One of our sponsors has ALOT of 2-3/4" diameter noodles. Using a hot wire cutter the kids are shaping them to meet 2-1/2"
Thoughts?
I would take a closely at R21C, which states that bumpers must:
use a stacked pair of approximately 2 1⁄2 in. round, petal, or hex “pool noodles” (solid or hollow) as the BUMPER cushion material (see Figure 4-7). All pool noodles used on a ROBOT must be the same diameter, cross-section, and density (e.g. all round hollow or all hex solid). Cushion material may extend up to 2 1⁄2 in. beyond the end of the plywood (see Figure
4-8). To assist in applying the fabric covering, soft fasteners may be used to attach the pool noodles to the wood backing, so long as the cross section in Figure 4-7 is not significantly altered (e.g. tape compressing the pool noodles)
I do not believe that noodles cut in this way will meet the requirement.
There’s no requirement that the pool noodles be strictly COTS items. As long as your bumpers are consistent around the perimeter and fit the profile, I doubt that you’d be flunked for this - especially if the noodles are already inside of the fabric. That said, if you use them, you should have a plan B that you can implement on Thursday.