"hooking" the south wall

[dhough]

Hi all, sorry if this has been answered previously. Our team has designed a hook that drops over the south wall and keeps an attachment snugly against the wall as the robot pushes it forward. Is this legal? The hook drops after the mission is started but drops before the robot has left base completely. Would this satisfy the requirement to be entirely in base at the start of a mission? Thanks.
Dave Hough

[scherrsj]

Dave,

As long as the hook drops after the robot starts, and it is completely within Base (inside the wall) at the moment that the robot is started, then, yes, this type of hooking is fine.

However, if you check the Food Factor field set-up instructions and the table assembly, you should note that the height of the side wall might vary from what your team expects. Almost all current tables are still built with 2x4s right now, but that might change.

[Tom Mosher]

Originally Posted by scherrsj

Dave,

As long as the hook drops after the robot starts, and it is completely within Base (inside the wall) at the moment that the robot is started, then, yes, this type of hooking is fine.

However, if you check the Food Factor field set-up instructions and the table assembly, you should note that the height of the side wall might vary from what your team expects. Almost all current tables are still built with 2x4s right now, but that might change.

Is that interpretation consistent with Rule 16? It seems to me that such a hook would be an attachment.

16 – START/RESTART POSITION
• For the match start and all restarts, EVERY BIT of the robot, including its installed attachments & wires, everything
touching it, and any objects it is about to move or use, must ALL fit COMPLETELY in Base.

Consider also the diagram of the Start Positions. This seems to show that everything has to be totally inside base when the robot is set in motion. The south boundary of the base is the inside of the wall, not the top or outside.

[Gary Voshol]

Read the question again. It is entirely in Base when the robot starts; the attachment lowers onto the wall after the robot is started.

[Tom Mosher]

Originally Posted by Gary Voshol

Read the question again. It is entirely in Base when the robot starts; the attachment lowers onto the wall after the robot is started.

Ah, I see. I wasn't sure what "the hook drops" meant. If it is inside the wall when the mission starts, then goes over the wall to provide guidance, that's pretty clever. Probably best for the team to discuss that with the ref before the match starts.

[Dean Hystad]

Originally Posted by Tom Mosher

Ah, I see. I wasn't sure what "the hook drops" meant. If it is inside the wall when the mission starts, then goes over the wall to provide guidance, that's pretty clever. Probably best for the team to discuss that with the ref before the match starts.

I remember one year a team built a robot that ran along the top of the wall. At the start of the match it would flip itself up onto the ledge and than run the length of the table to complete a hard to reach mission at the other end.

[dna1990]

The main thing would be to warn refs that like to stand right 'next' to the south wall, so the hook doesn't get hooked.

But along with the reminder above on "2" x "4"s, note that dimensions and certainly smoothness and straightness will vary from table to table and event to event.

We had good luck with competition tables with a "back up into wall to straighten" maneuver - but it failed miserably in Tech Judging due to some splinters or rough section in that certain spot. It rattled the team and got them nervous for the judges.