<SG14> As per <G3>, at the beginning of a Match, each Robot must be smaller than a volume of 18”
(457.2 mm) long by 18” (457.2 mm) wide by 18” (45.72 mm) tall. Once the Match begins, Robots
may expand up to an area of 48” (1.21 m) long by 48” (1.21 m) wide and may not exceed this limit for
the duration of the Match.
Is this rule considered solely length by width? Could I expand longer as mentioned by another user in another thread? So could I expand longer along a diagonal as long as it fits within a 48" by 48" square?
Is this square considered in an upright position? As in, if you fall over and are longer or wider than 48" would you be disqualified as it would now count as width? Or could your strategy be to be in your opponent's 5 point zone and intentionally fall over, then your width would now be your height? Would this be allowed, if the now height is below 48"?
Based on how @Karthik ruled in the similarly size-limited Bank Shot VEX IQ game a couple of years ago, I’m certain that what matters is the square on the ground. In Bank Shot, if you fell over to gain an advantage, your height was ruled out of compliance with the limiting rectangle. So you could get a DQ. If you fell over inadvertently and it didn’t affect game play, then you would be warned but not DQ’ed.
Here’s the thread from a couple of days ago where I discussed it:
In Bank Shot, they had a special sizing box for inspection. However, as I wrote in the referenced thread, that didn’t catch everything. Movement and deformation during play could cause the robot to be out of compliance. It wasn’t possible to measure during play, because by the noncompliant deformation was momentary. But very, very beneficial. Refs were instructed to watch for robots that went out of compliance while scoring balls into a goal (which was the only time it was advantageous). The act of scoring caused the beneficial deformation, and the robots with this “defect” returned to compliance as soon as scoring was completed. At Worlds, a few were DQed during the event.
For “In the Zone” it will be easier. If the robot falls over and doing so was either, 1.) intentional, and seemingly part of your strategy, or 2.) provided an inadvertent but real advantage, then someone may call for measurements. I assume, given past rules and interpretations, whether to measuring or not will be up to the Ref, appealable to the head Ref.
In NBN, if you had a battery, chain, wire, rubber band, or other part partially detach and drag along behind the robot, it was out of compliance with the 18 by 18 size rule. This usually got you a warning. If it provided an advantage, it could get you DQed. I assume they will do something similar here.
All suppostion. But I think it’s consistent with past practice.