Can anyone answer if it’s ok for part of the robot to extend past the bumper as long as it’s still inside the perimeter restrictions?
Yes
Provided that at the start of the match you are inside the frame perimeter, and you do not ever extend beyond the volume size you chose.
A. Maybe I don’t understand your question. How can something (that’s part of your robot) be outside the bumpers yet inside the perimeter?
B. Did you read the rules? If it’s not prohibited, it’s permitted. (With the understanding that some rules, like motors, say something like “only the following are permitted”, which effectively prohibits everything else.)
I believe the perimeter in question is that of the maximum robot volume.
It is legal if you make a robot that has a frame perimeter+bumpers smaller than the volume limit to have something extend out beyond the bumpers up to the extent of the max volume.
In essence there are two volumes to be concerned with:
- Prior to the match starting
all parts of the robot (except bumpers) must be inside the frame perimeter. - During the match
all parts of the robot (including bumpers) must be inside the max robot volume.
For someone who wasn’t around in the era of The Inspection Box, and thus only knows the Frame Perimeter as a method of measuring robot size*, I would say that it’s actually “natural” to use Perimeter. It’s what they know.
fights off a sudden urge to go into Geezer Mode
Anyways, as noted, I expect that they’re used to using “perimeter” to refer to the robot’s bounding size limit (which, this year, happens to be a volume).
*2015 excepted, when the robots could be as large as they wanted but had to pack into a volume to go to the field.
But… but… The Box wasn’t that long ago, was it??
'12, IIRC. Maybe '13. Long enough for one FIRST Generation to graduate.
I remember using one to inspect in '10, definitely didn’t use one in '14.