During a competition last weekend one of the robots had an issue where it started to move then stopped. One of the judges tried to help the team and took possession of the handset for 30 to 45 seconds during the match. I had never seen that happen before and it seemed a tacit admitance that the problem was on the tournament’s end. I questioned the tournament organizers afterward and was told that their position was that it was a problem with the robot not their equipment. My questions: (1) if it was a problem with the robot, why did the judge take possession on the joystick? (2) Are there any rules regarding this type of assistance? Is it OK for judges to handle joysticks during tournament play?
This is a big assumption. It’s common for field personnel to handle a team’s joystick in an effort to determine what issues may be present.
We can’t possibly know the answer to that without talking to the parties involved. My guess would be is because they wanted to look at the LEDs to help try and diagnose the problem that the team was having.
No specific rules. The field personnel are tasked with helping teams and troubleshooting any issues teams may be having. Field personnel will use their best judgement when assisting teams.