Are bumpers required on all sides of the robot?

[FRC121]

The first section of Rule <R08> states that:

"The BUMPER location and design have been specified so that ROBOTS will make BUMPER-to-BUMPER contact during any collisions. If implemented as intended, a ROBOT that is driven into a vertical wall in any normal PLAYING CONFIGURATION will always have the BUMPER be the first thing to contact the wall."

Does this mean that bumpers are required on all sides of the robot. For example, if a ball-gathering mechanism were to be mounted on one side of the robot, would it be legal to not have any bumpers on that side, provided that the 2/3 coverage requirement would be met?

[FRC1100]

This question has two separate parts:

1. The manual states that all corners must be protected by a bumper 'overhang' so that there is not an exposed 'box' on the corner. What is not clear however, is if the bumper must 'wrap' around the corner (if a bumper must exist on both sides, or if just an overhang must exist). None of the example pictures address this situation one way or the other. Is a 'one-sided' corner protected bumper acceptable? or must we have a 6" bumper on each side of the corner and the overhang?

2. Another unclear areas is the question of curved areas on the bumper zone. The language of the manual seems to not address the possibility of a round (partially or in whole) bumper zone. If an area that would normally be a corner is 'rounded' into a curve, is it still a corner? or does it only need to comply with the rule that states the robot must make collisions with bumpers? Basically, could we round a corner out that would normally require 2 6" bumpers (as described above, potentially) so that it instead only requires a single curved 6" bumper?

[FRC968]

Rule <R08-A> states that "BUMPERS must be built in segments, with a minimum length of six inches, and a maximum length that does not exceed the maximum horizontal dimension of the ROBOT."

1. What defines a bumper "segment?"
2. From where is the length of a bumper "segment" measured?
3. Is the bumper that wraps around the left rear corner of the robot in Overhead View Figure 8-2 in the Robot Manual considered a single bumper "segment"?
4. May a 6-inch-long bumper "segment" wrap around a corner, in any proportion, such that for example 2 inches of the 6-inch segment may exist on one side of the robot, and 4 inches exist on the adjacent perpendicular side of the robot. Is this still considered a single "segment" for the purposes of satisfying <R08-A>?

Rule <R08-I> states "BUMPERS must protect all exterior corners of the BUMPER PERIMETER".

1. What defines a "corner?"
2. At what radius is a "corner" no longer considered a "corner"?
3. From which direction of contact must corners be protected?

[FRC157]

what is considered a "corner" on the robot regarding bumper rules? is there a minimum angle to what is considered a corner or does a curve count as a corner?

is the termination of a bumper considered a corner in regards to leaving it open. I.E. we have a curve on the front of the robot and an opening for the ball collection system does the outside of the robot and the inside of the opening considered a corner?

[GDC]

1. Please refer to Rule <R08-J> and Figure 8-2 in The Manual. Both sides of the corner must be protected by BUMPER segments.

2. Technically, every corner is a curve of very small radius with two tangental extensions. A specific minimum radius threshold to determine the difference between corners and curves has not been, and will not be, defined. A "corner" will be determined to be a "corner" when upon inspection any reasonably astute observer perceives it to be a "corner" and not a curve.

3. Rule <R08-i> requires BUMPER protection on every exterior corner of the BUMPER PERIMETER. If the corner is an interior corner (e.g. does not form a vertex of the BUMPER PERIMETER) then protection on both sides of the corner is not required.