RobotEvents.com
Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
Inspiring students, one robot at a time.

This Q&A is now read-only

Official Q&A: VRC 2020-2021: Change Up

Usage Guidelines All Questions

Further Clarification On G16

28007A
28-Aug-2020

Assume that G16 is the only rule in consideration and the cage under discussion is the same as the one discussed in www.robotevents.com/VRC/2020-2021/QA/615

Is the use of a mechanism that makes the removal of a legal cage require a more accurate application of force, or require multiple applications of forces, legal? This would specifically mean that a safe application of force or combination of forces could remove the design without lifting the design or damaging the game pieces.

Example: a hypothetical robot wraps its intakers around a legal cage. The robot needs to be removed before the cage can be pulled away in some horizontal direction. (edited diagram originally sourced from Q&A 615 by Team 80X).

Thank you! -- Team 28007A

img

G16  
Answered by Game Design Committee

There is not enough information given in this hypothetical, instantaneous example to provide a concrete answer. However, even if more information was given, it would still be impossible to issue a blanket ruling that would apply to all possible hypothetical interactions of this nature. Even if a video was provided of a whole Match, the answer would only be applicable to that particular Match and those particular mechanisms, and such an answer would not be helpful to Teams or Head Referees who find themselves in similar-but-slightly-different situations.

We would encourage you to consider the following possibilities, and walk through the logic provided in the previous Q&A's on this subject, alongside rules G5, G13, G16, and R29.

  • If this question refers to two mechanisms on the same Robot, or two separate Robots
  • If those two Robots were from the same or opposing alliances
  • Match context prior to the interaction, e.g. if said interaction would be considered Match Affecting
  • Match context after the interaction, e.g. if there were any damage to the Goal, or the opposing Robot (if one is present)
  • Context of the mechanism(s) and/or Robot(s) in question, e.g. rule R29