It is out now…
http://usfirst.org/uploadedFiles/Team%20Update%202.pdf
Big clarification on the bumper rules.
I still don’t know one question:
If a robot pours a few orbit balls onto an already filled-to-the-top goal, do those balls get scored even if they just fall out? Do the balls that stay on the top for a few seconds then fall out because the trailer moved get scored?
<G07>
Scores are determined based on the state of the GAME PIECES at the end of the MATCH.
so the fallen balls wont count
There isn’t too much of big mind blowing information. But I do agree on the clarification on the bumpers as teams might not of thought of that happening.
I also like that they are going to be posting updates on Tuesdays and Fridays, if I remember correctly they were only released on Fridays last year. I think I might like this as they won’t get as lengthy
How can that be when the rules say that if a trailer tips over, the points before the trailer was tipped will count?
Edit: Nevermind…both are correct. Scores are calculated at the end unless the trailer tips over.
hmm…I guess I’m over-thinking something. Unhealthy…
thanks
Is it new for team updates to contain advice toward specific designs?
Can someone explain what they are talking about in the bumper section? I understand the individual rules they stated, but then the next paragraph and the pictures I dont understand. What are they trying to say?
Joey
i think they are talking about a “wide drive bot” which means the 38" section is the front and the 28" the sides
with a wide drive you could follow the all of the r<08> bumper rules and be able to “engulf” the enemy trailer and constrain its movement
there are many uses for that
I’ll take a crack at that one.
Suppose your robot is built to the maximum <R11> horizontal dimensions 28" x 38". Its BUMPER PERIMETER is therefore (2 x 28) + (2 x 38) = 132 inches, so per the 2/3 rule it must include at least 88 inches of bumpers; that is, it cannot have more than 44 inches of gaps in the bumper. You must leave a gap for the trailer hitch, which is 7" long, so you might think that leaves you with 37 inches of available unprotected BUMPER PERIMETER length, so that nearly one full 38 inch side of the robot could be left unprotected.
But you’d be wrong, because of two other requirements: each bumper segment must be at least six inches long per <R08-A> and the corners must be protected per <R08-I>. Applying these two rules, you find that the maximum unprotected length of BUMPER PERIMETER allowed is 38 - (2 x 6) = 26 inches.
A 26 inch unprotected gap will allow your robot to partially envelope one face or corner of an opponent’s trailer, as illustrated by the example drawing at the top of page 3 in Team Update #2.
Thanks alot for that. Now I understand what they were getting at. They should put your description into the update, because it is much more clear. I dont know if it was just me that couldnt understand it, but you really helped.
Joey
I’m suprised, still no mention of G14 changes.
I would’ve like if they commented on their being bumpers on the front because of the only 37" inches of unbumpered left, or if there are simply required regardless.
The thing that is confusing me is the 6" section part of the rule.
If they require that a wide-drive 'bot have 6" of bumpers in the front, then how did figure 8-2 come to pass? That figure clearly shows a bumper piece that wraps around a corner. Is that legal because it’s more than 90-degrees?
How do you measure the length of an L-shaped bumper? Couldn’t you just add up the internal lengths? Theoretically you might be able to make an L-shaped bumper that has 4" on one side and 2" on the other.
Figure 8-2 and the 6" rule are making my head hurt.
I had this exact same thought and I asked it on the Q&A. It seems to me that these 2 are contradictory.
I also wonder the same as Jgannon why they are addressing specific robot designs in the rules. It is really starting to make me wonder why they just didn’t include an instruction manual with the kit this year saying “we want you to build this”
Or like “You really shouldn’t build something like this…”
Idk man…I’m not liking this very much still =/
But, I’m still open to changes.
The 6" bumper picture doesn’t make sense. It clearly states in the rules that a bumper can use a pool noodle vertically oriented at the end or bevel the edges. If you bevel the edges you get 3" of bumper sticking out from the bumper perimiter and this is specifically legal. That leaves 3 more inches required to get 6. What they show is 9" of bumper, not 6" (my 4 year old showed me the math behind that one). Since when did 3 + 6 = 6?
Figure 8-2 is incorrectly drawn, by my interpretation. It shows the red line as the Bumper Perimeter. Then I assume the brown line outside that would be the plywood part of the bumper. If so, it should not be extended along the sides of the robot frame.
Figure 8-2 is illustrating where wood vs noodles go. If you blow it up to about 400% you can see there may be a tiny bit of space in the lower left corner. The wood cannot wrap around the corner - it cannot extend past the end of the frame. (The wood in the lower right corner is shown correctly.) But the noodles can go around the corners, and 8-2 shows a variety of ways that can be done. In fact, it seems to be saying that the noodles must go around the corner, as the upper right corner is marked “Not OK”. Noodles may go around the corner as a mitered corner (lower right), butted up against each other (upper left), or bent and enclosed in one piece of cloth (lower left).
This update does not confirm or refute that each face side of a robot must have a bumper. There was an earlier related posting of a robot with a wide opening, no bumper on that side, and the foam extending beyond the end of the edge to protect the corner. Both of those issues still have to be asked in Q&A.
Alright, that makes more sense.
I edited the original post. I guess my brain wouldn’t let me put 3 + 6 = 6 …