Answered: Questions that came about during a competition.

[kens_vex98]

During the autonomous period is it legal to have your robot drive up to the 11.5" goal in the interaction zone and then with the match loads feed them one at a time in to your robots claw, then the robot’s claw closes to hold the match load and then opens again to drop it into the goal that is right below it?

Also, is it legal to stand your robot back up, at anytime, if it has fallen over and it is touching your alliance starting tile?

Last question . . . for now until more comes about. If before a match starts a robot is perfectly legal but then you put in your preloads and then become bigger then 18", are you allowed to make yourself back to 18" and begin your match. After trying to make the perloads fit twice and being measured right there on the field and not making the 18" and then decided to just take out the preloads and making the robot back to 18", can you just be disqualified because you tried twice and did not make 18"?

If someone could help us find the answers to these questions, that would be really appreciated!

Thank You!

[Karthik]

@kens_vex98

During the autonomous period is it legal to have your robot drive up to the 11.5" goal in the interaction zone and then with the match loads feed them one at a time in to your robots claw, then the robot’s claw closes to hold the match load and then opens again to drop it into the goal that is right below it?

Let’s take a look at the applicable rules, <SG5> and <SG7> from the VEX Gateway Game Manual.

@VEX Gateway Game Manual

<SG5> During the Autonomous Period, Drivers and Coaches may handle their own Robot while the Robot is in contact with their own Alliance Starting Tile. During contact with the Robot, the Drivers or Coaches may not intentionally manipulate or modify the position of any Scoring Objects (aside from any which are being loaded into the Robot), either by direct hand contact or indirect contact via the Robot.** 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 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.

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.

@VEX Gateway Game Manual

<SG7> Any Scoring Objects introduced during the Match must be either gently placed on a Robot of your own color touching an Alliance Starting Tile or gently placed on an Alliance Starting Tile of your own color. The intent of this rule is to allow teams to introduce objects into play, but not to impart energy on the scoring object which will cause it to end up in a scored position. Violations of this rule will result in warning for the first offense. Subsequent offenses or an egregious first offense will result in a Disqualification.
• Match Loads may be introduced by a Driver or Coach at any point during the Match. Match Loads may only be introduced in the Interaction Zone. Violations will result in a Disqualification.

So as long as the claw is opening and closing on its own, the robot is touching its alliance starting tile and no other rules are violated, this would be legal. By placing the Scoring Object into a claw, and having the claw release the Scoring Object, this avoids having a human imparting any energy causing the Scoring Object to end up in a Scored position.

@kens_vex98

Also, is it legal to stand your robot back up, at anytime, if it has fallen over and it is touching your alliance starting tile?

This would be legal in the autonomous mode, as this would be considered “reorienting” the robot. Please see the above quoted <SG5> for details. However this is not permitted during the driver control mode. Let’s take a look at <SG6> to understand why.

@VEX Gateway Game Manual

<SG6> During the Driver Controlled Period, Drivers and Coaches may handle their own Robot as long as the robot has never left the Alliance Starting Tile. The intent of this rule is to allow teams to fix Robots which were unable to move at the start of the Match.

Thus if a robot was able to move and then fell over, it would not fall under this rule, as this rule is for robots that are unable to move at the start of the match.

@kens_vex98

Last question . . . for now until more comes about. If before a match starts a robot is perfectly legal but then you put in your preloads and then become bigger then 18", are you allowed to make yourself back to 18" and begin your match. After trying to make the perloads fit twice and being measured right there on the field and not making the 18" and then decided to just take out the preloads and making the robot back to 18", can you just be disqualified because you tried twice and did not make 18"?

Yes, you are allowed to modify your robot prior to the match. However, if you take too long, field personnel may ask you to stop. If at that point your robot is not in a legal starting position, they may ask you to remove your robot from the field. Decisions on whether or not a team has taken too long will be left up to the field personnel at each event.