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The Q&A is closed for the 2021-2022 season. Any rule changes or clarifications pertaining to the 2022 VEX Robotics World Championship will be included in the April 5 Game Manual Update. Teams attending VEX Worlds who wish to pre-submit questions for the driver's meeting should have received a contact form via email; if not, please contact your REC Foundation Team Engagement Manager for more information.

Official Q&A: VIQC 2021-2022: Pitching In

Usage Guidelines All Questions

1020: Clarification of RSC7 (Handling Robots during a Programming Skills Match)


Nickolas McColl
26-Jan-2022

We have a situation where a team has talked about programming their robot to collect all the balls in a starting corral during their run. Their robot would store all the balls within its own ball hopper. At the end of their run, they would pick up the robot to return to a Starting Position and empty out all the balls. In our heads this would be allowed for the following reason: RSC7 a. states that "Upon handling the Robot, it must be immediately brought back to any legal Starting Position." RSC7 b. states that "Any Ball being controlled by the Robot while being handled must be removed from the Field. Controlled requires that the Robot was manipulating the Ball and not simply touching it, e.g. if the Ball moves with the Robot either vertically or while turning, the Robot is controlling the Ball."

This situation could result in the following situation where the robot is still in the Starting Corral, has control of the balls in its hopper, but the balls are touching the 2-D plane of the Starting Corral. This creates the following dilemma. RSC7 would allow for the Programmer to bring the robot back to a Starting Position thus legally removing the balls contacting the floor and creating a Cleared Status (5 pts). But... rule G18 blue box states "This rule(talking about handling a robot) is intended so Teams can fix damaged Robots or help get their Robots “out of trouble.” It is not intended for Teams to use as part of a strategy to gain an advantage during a Match. If a Head Referee determines that a Team is strategically exploiting this rule, they may be Disqualified from said Match."

Now we also know that RSC7's Note says: "This rule only applies to Programming Skills Matches. Driving Skills Matches are still governed by <G18>, especially for strategic violations." This would seem to indicate that G18 isn't applicable for programming matches.

So if I was a Head Ref for a match where this happened I would apply the "benefit of the doubt" (Page 8 of the Game Manual) and rule the corral cleared and award the 5 pts. Is that the correct interpretation of the Game Manual?

Thank you,

Answered by committee

This situation could result in the following situation where the robot is still in the Starting Corral, has control of the balls in its hopper, but the balls are touching the 2-D plane of the Starting Corral.

This situation should not occur. Please review Figures 16 and 17 in the Game Manual; the Starting Corrals and the Starting Positions occupy different areas of the Floor.

RSC7a states the following:

a. Upon handling the Robot, it must be immediately brought back to any legal Starting Position.

Therefore, if a Team is exercising RSC7 / G18, they should be bringing a Robot (and/or any Balls controlled by the Robot) into a Starting Position, not the Starting Corral.

In general, RSC7 / G18 actions should not have any bearing on a Corral's Cleared status. Please see this related Q&A post:

https://www.robotevents.com/VIQC/2021-2022/QA/988