In the manual:
At the top of each SCALE there are two RUNGS, one per ALLIANCE. An ALLIANCE’S RUNG extends into their PLATFORM ZONE. RUNGS consist of a 1 ft. 1 ft. 1 in. (~33 cm) long 1 ¼ in. Schedule 40 aluminum pipe supported by 2 in. (~5 cm) box tubing.
Can you only climb attached to the pipe, or can you also climb attached to the box tubing that holds the pipe to the tower?
Our team was debating the same thing. Obviously the idea was to only hang on the smaller rung. Similar to 2016 how you would not purposely hang on the high goal. This definitely needs to be clarified.
In 2016, the high goal was not designed to hold the weight of a robot, this year I expect the box tubing will be designed to hold the weight of (up to 3) robots, whether directly or via the round tubing. I do not know if hanging from the box tubing will be allowed, but I would not use 2016 to rule it out.
Check G19. The ever-popular perennial “grasp/grab/grapple” rule.
Although “grapple” no longer appears in the rules. I always thought that was a good word.
G19 excludes the RUNG.
In 3.3.2 The Rung is defined as
RUNGS consist of a 1 ft. 1 ft. 1 in. (~33 cm) long 1 ¼ in. Schedule 40
aluminum pipe supported by 2 in. (~5 cm) box tubing.
I would think that would mean the square tubing is part of the RUNG. It is also highlighted in the diagram. It will definitely need to be clarified.
It is not clear whether the box tubing is part of the rung, or merely that which supports the rung. This should be the key to this question – and is clearly for a Q&A.
If the square supports are part of the rung, what is the point of making the cross bar the only round tube in the whole structure?
Clearly the language is not clear, but the shape of the pieces logically means only the round bar is a rung.
We asked the question via Twitter, I don’t have the link but they responded saying yes you could climb from the box tubing that holds the rung.
This could greatly change the way teams design the mechanism that grabs the rung or box tubing
I agree that this appears to define the box tubing is part of “the rung.”
It would behoove all teams to begin consideration and prototyping mechanisms that utilize climbing on one side of the box tubing.
And it would behoove all teams to be prepared to have an alternate prototype if/when Q&A says “no.”
I hope this is backed up by a manual update or Q&A response. I do not envy the student that pulls out a twitter post in the question box.
Be sure to follow this up with an official Q&A question. Twitter is not an official source for such things (even if it is Frank Merrick himself who responds), no more than CD is either.
The text says that RUNGS consist of a round piece “supported by” a square piece.
Does that mean that the square piece is part of the RUNG? Or that it is a separate part that only serves to support the RUNG?
Magic 8 Ball says, “Cannot predict now”.
Anybody else considering being the primary “climbing robot” and climbing off the front rung? Install 2-3 rungs that are fixed on your frame and allow 1 robot to hang off the back or a pair on each side. Now everyone, even a rookie should be able to climb as long as they have hooks that can grasp the “rung”. It’s going to be pretty tight trying to hang one robot on the rung and 2 off the square tubings and what happens when you have two left handed or right handed robots? There is after all only 7" of square tubing and it’s against the wall.
Does anyone see where you have to climb via the RUNG only? What I see is being fully supported by SCALE.
Check G19.
Yes as a plan B. We have something else we are waiting on rule clarification but if not we plan to climb and present two bars at close to the height to allow the team members to get up.
Thanks so much for this reply. see that now.
The box tubing is highlighted/the same color as the round tube in Figure 3-9. I would interpret that, combined with the way the definition is worded, to mean that the box tubing is considered part of the rung.
I would think that if they didn’t intend for the box tubing to be part of the rung, they would have said “rungs consist of a 1ft 1in 1-1/4in schedule 40 aluminum pipe. The rung is supported by 2in box tubing”. Punctuation is important.
That being said, I would like a Q&A response confirming it just to put my mind at ease.
RUNGS** consist of **a 1 ft. 1 ft. 1 in. (~33 cm) long 1 ¼ in. Schedule 40 aluminum pipe supported by 2 in. (~5 cm) **box tubing. **
'Consist of Pipe , box tubing support"
Yellow highlighted for clarity
Its the whole thing IMO
Figure 3.9 helps define the RUNG by highlighting what it consists of. The box tubing is highlighted. Not sure how they could be any more explicit than that.