Some members of our team are wondering about the starting placement of the robot. Is there a specific spot in the grey carpet that you have to place it, or can you place it anywere in the channel?
7.1 Initial Setup
…
Robots will initially be placed within the starting areas in the alleys at the sides of the platform/ramp
structure. Each alliance’s robots will start on the far side of the midfield barrier…
GM9 During the setup for each match, robots must be placed totally within their designated
starting areas. They must sit on the carpet unconstrained in the same position as when
they were in the sizing box.
There is no specific spot prescribed. You may place your robot in any orientation which satisfies the above rules.
I’m sure it will be like in previous years. There will probably be an outline drawn out on the carpet that your robot must start within.
In previous years, the outline was much bigger than the robot profile (i.e. there was about a 4 foot by 4 foot rectangle drawn on the carpet which is obviously bigger than the 36x30 inch robot restriction). In the past, this allowed the teams to position the robot in an optimal position (e.g. at an angle toward an object) before the match started.
I don’t know if the starting position outline will be tighter this year or not.
-Chris