Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
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Official Q&A: VIQRC 2023-2024: Full Volume

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1784: Are cables considered for size & parking?


Braydan Pastucha (Event Partner)
21-Nov-2023

This has come up with my teams in previous years, but hasn't mattered much. With this year's supply zone and fully parking, it has now become an important question. When determining size restrictions of a robot, do loose cables count? Is it the same ruling when considering a breach of the parking zone? I see two possible solutions:

  • Either they do not count for size and do not count for parking (ie a cable over the zone is not a partial park, or a cable outside the zone with the rest of the robot inside is still a full park)
  • or they do count for size (cables must be within starting size configuration) and do count for parking (ie a cable over the zone is a partial park and a cable outside the zone with the rest of the robot inside is not a full park)

Obviously I can teach kids about proper cable management, but they resist without explicit rulings. There is a note in R1 about subsystems 2&3 being a part of the robot, but I am still unclear if that includes cables as it specifies motors but not cables.

Thank you!

Answered by committee
28-Nov-2023

When determining size restrictions of a robot, do loose cables count? Is it the same ruling when considering a breach of the parking zone?

Yes, loose cables count as part of the Robot when determining whether or not the Robot is within the size limits, and when determining whether a Robot is Partially or Fully Parked. Everything attached to the Robot counts as part of the Robot (e.g., cables, non-functional decorations, Robot Brain, shafts, etc.). If a cable or other part comes loose but remains connected to the Robot it still counts toward the Robot's size and the horizonal expansion limits in rule <SG2>. In most cases when a loose or dragging part is not being used to score points, this type of SG2 Violation would be a Minor Violation and a warning (unless repeated).