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Official Q&A: VIQC 2019-2020: Squared Away

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554: <R2> and Wheel Replacements

9405T
17-Feb-2020

R2: Only one (1) Robot will be allowed to participate per Team in the VEX IQ Challenge. ... If you are swapping out an entire subsystem of either item 1 or 2, you have now created a second Robot and are no longer legal.

In QA473, the GDC ruled that replacing a Robot's wheels after inspection would be considered a violation of R2 because the team is replacing parts of Subsystem 1. Based on my reading of the rule, a team doing so would not be violating R2 because no swapping of "an entire subsystem" took place. Subsystem 1 includes the entire robot base, specifically the structural components, none of which would be replaced. Furthermore, "swapping" a subsystem implies that two distinct subsystems exist, which did not occur in QA473.

A robot consists of both Subsystem 1 and Subsystem 2. Even if a team swaps an entire assembly of Subsystem 1 or Subsystem 2, they may not have yet created a second robot if no separate Subsystem 1/2 exists. In the blue box, it is written that "If you can place two complete and legal Robots on a table next to each other, then they are two separate Robots." In this case, there would not be two separate robots, because only parts of a single subsystem are being replaced. A common-sensical reading of R2 would lead me to believe that these are not two separate robots, and thus not a violation of R2. It is also written that "trying to decide if changing a pin, a wheel, or a motor constitutes a separate Robot is missing the intent and spirit of this rule" - it is specifically this statement that implies that changing a wheel would not be considered a second robot, and thus not a violation of R2.

I have three questions:

  1. Are five wheels considered to be an "entire" assembly of Subsystem 1, as appears to be implied by QA473.
  2. Is modifying parts of Subsystem 1 or 2 during a competition a violation of R2.
  3. If modifying parts of Subsystem 1 or 2 is legal, how much modification is allowed? It is clear that a full replacement (especially with a prebuilt assembly) runs counter to the intention of R2.
R2  
Answered by Game Design Committee

I have three questions:

  1. Are five wheels considered to be an "entire" assembly of Subsystem 1, as appears to be implied by QA473.

  2. Is modifying parts of Subsystem 1 or 2 during a competition a violation of R2.

  3. If modifying parts of Subsystem 1 or 2 is legal, how much modification is allowed? It is clear that a full replacement (especially with a prebuilt assembly) runs counter to the intention of R2.

The answer to all three of these questions is "it depends". It would be impossible to write an answer that would encompass all hypothetical modifications and scenarios, or provide specific boundaries for what is considered a "replacement" or "modification".

Q&A 473 asked a specific question; in that case, swapping a holonomic drivetrain for a traction base was considered a complete swap of Subsystem 2.

It is also written that "trying to decide if changing a pin, a wheel, or a motor constitutes a separate Robot is missing the intent and spirit of this rule" - it is specifically this statement that implies that changing a wheel would not be considered a second robot, and thus not a violation of R2.

While this sentence does use the word "a", it is not intended to explicitly draw a line at "one wheel vs five wheels". It is meant to imply that a pin, a wheel, or a motor is not in itself what defines a Subsystem, as it would be impossible to write an all-encompassing list of what constitutes a separate Robot. Trying to decide exactly how many pins, wheels, or motors can be changed before it constitutes a second Robot is also missing the intent and spirit of this rule.