This is a suggestion for those attending championships who are concerned with violating rule <G22>, also known as “breaking the plane.” Though I cannot be sure that this suggestion will work in practice, it is very easily implemented and I thought I ought to submit my string theory for those who might want to try it.
The idea:
Attach a length of brightly colored string (EDIT: or nylon rope) to the bottom of your robot, near the back end (if your robot has a rear). The string should be coiled and laid under the robot within the appropriate dimensions prior to each match. The length of the string will vary from team to team because the robot, with the string fully extended, will need to adhere to the 80” rule. I imagine that a 1-to-2-foot length of string will probably be sufficient to achieve the goal.
The result:
At the beginning of the match, as soon as the robot moves forward from the starting position, the coiled string will uncoil and trail behind the robot. The length of the string and where it is attached to the bottom of the robot will determine how far behind the robot the end of the string lags behind while the robot travels forward. When the robot stops moving forward, so will the string. Most importantly, however, when the robot backs up, the tail end of the string will remain in place. The string thusly provides a buffer zone for backing up and turning when the robot is in the vicinity of a lane marker or finish line and, ideally, prevents many of the <G22> violations that are most likely to occur during the heat of competition.
The positives:
Once completely over a line, the string itself will not break the plane of a lane marker or finish line because it is not rigid, but slack.
The main structure of the robot will have a buffer zone in which to maneuver even after crossing a line, because the string (which counts as part of the robot) will not yet have fully crossed over the line.
The negatives:
A robot will have to travel farther in order for the trailing string to completely cross a line and for the robot to receive points for doing so.
Attached is a series of slides roughly illustrating the concept. If you have any comments, suggestions, or additions to the positives or negatives, feel free. I simply wanted to put this out there. Good luck to all teams!
Hmm… this seems similar to the zip-ties used in 2005 in order for the robot to be in contact with the loading zone plate, because clearly straddling the plate was not enough. Three years, and we’re still improvising to make up for a lack of common sense in the rules. However, this is tangent to the topic.
The string could be an entanglement hazard with other robot’s wheels and be a nuisance overall. Great creativity though!
This reminds me of the extending tape measures of zone zeal a few years back. Overall I like it. It will be tough to make sure people don’t step on your tale, but I really think you are on to something. Very clever…
I had thought about this during the Detroit Regional, but our team didn’t have the extra space so I didn’t bring it up. Entanglement would be a problem, but out of the box ideas can be a great way to solve a problem. This idea should be tried at Atlanta.
Somehow this seems inconsistent with my pet peeve of seeing students walk around with their shoelaces untied. I tend to freak out, imagining that they’re going to trip, most likely while carrying the robot.
Our robot looks like it’s about as long as a semi when it has the ball held out front (it fits 80" requirement, but only just)… I wouldn’t want to push it with a string.
The best anti-G22-solution you ask? Don’t back over lines. :]
I don’t see this as a problem. Look the string is just going to be laying on the ground there is no way for you to force it into the wheels of another Robot. The only way it’s going to become entangled is if an opposing bot drives over it. In this case they are the ones who started the contact and thus they can’t force you to take a penalty.
Its like this your Robot is sitting on the field and another Robot runs into you and breaks because of an entanglement, but then latter you start driving again. You are in no way responsible for the contact and thus can’t get a penalty.
I would suggest using something thicker like Rope that has a smooth surface so it doesn’t get caught on the walls (that’s your biggest problem). Wish we could try this but were not going to Nationals.
Pool noodles that are attached to your bot via 6-8" of string may work and not get entangled. The string would allow the noodle to freely rotate as intended by the original idea… However, I’m willing to bet that better driving will work much more efficiently in the end.
Find someone who was around in 2002. The tethers had a tendency to tangle at least a little when driven over, even the ones with metal reinforcing them.
And as for having another robot drive over it and not get a penalty… Outside the bumper zone contact, plus it probably goes past your bumpers, which makes you responsible. Not quite a non-penalty situation… but you could argue that it was their fault (if it was short enough)… So it would depend on the ref. I’m not exactly thrilled about using something that could make the ref make a difficult call.
I like the idea a lot…although if entanglement with just string is an issure, perhaps bike chain…it works just as well…1799 put a length of bike chain on their chassis last year so that their bot would be ground when they drove around…(they had a problem with static electricity building up and than then their bot stalling for no reason.).
I respectfully disagree. You might not like <G22>, but it is crystal clear and easily enforced. Tying string on your robot is lawyering the game, in my opinion, and the time spent coming up with schemes like this might be more fruitfully spent learning to drive your robots in a way that did not violate <G22>.
In my personal experience all string theory or any theory that using string theory as a base is far out in left feild. And is just more complex then anything needs to be (things that are mirco sized on the quantum plane made of super energy vibrating in more then 10^200 ways?!?!?!?!?!)
Also this may not volate the rule but the spirt of the rule which you will be called on too… or we were shrugs
for those who might want to try it.