Answered: Spare Robot?

[ipanavigator]

Our team was participating in the Hawaii Pan Pacific VEX Tournament and one of the inspectors asked,“Is this your only robot that you have under this team number?”

I was just wondering if he asked this because:

1. Spare robots are allowed?

2. We can switch out our robots mid competition.

As far as I know we are not allowed to switch out robots under the same team number during the course of a competition. Just wondering if we are missing something. As a rookie team we do miss a lot of things. Let us know. Thank you.

[Karthik]

Our team was participating in the Hawaii Pan Pacific VEX Tournament and one of the inspectors asked,“Is this your only robot that you have under this team number?”

I was just wondering if he asked this because:

1. Spare robots are allowed?

2. We can switch out our robots mid competition.

As far as I know we are not allowed to switch out robots under the same team number during the course of a competition. Just wondering if we are missing something. As a rookie team we do miss a lot of things. Let us know. Thank you.

1. No.
2. No.

Quoted below is the rule which disallows multiple robots.

<R1> Only one (1) robot will be allowed to compete per team in the VEX Robotics Competition. Though it is expected that teams will make changes to their robot at the competition, a team is limited to only one (1) robot. The VEX Robotics Design System is intended to be a mobile robotics design platform. As such, a VEX robot, for the purposes of the VRC, has the following subsystems:

Subsystem 1: Mobile robotic base including wheels, tracks, legs, or any other mechanism that allows the robot to navigate the majority of the flat playing field surface.
Subsystem 2: Power and control system that includes a VEX legal battery, a VEX control system, and associated motors for the mobile robotic base.
Subsystem 3: Additional mechanisms (and associated motors) that allow manipulation of game objects or navigation of field obstacles.

Given the above definitions, a minimum robot for use in any VRC event (including skills challenges) must consist of 1 and 2 above. Thus if you are swapping out an entire subsystem of either item 1 or 2, you have now created a second robot and are no longer legal.
a. Teams may not compete with one robot, while a second is being modified or assembled.
b. Teams may not switch back and forth between multiple robots during a competition.

[ipanavigator]

Thanks for clarifying. We really thought we missed something in the rules when the inspector asked that. Whew. We are on the same page. Thank you.

[Karthik]

Thanks for clarifying. We really thought we missed something in the rules when the inspector asked that. Whew. We are on the same page. Thank you.

You’re welcome. The inspector most likely asked that to make sure you didn’t have a second robot.