Game Rules and Game Play - Answer Thread

[Wil Wheaton]

May a robot have a device that intentionally presses against the ball tube of the rolling goal?

By this I mean that a part of the robot presses against the goal tube, but does not press on opposite sides in an act of grabbing. Picture, for example, a tuning fork with tines spaced a half inch larger than the tube diameter. One side of the tube remains open. Such a device could not lift the tube, but might be used as a locating device for ball placement, or a stabilizing device near the base. This would seem to be short of grabbing (<GS8>) but more than incidental contact. Would it be legal?

Many thanks!

A: In general, the referees will make a judgement call based on what they see at the time. Contact with the tube that is deemed to be not incidental (i.e. plays a part in the control of the Rolling Goal) may result in application of penalties based on <GS8>.

[Wil Wheaton]

Rule GS8 includes "Robots may grab onto their own Alliance’s Rolling Goal in any location except for the Ball Tube. Incidental contact with the Ball Tube during Scoring or pushing is allowed." Is it legal to encircle the tube of the rolling goal (with a hoola-hoop for example) and drive away from the rolling goal such the the far end of the hoola-hoop pushed the goal towards the robot (effectively pulling the goal)? Is it leagal to encircle the tube of the rolling goal as a guard against tipping? Control of the goal would be from grasping the base, the hoop would only contact the tube if the tube were to start to tip over (ideally stopping it before it does tip over).

A: The strategy as described would not fall under the definition of incidental contact and would lead to application of penalties based on <GS8> in the case that contact with the tube is made.

[Wil Wheaton]

Rule GS8 says ”Robots may grab onto their own Alliance’s Rolling Goal in any location except for the Ball Tube. Incidental contact with the Ball Tube during Scoring or pushing is allowed”.

What is the definition of “incidental” for this game? If we incorporate a support system that prevents the Goal from falling towards our robot (no grabbing involved) and the goal touches this system more than once during the game is this incidental?

Thanks

A: In general, the referees are going to make judgement calls based on their observations of the match. Contact that is determined to be intentional or purposeful will likely not to be viewed as incidental and could lead to penalties based on <GS8>

[Raj]

I applied the scale to the scoring goal tubes as explained in the instructions, but then when I inserted them over the protrusion on the rolling base, the first 2.5 cm is taken up by the protrusion.

Is the scale supposed to be applied above the protrusion, or do balls scored in a goal get an extra 2.5 cm added on?

A: The scale is supposed to go down to the top of the rolling goal base. The protrusion does give the teams an extra 2.5 cm.

[Wil Wheaton]

Is it the intention of <GS8> to mean that a robot mechanism can not surround the ball tube, or is it meant that a mechism can't apply force/contact to the ball tube from multiple directions simutaneously?

Or to ask the question another way, what is the defnition of grab with regards to <GS8>?

A: A traditional definition of grasp will apply i.e., "to take and hold (something) with your fingers, hands, etc.". <GS8> allows for incidental contact with the Ball Tube. Encircling the Ball Tube with any sort of mechanism and then making contact to pull, push, control, support, balance, etc. the Ball Tube would not be considered incidental contact and would trigger the application of penalties based on <GS8>.

[Wil Wheaton]

Hi,

We have a few questions regarding pinning/trapping during the autonomous period.

Rule <G10> states, “Autonomous strategies that appear to be intended to Pin or Trap an opposing Alliance’s Robot may result in a Minor Penalty, or if chronic, Disqualification”.

Q1) Is parking in front of the opposing alliance’s center goal during autonomous considered trapping?
Q2) If the answer to Q1 is yes -- Rule <G10> states, “A Robot cannot Pin or Trap another Robot for more than five seconds”. If, during autonomous, a robot were to park in front of the opposing alliance’s center goal but were to block an opposing robot for under five seconds, would its actions result in a penalty?
Q3) Trapping is defined as “Preventing an opposing Alliance Robot from accessing or escaping from a constrained Area of the Playing Field for an extended period of time”. If, during autonomous, a robot were to block one path to the opposing alliance’s center goal, while leaving another path open, would this robot be considered trapping?

Thanks,

W-Prime Robotics, FTC Team 8391

A1: Parking in front of Center Goal does not meet the requirements to be considered Trapping. It could be considered to be blocking access and if done during the End Game could result in penalties per <GS18>
A2: n/a
A3: The referees will make a judgement call based on what they observe during the Autonomous period and apply penalties as they deem appropriate.

[Wil Wheaton]

Thank you for the response to our question on the expanded rule on pinning/trapping in autonomous.

We think that this will come up in the earliest qualifiers, where simple "just go forward" autonomous programs could be used that might effectively prevent scoring in autonomous - so we wanted to ask about a couple very specific scenarios for clarification.

1. Robot starts in Parking Zone, goes in a straight line and stops opposing alliance robot from coming down ramp. Minor Penalty?
2. Same as #1, except opposing alliance robot makes it down ramp, but is prevented from reaching center goal by the other robot - meeting it near the bottom of the ramp. Minor Penalty?
3. Is the rule note on "disqualification, if chronic" meant to apply to a later match where a robot repeats an action that they received a minor penalty for previously?

Thanks!

A1: If the referees determine that the opposing alliance robot is pinned/trapped by your robot and that the pinning/trapping was a strategy, a Minor Penalty could be assessed based on rule <G10>

A2: Same as A1

A3: There is no requirement that a prior Minor Penalty to have been assessed for the referee crew to determine that autonomous pinning/trapping actions by a robot are strategic. In general, attempts will be made to warn team, both verbally and via Minor Penalties, prior to disqualification.

[Wil Wheaton]

One question asked if a color could be shown to a robot for autonomous instructions. The answer made it clear that any instructions given to the robot during play make it no longer autonomous. What if, instead of using menus/buttons to select autonomous behavior, the program read a color or other information BEFORE the orientation of the center is set and the game begins? This would leave the robot as autonomous for the entire period of required autonomous play.

A: There is nothing in the rules that prohibits using colored cards as a method to select Autonomous actions. Be aware that the use should be done in a manner that does not cause delay to match start, does not interfere with other robots setting up on the field, and does not cause the robot to fail to abide by the field control protocols.

[Wil Wheaton]

In a previous post, the GDC ruled that robots are allowed to push rolling goals by touching the clear plastic part of the tube. Does this mean that robots may also "pull" tubes along behind or along side of the robot so long as the clear plastic tube is not "grabed" or "grasped" ?

thanks

- FTC Team 6389 - "The LazyBotts"

A: The previous post mentioned has been updated. Intentional contact with the Ball Tube of a Rolling Goal will not be considered incidental and will result in the assessment of penalties based on <GS8>.

[Wil Wheaton]

When assembling the rolling goals, I noticed that the measuring tape goes to the bottom of the tube and the tube is supposed to be flush with the base of the rolling goal. This puts each rolling goal with a starting point of just over the 2cm mark. Does each team at the end of a match get 2cm credit for each tube or is it only scored once a ball is in the goal?

A: For a Rolling Goal to score, there must be at least 1 Ball in the Ball Tube.