SG3/SG7 Rule Clarification

VEX Robotics Competition Discussion VRC > Change Up (20/21)
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For Background
SG3:

Keep Balls on your side in Autonomous. Balls that start fully on one side of the Autonomous
Line may not contact the foam tiles on the opposite side of the Autonomous Line during the Autonomous Period.

SG7:

Use Balls to play the game. Balls may not be used to accomplish actions that would be
otherwise illegal if they were attempted by Robot mechanisms (e.g., Interfering with an opponent’s
Autonomous Period per .)
The intent of this rule is to prohibit teams from using game objects as “gloves” to loophole any rule that states “a Robot may not [do some action]”. This rule is not intended to be taken in its most extreme literal interpretation, where any interaction between a Ball and a Robot needs to be scrutinized with the same intensity as if it were a robot.

So after seeing this would a robot be able to shoot a ball into the opposing alliance side’s scoring zone?

  1. With a preload, as it wouldn’t be touching the foam tile
  2. With a ball in the center as it is not affected by SG3

The counter I have heard to this being legal is SG7, as since a robot crossing the line and placing a ball into the opposing zone would normally be considered illegal, and transferring this onto the ball could make shooting into the opponents side illegal. Yet in my mind it is legal as long as the intention is not to shoot the robot.

The point of this would be to shoot a ball into the opposite sides corner allowing an alliance to end auto with two scored rows and stop the opposing alliance from being able to score their wp.

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It will still be a violation of SG7.
Because by shooting the ball across to the opponent’s goal, you might be very likely interfering with the opponents’ autonomous routine.
So this will be a clear violation of SG7.

But I do think it is worth asking it in the official q&a - because what if the opponents are just sitting there not doing anything during autonomous or what if the ball that was shot over was not interfering with the opponents’ autonomous routine?

but of course, if the ball that was shot across interfered with the opponents’ autonomous routine (e.g. interfering the opponent that was abt to score in the same goal, etc), then it is an obvious violation of SG7.

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SG2 states that an opposing robot is not allowed to contact the goals of the opposing home row in autonomous routine. I’d use that logic that it is (practically) impossible to have a ball count as scored without having it contact the goal, and by SG7 that would be my rationale for that not being allowed.

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SG2 via SG7

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