So, the 2018 manual lists technician as a field role and the normal roles for drive team. The rules state that the technician will have to stand in a designated area away from everyone else. What if our technician is our driver? Would the best assumption be that we should just not have the technician wear the technician button and just the drive team button?
You do not need to have a technician. The number in Table 4-4 tell the maximum number for each role; there is no minimum.
You do not need to have any of the other roles either, but it would be rather difficult to make the robot go without any drivers.
Just program a 2:15 autonomous program 
Don’t get any funny ideas.
Went to a summer autonomous program, longest challenges were 45 seconds. With only a week to do it, we barely even got that. I’d love to see you try, and I will bow down to you if you manage to get it! But otherwise…bad idea 
Lol now that is a great idea!
And who exactly will be waiting by your cart so that we the field workers can quickly transition you off and setup for the next match and still make a seven minute match turnaround schedule? A LARGE issue is untangling hanging robots, getting them properly powered down, pressures released, etc., lowered and and safely transitioned off and new bots on the field all while corralling and getting the 60 odd game pcs back into proper position, ck 3 big mecanical field elements you have been banging bots against and conduct other field repairs, etc. completed in said short period of time.
The “need to do it all driver or human player” is IMHO an issue that delays matches, which throws off schedules huge (field required repairs runs a real close 2nd.). Waiting for pilots to reach their airships last year was an issue because many felt the need to place robots, place game pcs in robots, enter into last second game strategy instructions, install and tie those wonderful perfectly measured slipknots into the climbing ropes from the floor, converse behind the glass momentarily with the drive teams and finally arrive to embark. A few that placed robots also needed to exit said airships after being locked in due to robot connection issues. DISEMBARKING AND REEMBARKING took up valuable time. You are our only customer, so please take this as truly meant. We are only looking out to please you.
The GDC added an additional Technician to it appears, help this process along given that it is another end game climbing robot type of game. I urge you please to train someone, anyone, to do even parts of the Technician mission and utilize that extra personel position created as it will help field reset and repair in their mission to keep your match schedule a bit closer to on time. Our enemy is that world famous clock. And it is unforgiving. Last year it was 6 different robots on 6 different ropes or straps, this year 6 robots maybe tangled together in 2 columns to untangle.
Gentle reminder here…there is no I in Team. Please allow another team member to take part in the glory of the competition. Add them even if you do not think you will need them, as they will contribute.
Ultimately I’m guessing that my team will choose to have a robot programmer be our technician and verse them in everything about the drive station, radio, roboRIO, etc. I know our head robot programmer enjoyed having the media pass in the past so that way he got a really up close look at how the autonomous code acted. That’ll be a helpful addition to having that extra hand of someone who is for sure knowledgeable for troubleshooting.
It could also mean I won’t have to carry the driver station finally 
I think the very point of having a technician is for it NOT to be someone already on the drive team. Otherwise therre’s not really an advantage to having the pin. The 5th person is a bonus of sorts, and you would be wise to use it as such.
This new Technician role is like, “Hey, do you want to be on the drive team? Cool, okay, go stand in the corner and don’t talk to anyone.”
Seriously though, I think we’ll use our technician as a photographer/videographer unless there is some reason we can’t or shouldn’t. I kind of like that we do get an additional person down there to be a part of the action.
It sounds like theyre going to be stuck in a corner during the match. They may not even be able to do that…
A couple of considerations that you may want to think about…
–The Technician is part of the Drive Team. That means that H07, H06, and H02 all apply–cameras can be used, but wireless off and only from the Technician Zone unless you like being penalized. (I know you don’t like being penalized.)
–The Technician Zone isn’t defined–but it’s likely to be near the carts. Now, at most events down here, the cart zone has been off to the corner, often with a really bad view of the field, or even behind the driver’s station. I know L.A. will be a new venue so that’s an unknown, never been to your other event so I don’t know what’ll happen there. (Admittedly, a “nice” event might use some of the field-side “judges’ seats” as a “Technician Zone”–hey, planning committees, great idea to improve team experience here!)
Sounds like a reasonable plan, though. Not as good as a team media pass, though, IMO.
Besides worlds, ive never seen a team media pass at any event ive been to. Maybe its just not a thing in PNW… why does this feel ironic?
Some events have them but it’s a “space available” sort of deal. Orange County last year barely had space for regular media…
So, just to clarify, we don’t have to use a technician if our drivers can do everything?
That is correct. The technician is an advised, but ultimately optional role.
If you’re into Robot in 3 Days at all, Team Indiana discussed why they were excited for the technician role last night on their broadcast. To sum it up, volunteers are looking at this role to help match turn around time. That fifth person can help get robots down from the rung, get the cart sorted out, etc, etc.
Also, as someone who used to keep old drive team buttons so my programmer could come write autos in queue, this is incredibly useful! Don’t give up this prime opportunity to give a deserving student some drive team experience and the opportunity to be able to troubleshoot and fix things more quickly. Especially for quick match turnarounds. So many times, my drive team and I have needed to talk strategy but bumpers need to be switched, batteries need to be changed, etc…
At first glance, the technician may not jump out at you, but it could be game changing. (If you use take advantage of the role. Pick a deserving student! Maybe someone who wasn’t the best driver, but really works hard and deserves a field spot.)
TL/DR: They help set up the robot and pull the cart.
If I had a dollar for every time my students told me this very thing…
At least the Pilot/HP last year were useful in matches…
5 members is nice but this role is literally “Set up and shut up” for whomever gets it. Not exactly a fun time for them (unless they like that? Some people are into weird things…)
I saw it as a pit team member, or someone who is really good at dealing with programming or the mechanical portion of the robot, that could hold. We have team members who are really really strong programmers or builders who usually don’t hold drive team roles due to a higher interest of just being in pit. This just kinda combines them.