As per the definition of Center Parked, A Robot is Center Parked when it is:
• Contacting the Center Platform.
• Not contacting any Alliance Platform.
• Not contacting the foam field tiles or white tape.
Now that we know what the definition of “Center parked” is, let’s look at my idea.
Lets say you have a robot in a match. This robot has a 1 time rubber band deployment mechanism that will fire a 24"x 24" square of anti-slip mat on top of the center platform from an alliance platform. The anti-slip mat will be connected to the robot in some way, and it will stay within 36".
Let’s now examine a scenario. A blue robot has deployed it’s anti-slip mat onto the center platform. A red robot then drives on top of the center platform. As per the definition of “Center parked” the red robot must be contacting the center platform, but because the red robot is contacting the anti-slip mat, and not the center platform, it does not meet the definition of “center parked” so red does not receive the bonus. The blue robot is contacting an alliance platform, so it is not center parked either, there is now no way for anyone to park on the center platform, and no one will receive the bonus.
EDIT:
I just realized you can deploy the mat on top of an alliance parking tile, and deny them their bonus
Congrats, you’ve successfully gained little to no advantage from this. I guess the only way this would help is if you had little to no time to get onto the center platform, and you knew they could in time.
Even in that case, now they’ve got the alliance color park and you’re just sitting on the floor with no bonus.
Lol you’re right, lemme whip out the second launcher and cover both the center and opposite alliance tile while I’m at it.
I’d like to wish this wasn’t even possible anyway just for the laughs, but the accuracy required to perfectly land a 24x24” square of matting over that exact spot is a little too out-of-reach
While it is great to come up with innovative ways to either center park or block the opponents from parking, I see several issues with this specific method. The first issue is the sizing. No one usually gets called on it, but the refs would most likely rule it illegal in this scenario. The obvious solution is to use zip ties, but i don’t know if that would leave a seam. However, the main issue I have here is that the mat is 24x24. The horizontal dimension for this is just over 33 inches. I don’t see an effective robot coming from the little space lift. Also, I believe that shooting it on the opposing alliances tile would be illegal since the mat is still part of the robot.
Unless you anchored the netting (which you can’t: SG10), another robot could easily just push it off. Sure, it might take the offensive robot another few seconds, but it will cost you time to deploy as well. Also, due to the expansion constraint, you won’t be able to cover the whole tile unless you are on top of the platform and the net is around you. In which case, the offensive robot could just push you off, taking the net with you.
Your robot is going to have to be really tiny. It’s not that this mat would have to stay within 36" of your robot, but this 24" x 24" mat would be part of your maximum 36" x 36" robot. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for the rest of your robot. I think I would rather block the center parking platform with a robot body, scoring the points while stopping other from getting there.
And since the diagonal is a horizontal direction, the 24" by 24" square of anti-slip mat is 34" along the diagonal. So you have a robot that can only be 2 inches longer along that diagonal. You can barely fit a cortex.
+1 | Anti Slip mat is such an easy material to push away and rip, plus you could be running the risk factor of breaking <G12> if one of the bots gets its wheel entangled in the mesh
not to mention to difficulties of creating a mechanism to deploy a perfect 24" square, and the fact that you would just be sitting there with a useless flap of mesh, scoring no parking bonuses, while the opponent will 99% push it away, or just ignore it, getting you absolutely nowhere.
