact. TOWER is disabled if MINIBOT is DEPLOYED above the
DEPLOYMENT LINE.

But does this mean deployed if it is not touching the robot when it touches the area above the line?

2

I really can’t see this being legal. Its implied that the minibot is an extension of the main robot, and thus must be deployed below the deployment line

3

From section 1

DEPLOYMENT – the act of positioning a MINIBOT on a TOWER. DEPLOYMENT starts when the MINIBOT breaks the vertical projection of the TOWER BASE circumference during the END GAME. (Related form, DEPLOY, verb).

4

Just realized a way to get around that rule. Throw out a string, and detatch it at the bottom of the tower, THEN you catapult out the minibot.

Would that be against the rules?

5

Is the string part of your HOSTBOT, or part of the MINIBOT?

If part of the HOSTBOT, then you haven’t deployed the MINIBOT properly.

If part of the MINIBOT, then the MINIBOT is bigger than 12" ^3.

6

I’m fairly confident that any free-flying mini-bots will be deemed a safety hazard.

7

i would agree with this …flying projectiles are hard to control and could harm a robot or person also the defenition of deployment says that you must place the minibot on the tower and if you dont deploy the minibot it would not count

8

What if the minibot is wraped around the pole? could you then catapult it? What if the catapult is connected to the Hostbot and rests on the platform?

9

I thought about this too. Although this type of thing is nearly always (from other similar situations) covered in the first rules update. So, it may just be best to hang on for that.
Although my guess is that is will be disallowed.

10

Firstly:

Your catapult would have to have a lever that would stop with the top of the minibot below the deployment line, because:
[size=3]
DEPLOYMENT – the act of positioning a MINIBOT on a TOWER. DEPLOYMENT starts when the MINIBOT breaks the vertical projection of the TOWER BASE circumference during the END GAME. (Related form, DEPLOY, verb)

[LEFT][/LEFT]
<G22> HOSTBOTS may not contact their ALLIANCE’S MINIBOT once it has climbed above the DEPLOYMENT LINE. [FONT=Arial,Arial]Violation: TOWER is disabled [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Arial][/FONT]
So yeah, don’t try it.

Also:

[FONT=Arial,Arial]When reading these rules, please use technical commonsense (engineering thinking) rather than “lawyering” the interpretation and splitting hairs over the precise wording in an attempt to find loopholes. Try to understand the reasoning behind a rule.

Don’t mix up innovation with wanting to beat the system. As long as you understand that, keep ideaing away! :smiley:
[/FONT][/size]

11

Coupled with the loophole that allows a robot to have multiple minirobots, could you deploy a minirobot that has the sole purpose of shooting another minibot up the pole? (the projectile minibot being a sort of carabiner-like object that latches onto the pole)

12

I am not trying to beat the system or anything I just don’t see what in the rules prevents you from launching the minibot from the base. You wouldn’t have to make your minbot break the plane while touching it, you have 18 inches. I have asked in the Q&A and that will give the official answer. I personally don’t think it will be legal, but who knows.

13

I would imagine that they are going to eventually clarify deployment further and say that it ends when the minibot eventually grabs the tower or hits the top. If that were that case, it would be considered deploying above the deployment line to launch it at all. At least that is the impression I’ve been getting while I read the rules.

14

im pretty sure the reason we cant catapult the minibot is becuase of people like me. my first thought was to strap a small rocket engine on the thing and forget about it. right now im shooting (no pun intended) for building a scaled down air cannon and turning it upside down so the air jetisons the bot into space.

15

I had a similar idea, but to deploy the minibot legally and then launch it to the top with a spring/pneumatic system of some kind. Nothing in the rules against that XD This is gonna be fun…

16

Good luck finding a small air cannon in the FTC kit of parts :stuck_out_tongue:

17

use the pvc pipe to make a barrel and a holding tank. the stuff can take a lot of pressure, so as long as you charged it on the host bot it will be fine. besides my team doesnt feel like putting a hole in the roof of the shop we are using, so it probably wont happen.

18

PVC air tanks are prohibited as they are not pneumatic components.

All of you are going about wrong. Store the energy in the minibot…

19

i was considering something similar, but was worried about the possibility of not having enough force to reach the 2-4 N needed to activate the sensor- so… maybe a combination of a self powered bot and a boost from host? :slight_smile:

20

<G26> If at any time a ROBOT’S operation or design is deemed unsafe, the ROBOT will be disabled for the remainder of the MATCH. If the safety violation is due to the ROBOT design, the Head Referee has the option to not allow the ROBOT back onto the FIELD until the design has been corrected. Violation: PENALTY and Disablement