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Official Q&A: VRC 2022-2023: Spin Up

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1476: QA1359, Egregious Entanglement, Trapping


UWAT
24-Feb-2023

<G15> <G12>

From QA1359, our understanding is that if both sides of the wheels are lifted off the ground,(i.e the wedged robot is unable to move), a trapping count would start, would that be correct?

If only one side of the wheels are lifted, such that the robot can move for more than 1 tiles, but only in circles(the robot is kept wedged for the duration, such only one side has contact of foam tiles and is unable to turn), would this be considered trapping, even though the robot is not confined to a space of one tile or less?

If the answer to the previous question is no, would this then be considered entanglement?

<G12> Don’t destroy other Robots. But, be prepared to encounter defense. Strategies aimed solely at the destruction, damage, tipping over, or Entanglement of opposing Robots are not part of the ethos of the VEX Robotics Competition and are not allowed.

since wedge QA1442 has been ruled legal, we believe the answer to the previous question is no

However, if the answer to the previous question is yes, could the action of repeatedly lifting one side of another robot's wheels be ever considered egregious entanglement and subject to DQ based on head ref's discretion?

Thanks

Answered by committee

Because the "lifted" Robot in your specific scenario is not restricted to a small area of the Field, the interaction may not meet the definition of Trapping (a referee would rule based on full context). Because the "lifted" robot has not been grabbed, hooked, or attached to by the opposing Robot, the interaction also does not meet the definition of Entanglement.

However, any interaction that restricts an opponent's movements may be ruled as Trapping at the Head Referee's judgment based on the context of the Match. See related Q&A 1359 for additional information on wedges and Trapping. Teams are advised to err on the side of caution to avoid violations.