@itpragmatik yes that is oversize. The 18" rule is absolute - nothing can be poking out of the 18" cube at all before the start of the match. However S.O.P. for referees and inspectors does not mandate an automatic DQ for an oversize robot. Instead, you’ll most likely (but not always, especially when the referees and EPs are in a time crunch) be given the opportunity to go back to the pits, fix the problem, and get re-inspected without any penalty.
The above comment is correct, but the time to fix is finite. It is best to get it fixed before you go. Additionally, it must be less than 18". If it is exactly 18 inches, it is too big. If using a box, it must not touch any side or top of the box. If using an official sizing tool, the tool must pass by without touching any part of the robot and this even includes the plates.
For the original post (in the official Q&A)
If the robot is outside of the 18" x 18" x 18" limit, you won’t even make it past inspection, much less to a match.
To add to this post: actually, you may not get any time to fix the size issue
According to G7a :
Nothing in the rule book states that you will be given time to fix the problem.
If the competition is running behind, the referees and/or EP aren’t feeling generous, or for any reason, they can ask you to place your robot outside the field and start the match without you.
I don’t know if this applies for everyone, but at my latest competition, the inital inspection was extremely easy. The inspector just asked us “Are you guys cheating”? We said no and went on our way. The trick was that before EVERY match, they checked the size of robot’s over 16’'. Every time they just asked us to push it down or take off a few rubber bands. For one of my rival teams, they had to take off their entire arm due to the size restraint. Case in point, size matters
There has always been an official check in time. If your robot doesn’t go through the official inspection, the event staff usually will announce it once or twice, and then regenerate a match schedule leaving you out. You can’t compete that day if the official checklist isn’t completed before the competition starts. I’ve never seen it any other way.
There are occasionally some on-field size measurements. I remember last year some robots were slightly out of spec when placed on the field and holding a star. (Other teams, not ours.) The refs caught it, made them fix it (slight change in how the preload was placed, and then the match started.) And sometimes a referee has sent a team back for a new inspection. That’s happened when the teams were queuing at the tables prior to the match, and the queuing staff noticed changes that made the robot seem out of spec.
I am with @kypyro on this. What @dsivo described is different than anything I have seen or heard about. There is a reason for inspections and it is not just about cheating.
@itpragmatik Yeah, I don’t understand why you’d think that your sensors wouldn’t count in the size limits. The limits exist for a reason and they’re solidified. If your whole robot has to be in that size, it’s obviously implied that sensors are included in this. Not to sound rude, as I mean this in the nicest way possible, please think your question through before posting it.
