Answered: Question on <SG5> and senors

[stimpy1901]

During the autonomous period, if a robot is on the appropriate alliance tile, is a driver/coach pushing a sensor (such as a bumper switch or LED display button) considered changing “the configuration of the Robot”?

Looking at the definition of a robot:

Robot – Anything (which has passed inspection) a team places on the field prior to the start of a Match.

and the pertinent part of <SG5>:

<SG5> During the Autonomous Period…Drivers or Coaches also may not change the configuration of the Robot other than in the act of fixing the Robot (i.e. it is okay to reposition the robot relative to the field, but it is not okay to manually lift up the Robot’s arm).
…
The intent of this rule is **not to allow teams to manipulate their Robot in such a way that they are controlling the Robot via human contact **or creating motions that lead to scoring.

it is unclear if this action is illegal. Although a sensor is part of the robot and human contact does “change the configuration” briefly, the sensor does springs back to an original configuration. Of course, the human interaction does affect the autonomous program that is running.

[Karthik]

@stimpy1901

During the autonomous period, if a robot is on the appropriate alliance tile, is a driver/coach pushing a sensor (such as a bumper switch or LED display button) considered changing “the configuration of the Robot”?

Looking at the definition of a robot:

and the pertinent part of <SG5>:

it is unclear if this action is illegal. Although a sensor is part of the robot and human contact does “change the configuration” briefly, the sensor does springs back to an original configuration. Of course, the human interaction does affect the autonomous program that is running.

This would be legal. This is not a configuration change. Furthermore, please see the part of <SG5> which you did not quote.

@VEX Gateway Game Manual

<SG5> …
The intent of this rule is to allow teams to fix Robots that are unable to move, to load Match Loads into the Robot, to reposition and/or reorient Robots, and to activate additional autonomous modes by interacting with the Robot via sensors or buttons.

Thus this specification is legal.