What is the restriction/rule that has most effected the design of your robot this year?
gravity and the laws of physics are the main restrictors of robot design this year.
-vivek 
Indeed. We were going to use a Portal gun this year but we don’t have a local Aperture Science branch.
I originally voted weight but now that I’ve thought about it the 80" max rule is the limiting factor. With the trackballs being 40", and your max starting width without falling down is 38", it’s going to be hard to grab around the trackballs and not go over that dimension.
Weight, starting size and max horizontal size are all things we’ve had to deal with before. The flag holder rule is just a newer variation of those rules that, over the past couple of years, become a common place rule. It’s had it’s refinements over those years, just like any rule. Anyway it’ll be interesting with the game this year.
We don’t seem to be bumping up against any of the rules, so it’s really likely that our design has no chance of working…
starting config for sure. The fact that you cant flip you robot on it side (60" being a horizontal limit) so that the ball is bigger then all your horizontal dimensions is rough.
It’s time for the annual robot origami festival to get everything folded inside the starting dimensions.
Bumpers! :ahh:
Speed limit? Or lack thereof?
Huh? Flop-bots are legal this year - see the rules regarding STARTING CONFIGURATION and PLAYING CONFIGURATION.
Although if you flop to a 60x38 configuration, you are now over 71" diagonal measurement - doesn’t allow for much arm extension.
rule R08 and the 2/3 of your robot must be covered by bumpers is really wrecking our main plan. this rule is completely unnecessary and prevents a large portion of the ball from entering the robot’s frame
You would probably change your mind if your frame were to get bent or break from a high speed collision or from a pushing match with another robot.
Using my best Borat imitation, “I like bumpers!”
Bumpers will be important. Remember to paint them up, make them different, but for the love of game, make them cool looking!!
Make a stronger frame :rolleyes:
Ive never seen a properly designed, robust frame break at a FRC event.
I’d say the no detachable parts. I thought a robot with a detachable tower mechanism would work really well, detach the tower, and the smaller mobile half can go run around and push trackballs at the tower that will do all the lifting, get both speed and be able to throw balls over ><.
Sorry, but that’s been a rule since the beginning of time (at least my time in FIRST). Besides, how would you get power to it? It would still be wired to the robot. Many rules beside the explicit one would make it so you couldn’t detach robot parts. (The explicit rule is so that you don’t leave stuff all over the field that could hurt other robots).
I have also never seen a properly designed and built frame brake at a FRC competition (including ours; YAY ALUMINIUM!)
It made its debut in 1998. The year before, a particular team had made an extremely effective robot that intentionally detached a part and prevented other teams from scoring. So, FIRST decided to outlaw that type of behavior. Detaching mechanisms or parts intentionally has been illegal ever since.
Yup. Somewhere between the ground and lifting to the overpass it’s likely you will exceed the 80" limit.
hey we’re new this year
could somebody please explain what a flopbot is?
A robot whose drive train is oriented along the 5’ dimension. Due to starting rules, these robots must start with their drive mostly off the ground and then either fall or slide so that the 5’ dimension is on the ground. Research team 71 in 2002 or team 67 in 2005 to get a better picture.