Do the rules allow controlling TWO balls simultaneous in autonomous?

Competition Rules/Strategy
1

Situation:
Alliance with two robots (third didn’t show up) loaded both robots with a ball. Robot #2 placed the third ball behind their robot without touching the robot.

At the start of autonomous robot #2 backed up about two inches, grabbed the third ball, then drove forward, shot, then loaded the third ball into shooter.

Between pickup and shooting of their first ball the robot essentially had control over two balls simultaneously. It was very smart and effective!

Is this allowed by the 2014 rules?

Our reading of the rules says that the third ball can be on the field as long as each bot is only touching one ball at a time and the ball is placed between the white line and the truss. I’ve found no mention of simultaneous control during autonomous.

2

Yes this is a completely legal via the rules. I know team 254 has a pretty sweet 3 ball autonomous that they have competed with.

3

Sure in autonomous it is. As long as only one ball was touching at the beginning of the match. A few teams are doing that.

4

I can’t find the Q&A answer at the moment, but the GDC specifically said that no rules prohibit possession of more than one ball once the match begins. For multi ball autos, robots should be touching just one ball to start, but with a robot in the Goalie Zone they can place another ball anywhere not in contact with them inside their side of the white zone.

5

No this would not be legal as you describe since you can’t place more balls on the field than their are robots on your alliance. If you had a 3rd bot on your alliance then yes you can do it as long as the second ball is not touching your robot at the start of the match. If the 3rd bot in in the goalie zone then you can place it anywhere except touching your robot. If the 3rd bot in placed in the white zone then the 3rd ball must be touching them.

6

We have a 2 ball autonomous and teams were always surprised when we asked them to start in the goalie zone so we could take their ball.

7

Oh? Please read G5 again, specifically the third paragraph.

It’s perfectly legal to do exactly what the OP says happened, provided that the extra ball doesn’t touch either robot that already has one.

8

I have to disagree with you on this one. G5 clearly states that

If a ROBOT does not report to a MATCH, its ALLIANCE may decide if the BALL is: staged between the TRUSS and the ZONE LINE and not contacting an ALLIANCE partner, or removed from the FIELD for the MATCH.

So if a team has a two ball auto that works they can still use the third ball even if the third robot is not there.

9

The rules do not prohibit having possession of more than one ball at the same time. The only thing is that after auton you can’t get more than one ball on the field. In theory teams like 254 could grab all three balls and take them to the goal in the case that they missed their auton shots.