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2546: Passing with a robot getting fixed


Joshua Newberry
17-Feb-2025

<G10>

When a robot needs assistance while on the field a student must:

  1. Put their controller down
  2. Remove any balls in their posession (getting "controlled" by robot)
  3. Assist the robot as necessary
  4. Replace the robot in a legal starting position

G10 does not currently require that the robot is removed from the field while assisting it, whether that is reattaching pieces, putting wheels back on etc.

<SC5>

A pass is counted after:

  1. Both robots have independent contact with the ball
  2. The ball having met the above criteria has not already been counted for a pass
  3. The ball has not been "rapid loaded"

SC5 does not currently exclude robots that are being assisted through G10 from receiving a pass.

Here are a couple important scenarios to consider:

  1. Should a pass be counted if the robot still driving on the field grabs a new ball from the load station and pushes it into the robot getting fixed?
  2. Should that same pass as described above still count if the robot is moved into the ball by the drivers that are fixing the robot? (My thoughts right now are that 1 should count but that 2 would be in violation of G10 based on the violation notes describing possible exploitation of this action)
  3. Should a pass be counted if a robot being assisted touched a ball before being assisted but was not controlling it when enacting G10, and the robot still driving then goes over and touches the ball?
  4. Should teams be required to remove their robots from the field if they are fixing something over a length of time?

The questions I'm posing revolve around the specificity of G10, and whether or not robots are treated the same while being assisted or not. I believe that 1 and 3 should be considered passes, and that 2 would be violating G10.

Answered by committee
20-Feb-2025

Robots being handled during a <G10> interaction are effectively "out of play." Robot contact with a Ball during a <G10> interaction should not count toward a Pass.

As described in the Violation Notes for <G10>, "Strategically exploiting this rule may be considered a Minor Violation or Major Violation at the Head Referee’s discretion." This would include intentionally moving the Robot to affect game play during a Robot reset.

Your scenario 3, in which the Robot was contacting the Ball before being handled through <G10>, could still be recorded as a legal Pass.

Teams are not required to remove their Robots from the Field during <G10> or <RSC8> interactions.