G2 states that adults "should not provide an unfair advantage by providing ‘help’ that is beyond the Students’ independent abilities." Given the student's developmental level, access to tools and safety concerns around tool usage, at times it may be challenging for a student to independently do some tasks. At a recent competition, the level of outside assistance allowable came up for question about custom cut plastic. Specifically:
If the students design their own CAD files for custom cut plastic, is it a violation of G2 for the coach or mentor to run the CNC machine and/or laser cutter to cut the material for the students, or do the students need to operate the machine themselves?
Is it a violation of G2 if the mentor/coach makes slight modifications to the file so that the tool works correctly (for example removing duplicate lines or changing the order of the cuts to put less strain on the machine)?
If students at school A develop their own CAD files for custom cut plastic but do not have access to a laser cutters and/or CNC machine, is it a violationof G4/R2 to send the file to school B to have it cut for them?
If students at school A develop their own CAD files for custom cut plastic but do not have access to laser cutters and/or CNC machine, is it a violation of G2/G4/R2 to send their CAD files to an outside commercial service to have the plastic cut for them?
I suppose the same issues would be raised for cutting metal as well.
Relevant rules and Q&As: G2: V5RC is a student-centered program. Adults should not make decisions about the Robot’s build, design, or gameplay, and should not provide an unfair advantage by providing ‘help’ that is beyond the Students’ independent abilities. G4: The Robot must represent the skill level of the Team. R2: Robots must represent the Team’s skill level. The Robot must be designed, built, and programmed by members of the Team. R19: A limited amount of custom plastic is allowed. Robots may use custom-made parts cut from certain types of non-shattering plastic. c. Plastic may be mechanically altered by cutting, drilling, bending, etc. It cannot be
Thank you!