Title - Could anyone with competition experience tell me what to expect from inspection and/or everything related to it.
I understand that is sort of a broad question, so you could just answer the first part if you want.
Thanks!
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@Jon_Stratis is the most active Lead Robot Inspector (LRI) on here I think and I’m sure he’d be glad to help.
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I’ll cover the basics of what inspections look like from my experience. My team is in the NC district which means our events run from Friday evening to Saturday evening. Friday evening is the load-in time for teams where you bring in your robot, tools and parts and set up your pit. Inspection is generally whenever you are ready you find an inspector and let them know you are ready. The first thing is getting weighed. You’ll bring your robot over to the industrial scale and you’ll be asked to take your bumpers off. You set the robot on the scale, if it’s below weight, they have you put the bumpers on as well to make sure they don’t exceed the 15 lbs. after thats all cleared you head back to your pits for the rest of the inspection. Our inspectors have a tablet with a list of everything they check/ask you. This is basically every rule that pertains to your robot. They’ll check the frame perimeter with a cloth measuring tape, they’ll check height. They’ll check for sharp or serrated edges that can pose harm to other humans or robots. They’ll check for proper wiring (correct gauges, routing, and no illegal devices). They’ll check to make sure nothing poses significant harm. They’ll ask for the BOM (I think I’ve heard about this changing someone please check me on it) to make sure you are under budget. Thanks for the catch @NatsirtD Those are the main things but they’ll really be looking for anything against the rules. Some years have extension limits that they’ll check for. After you pass inspection they’ll give you a sticker and put a dot and initial it. Put that sticker somewhere visible on your robot and you’ll be good for quals. Should the inspector find something wrong don’t worry!! They are here to help. If it’s an immediate fix like filing down an edge so it’s not a razor or something simple they’ll usually stick around and check after your done. If it’s something major like wrong gauge wire, too big of frame perimeter or stuff like that they’ll offer suggestions or find other personnel (fta or csa) to help resolve issues. Keep in mind that inspectors are human and make mistakes, they are part of the first experience that helps you grow and can answer just about any questions about robot rules (and if not that’s what the head ref and lri are for)
Good luck and have fun!!
If I’ve missed anything or stated incorrectly please correct me
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The BOM has been removed for the foreseeable future. Great description of inspection.
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Have a look at “Section 10: Inspection & Eligibility Rules” and “Inspection Checklist” on this webpage.
Please note that it is possible to fail Inspection for something not on the checklist.
As @GoalkeeperBoss stated, the Inspection is to ensure that the robots meet the rules and do not pose a danger to any participants. The Inspectors are not there to fail teams.
At many of the events I have volunteered at, after the bulk of the teams have passed inspection, we were sent out to teams that seemed to be having trouble to help them find ways to pass. Since many Inspectors have many years of experience building robots so they are a good resource for making improvements. Their advice can help you avoid trying several fixes that won’t pass. Later, we were also asked to help teams that had passed but had persistent problems such as intermittent shorts in their electrical system.
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As an inspector (though I’ve been on inspecting hiatus for a couple of seasons), these guys pretty much nailed it.
My rule of thumb is that if I find something major, we’re talking it over until you understand why it needs to be fixed (and, if necessary, I’ve been corrected or overruled that it does need to be fixed), and we have a plan for getting you legal before your next qual match. I also prefer to complete the inspection so that you know all of what needs fixing, and can reinspect stuff as it finishes.
Oh, and one other thing: you don’t have to pass inspection on the first shot. You can take as many tries as you need to. Also, if it’s your first time, request an experienced inspector. Most LRIs will grant that request if they can.
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We normally go through a mock inspection using said check list before leaving the shop. You can take your time and understand it and possibly find an oops. You should have a printed out and bound (3 ring binder) current rules for reference. Study them end to end so if asked a question, you won’t have a “deer in the headlights” look.
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+1
I have done this for the teams I mentored the last few years and the teams passed Inspection on their first try. It was also good practice for me. If you know of someone in your area who will be working as an Inspector, ask them to take a look. Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes may catch something your team has missed or has misunderstood.
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Ideally, inspectors will also catch things like not having the right/required versions of software and firmware and find some of the more common problems that cause issues with the control system (wire gauge, loose connections, etc.). If you can, invite someone on an experienced team to look things over before the event starts. This brings up getting help from teams generally – don’t hesitate to ask. If you are a rookie team, you may get a lot of offers for help. Don’t be insulted by this, it’s normal and (a good) part of the culture and not any sort of reflection on your robot or team!
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Also note that inspectors are there to help you. They want to see you successfully compete.
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It’s a couple of years out of date, but still mostly accurate. Back in 2018 I did a video inspection for one of the Ri3D teams: 2018 FRC Inspection Video - YouTube
You’ll see the video is around 25 minutes long. That’s not unusual for inspection, especially if there’s an issue that needs to be discussed, or something that you’re fixing while the inspector is watching or helping. There are a lot of opinions on how long inspection should take… anything more than 45 minutes should involve the LRI, because that means either the inspector is taking too long, or you have some serious issues that the LRI should be aware of so they can get you help. I’d say 15 minutes is probably on the quick end, for teams that really have everything squared away and are ready for inspection! The checklist will released at some point before competition - download it and go through it yourself! Since we’re replaying the same game, the 2020 checklist, which is available right now, would give you a good idea of what to expect.
I tried to walk through the checklist in order, and talk about what we’re looking for with each item. A good inspector will make inspection a conversation, talking with you about each item. If there’s a problem, make sure you’re clear on what it is, why it’s a problem, and the scope of the problem. If you disagree, just ask to get a second opinion from the LRI, it’s really no big deal!
One thing you want to avoid is misunderstanding what you need to do to pass. Big Al has a story from a number of years ago he uses to illustrate the problem. A team had a good robot, but had one wire run that was 14 gauge on a 40A breaker. He pointed to the wire, told them to change it out for 12 gauge, then come up to finish inspection. 45 minutes later he went back to check on them, because it should have been a 5 minute fix. He found that they had pulled all of the 14 gauge wire out of their robot (including everything running off of 30A breakers!) and were rewiring everything. It’s used as a lesson for LRI’s and inspectors to be clear and precise with their communication, but it can also be a lesson for teams to make sure you aren’t doing more than you need to!
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Don’t be surprised to see an Inspector who helped your team resolve some issues cheering for your team later while you are on the field 
You can go to Inspection and pass without everything finished and working. A local team did an extensive rebuild and were not finished on Friday morning. They were scheduled to be in the first match with a couple of powerhouse teams who were hoping that they could just drive across the line in Auto then play defense. Since their pneumatic system was not finished, we skipped that whole section and tied back the pneumatically operated mechanisms. They then finished off the pnuematics and other stuff between matches and called an Inspector to go over the parts they got working.
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Story time!
I usually do my team on or around Bag Day (or the Day that Was Bag Day). They usually pass no problem, or have a bunch of minor “in progress” stuff. This season, though, I got a hand from one of the students.
We were over at another team’s field for a practice day earlier this year. A week before we’d had a scrimmage there, with (optional) inspections, but this week was just “open practice”. There was a team there that looked like they needed inspection–and I’d been asked to do a different team as well so I had a couple of checklists. Did the first team, and I’m going through the checklist when I saw it. There was an inspection sticker on their frame… from 2019. Uh-oh.
So I started asking questions. Questions like “did you do anything to this frame after Kickoff?” and “So, uh, are you SURE you didn’t do any work, including disassembly and reassembly?”. Then I explained why: Because they hadn’t done any work, they were effectively playing with a Major Mechanism from 2019. We’re a week away from the regional. On top of this, they had an illegal motor (a junkyard salvage, useful in past seasons but not this one). Two major issues… then one of the Torbots who was helping them with a control issue pipes up “Did you see the two motors on one speed controller?”
Recap: The team has three major issues: 2 motors (MiniCims) on one speed controller, an illegal motor doing something else, and they’re using last year’s frame without any rework–and it’s a week to their regional.
Before they left, they were ordering another speed controller; they had a Kitbot for 2020 back at their school (I suggested they try stealing a rail from that one–no sense in a full chassis rebuild with only 1 week to go, but a rail swap makes it legal); and they were plotting how to fix their other motor. I also told them that I was going to make sure the LRI knew to have an experienced inspector work with them.
Fast forward a week and an email chain with the LRI. I was at the venue during load-in, and the team found me and asked me to take a quick look. They’d fixed all three of their issues, flew through inspection from what I’ve heard, and generally had a fun event.
Oh, and if you want inspection “horror stories”–all you need to do is ask experienced inspectors. You’ll hear 'em.
I could add some anecdotes on what NOT to do!
Speaking of creative bumpers, guess which shirt I wore yesterday? 
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Free Tech Tip of the day: Weigh your robot with a CALIBRATED scale that you have confidence in! Then get paranoid and weigh it again 
One time we didn’t follow this tech tip and we were 9 pounds overweight at our first competition…don’t make our mistake
For real though I would very much throw a recommend to building underweight by 5-10 pounds just for the peace of mind you can get (we were ~5 pounds under this year).
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Just some advice from someone who was on a rookie team not too long ago – make sure your bumpers are high-quality and perfectly fit to your frame by competition – you do not want to be re-building your bumpers at competition (trust me, it takes a long time and could mean you miss a few matches) .
Feel free to reach out if you want any other advice with regards to running a younger team!
Best,
Abhi
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A lot of other people have gone over what happens at inspection pretty thoroughly, but here are some other tips. The inspectors often will begin striking up a conversation about other things, turning inspection into a time suck when you just want to get it over with. Be courteous, of course, but steer the conversation back to inspection with something like “Alright, what’s next?” Know your robot and everything that’s going to be inspected too, by checking the official inspection checklist ahead of time. This way, when they ask a specific question, you can answer definitively without drawing suspicions or doubts. We’ve had inspections take close to 2 hours before because of slow judges, so my biggest suggestion would be to just keep it moving.
Another tip is to treat the maximum limits (dimensions and weight) as limits when designing your robot. I have seen so many teams treat those limits as design goals. When their measurements are off by a little bit or they fail to take something into account, they fail inspection in a way that takes a long time to resolve. One example is a frame perimeter that measures at 121" when the maximum is 120". Another is a mechanism that extends 16 1/2" past the frame perimeter when the limit is 16". A subtle one is when a mechanism is retracted and it is just flush with the frame perimeter when it is first built. With use, the pivots get sloppy and parts get bent so the mechanism projects past the frame perimeter when retracted. The teams that design so that it is clear that they are within the limits with a reasonable margin tend to get through inspection a lot faster.
It also helps to study the rules. I have seen quite a few teams fail inspection because they “didn’t know about” some rule.
Sometimes, the Inspector may give you advice about your robot. I recall something like 5 or 6 robots that passed inspection with no problems but I pointed out that while the mounting for their main breaker was totally legal, it was not a very good idea. They had mounted their breakers so that it was the most prominent feature on one side of the robot making them vulnerable to being switched off by a bouncing game piece or some other robot 
That’s when you ask the judges–politely–to move along, you’re trying to get inspected and the yellow hat has all of your attention right now.
For reference:
Judges judge awards and wear blue polo shirts. Many of them do inspect but they are not judging when they do.
Inspectors wear yellow hats (and, in the case of the LRI, a black vest).
Referees wear zebra shirts and call fouls on the field. Some may inspect… but not while in stripes.
Also, sounds like you guys keep getting the newbie inspectors. I may talk, but it’ll be about what’s going on right now with the robot first–there’s another 5 teams in my list that I need to get to!