Are we allowed to cut part of the robot bag and use it on our robot? I can’t find it in the rules.
I would use a standard trash bag, of sufficient toughness. It’s not illegal to use the robot bag, but it’s a very, very bad idea.
One of the very first things that happens at your event is that the inspectors will go over your bag. If there is a hole in it, particularly one that looks deliberate or that happens to be big enough to work on the robot, you will be having a nice conversation with your inspector. If it’s big enough, the Lead Robot Inspector will also be involved.
Thanks!
Out of curiosity, how tough of a bag do you need? Do you need it to be clear?
If not, go with a standard tarp. http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/certified-standard-duty-tarp-0405004p.html#.VsUYr_krK00
Tarp would work, but we need it to be see-through.
I found clear trash bags at WalMart. Here’s a link to them online (though I’ve seen them in stores, too): http://www.walmart.com/c/ep/clear-trash-bags
Hope this helps!
You can buy clear plastic sheeting at any hardware or paint store. People use it to keep stuff dry on construction sites, as dropcloths for painting, and for a bunch of other things. It comes in various lengths and thicknesses. Just check with your local Lowes or Home Depot. They, or anywhere that sells lumber, might also have clear plastic sheeting just lying around. I know when I worked at a lumberyard, when we got shipments of fancy lumber like mahogany, it was totally wrapped in thick translucent plastic sheeting, and to us it was trash. If you just ask, someone will definitely have some that you can probably just take for free.
Come to think of it…
What exactly are you working on? If it doesn’t need to be flexible, you may want to pick up some Lexan and use that instead.
Why didn’t I think of Lexan? Good idea!
I think places like U-Haul sells bags for mattresses and such, usually clear and heavy weight.
Also a good option.
Clear plastic sheeting is also available as painting drop cloth, and sometimes as a vegetation/root screen in the gardening section of your local home center, though this is more likely to be opaque or just slightly translucent. (The stuff was as precious as gasoline around here after Hurricane Katrina.)
some fabric shops ( maybe even some walmarts) sell table cloth protrectors, some flexible clear film, comes in a few thicknesses, it is usually sold from a roll so you only need to buy enough for what you need.
Better yet, go to a mattress store and ask if they have a bag they are throwing away. You might get it for free.
A simple solution would be to cut the portion you need from the top of the bag (whatever will be “north” of the tag once your robot is bagged). This way if that bag material is really the material you are looking for, you could use it without raising eyebrows about your bagging procedure and robot access after bag day.
shower curtain