We were watching the finger lakes regional and saw that team 5030 had a cool detached ramp right next to the bin chute. We just want to know if this is legal? Could we do this?
Yes, provided it is tethered to your robot using a rope or string or something attaching it long distance. You’ll find MANY of the top teams have done this, as it allows you to get full control of how totes fall in. :]
It is illegal to leave a piece on the field intentionally. You must be connected to all pieces of the robot at any time. I haven’t seen the ramp you are talking about, but they are probably tethered somehow, through fishing line or something. Keep in mind that your tether must be visible or it may be ruled a safety hazard (happened to 148 with Alfred).
You may do this provided it does not violate any other rule. Some of these are that it must be able to fit inside the transport configuration, must fit in the 120 lbs. or less, have team numbers on it and must be continuous with a robot that meets the previous rules. As it is part of the robot, it must be inspected each time the robot configuration is changed (i.e. it is added or removed from the robot to allow an additional attachment to be used.)
If you weren’t able to notice our tether we had it always run along the back wall and then curled it up near our wheel.
We have 1/4 inch inside diameter rubberized pvc air hose ( one used for compressors) its about an inch outside diameter. It has proved to be the best option compared to anything else because we can drive over it easy since it compresses being rubber and can’t make small coils in our wheel having pvc in it.
If anyone on our alliance ever drove over it they just had to spin their wheel backwards for half a second and it spit it back out.
I know 5254 later picked up something similar after seeing what we had I’m not sure what material.
this is a link to it on amazon
Also with the adding and detaching you actually don’t have to get reinspected. We had two different ramps which we could switch between and we weighed them both and were still under 120 so we could switch between either or and still be legal.
at sbpli we were cheesecaked and they didnt make us get reinspected after we removed it.
???
ahh
the act of chesecaking is when another team gives an alliance partner a part in this case a ramp for purposes of making the alliance partner more useful.
Everyone love cheescake. everyone loves when a team helps them.
Therefore the term Cheesecaking was made.
I have a feeling its going to last.
Sam,
You might want to rethink that term, if you research the definitions.
Al, dunno if you read through the thread, but in the Q&A 461 thread a few weeks back, Michael Corsetto coined the cheesecake term.
You did, however, teach me today that cheesecake has a second, slightly disturbing definition.