Does anyone know specific rules related to the tongs and how many orbit balls you can pick up at a time? Any info is appreciated.
I don’t know of any specific tong rules, except that you can only use tongs to pick up balls from the airlock. I think common-sense rules apply though, like don’t throw them at another robot. The tongs seem to be meant so that you don’t stick your hand outside the airlock and get run over by another robot.
I think you can pick up as many balls as will fit.
See <G40>. I see no reason in the rules to prohibit picking up more than one ball at a time.
As for throwing them at another robot, that should be expected as the opponents trailer is where you score. You should design your own robot accordingly.
Wetzel
I think RobotLady meant throwing tongs at robots, not balls. I suspect throw the tongs would violate (besides being extremely non-GP) and could get you a DQ.
i don’t think they can extend from the chassis itself this year.
The tongs are tethered to the player station wall by rope, so throwing them wouldn’t really even be a possibility.
Speaking of which, are there specs (or even better, brand and part numbers) for the tongs that will be used?
Patrick
Tongs are ok as long as u can actually stay within your chassis and out of other team’s bubbles…you can pick up as many of the regular balls as u want but the ones that are worth the most can only be held 1 at a time
We are talking about the tongs that the payload specialist must use to pick up balls out of the airlock, not a robot mechanism.
Wetzel
The tongs are Unger Nifty Nabbers, 36" in length.
Where did you find this information?
Wetzel
I happened to have one of these, and when I saw it on the kickoff and on subsequent pictures, I recognized it. I then brought it in, and the people who were at the NH kickoff confirmed that it was the same.
I then looked up the website.
Nice catch Steve, Thanks!!!
You rock! Thanks!
Patrick