VEX Skyrise Manual Updates

[Karthik]

This thread will be used to publish updates to the VEX Skyrise Game Manual.
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[Karthik]

On June 2nd, 2014, the following updates will be made to the VEX Skyrise Game Manual.

The definition of Cube was updated to the following:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

Cube – A red or blue plastic cube shaped Scoring Object with an overall length of 8”, consisting of tubular segments of approximately 1.75” in diameter.

This fixes an error in the original version that stated the tubular sections were 2" in diameter.

The definition of Preload was slightly updated to the following:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

Preload – The one (1) Cube each team must place on the field such that it is touching its Robot, not touching any grey foam tiles or the Skyrise Base, and fully within the field perimeter prior to each Match.

This change made it clear that a Preload cannot touch the Skyrise Base.

Rule <S1> was modified and now states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<S1> If at any time the Robot operation or team actions are deemed unsafe or have damaged the Field Elements or Scoring Objects, including, but not limited to disassembly of Cubes and/or Skyrise Sections, by the determination of the referees, the offending team may be Disabled and/or Disqualified. The Robot will require re-inspection before it may again take the field.

The intent of this change was to make it clear that disassembly of Cubes is illegal.

Rule <G4> was modified and now states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<G4> Only Student Drive Team Members may touch the team’s controls at any time during a Match, and are the only Drive Team Members allowed to interact with the Robot as per <SG4>. Adult Drive Team Members are not permitted to touch the controls or interact with the robot or Skyrise Sections. Minor violations of this rule that do not affect the match will result in a warning. Egregious (match affecting) offenses will result in a Disqualification. Teams that receive multiple warnings may also receive a Disqualification at the head referee’s discretion.

The intent of this change was to make it clear that Adults may not touch Skyrise Sections; this must be done by Student Drive Team Members.

Rule <G7> was modified and now states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<G7> Drive Team Members are prohibited from making intentional contact with any Scoring Object, Field Element or Robot during a Match, with the exception of the contact specified in <SG4> and <SG5> and when protecting themselves from falling Robots. Minor violations of this rule that do not affect the match will result in a warning. Egregious (match affecting) offenses will result in a Disqualification. Teams that receive multiple warnings may also receive a Disqualification at the head referee’s discretion.

The intent of this change is to allow Drive Team Members to touch Robots that happen to fall outside of the field perimeter. The last thing we want is anyone to have a Robot land on them!

Rule <G7a> was added and states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<G7a> Drive Team Members are not permitted to break the plane of field perimeter at any time during the match.

The intent of this addition is to make it illegal for any Drive Team Member to reach past the field perimeter and into the field.

Rule <G8> was modified and now states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<G8> During a Match, Robots may be operated only by the Student Drive Team Members and/or by software running in the on-board control system. During the Autonomous Period Drive Team Members are not permitted to interact with the Robot or the controls on their VEXnet Joysticks in any way, directly, or indirectly. (e.g. Triggering sensors without touching the Robot is still illegal) Minor violations of this rule that do not affect the match will result in a warning. Egregious (match affecting) offenses will result in a Disqualification. Teams that receive multiple warnings may also receive a Disqualification at the head referee’s discretion.

The intent of this change was to make it clear that both direct (i.e. Touching) and indirect (e.g. Triggering a sensor without touching) interaction by Drive Team Members is illegal during the Autonomous Period.

Rule <G16> was slightly modified to include www.roboticseducation.org as a official source of documents.

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Rule <SG2> was modified and now states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<SG2> Prior to the start of each Match, each Robot must use their one (1) Cube available as a Preload. A Cube is considered to be legally preloaded if it is touching the Robot, not touching any other grey foam tiles or the Skyrise Base, and is fully within the field perimeter.

The intent of this change was to make it clear that teams must always use their Preload. There is no option to leave a Preload off the field.

Rule <SG5> was modified and now states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<SG5> There can only ever be one Skyrise Section in an Autoloader at any one given time. There will be one Skyrise Section in the Autoloader to start the Match. Additional Skyrise Sections will be loaded by a Student Drive Team Member into the Autoloader. Robots may not contact a Skyrise Section if it is being touched by a human. Minor violations of this rule that do not affect the match will result in a warning. Egregious (match affecting) offenses will result in a Disqualification. Teams that receive multiple warnings may also receive a Disqualification at the head referee’s discretion.

The intent of this change was to make it clear that teams must place Skyrise Sections into the Autoloader; placing them on top is not allowed. The smaller section of the Skyrise Section must be inside the Autoloader.

Rule <SG9a> was slightly modified to include refer to the correct figure.

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Rule <SG9f> was added and states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<SG9f> Robots may not interfere with an opposing Alliance’s Building of Skyrise Sections in any way. The
following actions are all illegal.
f. Depositing Scoring Objects in/on the opponent’s foam field tiles mentioned in c) or on Robots or Scoring Objects touching said tiles.

The intent of this change is to prevent teams from intentionally using Scoring Objects to interfere with their opponent Alliance’s Building of Skyrise Sections. This includes trying to Score on your opponent’s Skyrise, and trying to clutter their protected zone with Scoring Objects.

Rule <SG13> was added and states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<SG13> Robots may not deposit their opponent’s Cubes in/on their own Alliance Starting Tiles or the grey foam field tile between the two Alliance Starting Tiles and located in the corner of the field, or on Robots or Scoring Objects touching said tiles. The intent of this rule is to prevent intentional strategies to permanently isolate the opponent’s Cubes in the protected area. Accidental moving of Cubes into this area is expected. Minor violations of this rule that do not affect the match will result in a warning. Egregious (match affecting) offenses will result in a Disqualification. Teams that receive multiple warnings may also receive a Disqualification at the head referee’s discretion.

The intent of this rule was to prevent teams from intentionally isolating their opponent’s Cubes in their own protected tiles, to keep them from being able to legally access them during the match. Hoarding your opponent’s Cubes into your protected area is not a legal strategy.

[Karthik]

On June 2nd, 2014, the following updates will be made to the VEX Skyrise Game Manual. (Continued from the previous post)

All instances of “Cortex Microcontroller” in the Manual have been updated to its proper terminology of “VEX ARM® Cortex®-based Microcontroller”

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Rule <R7l> was modified and now states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<R7> Robots are allowed the following additional “non-VEX” components:
l) Items used solely for the purpose of bundling or wrapping of 2-wire, 3-wire, 4-wire cables, and pneumatic tubing, for the purposes of protection, organization, or management are allowed. This includes but is not limited to electrical tape, cable carrier, cable track, etc. Note: it is up to inspectors to determine whether a component is serving a function beyond protecting and managing cables.

The intent of this change was to allow for teams to utilize this exception for 4-wire cables and pneumatic tubing, which were not mentioned in the original rule.

Rule <R7m> was added and states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<R7> Robots are allowed the following additional “non-VEX” components:
m) VEX IQ pins used solely for the purpose of attaching VEX Team Identification Number Plates.

The intent of this rule was to allow teams to use VEX IQ pins as a method of attaching their new mandatory VEX license plates. Teams can do this in a variety of ways including using VEX legal screws, however we wanted to provide this additional option as well.

Rule <R15a> was modified and now states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<R15> Parts may NOT be modified as follows:
a) Motors (including the internal PTC), extension cords, sensors, controllers, battery packs, reservoirs, solenoids, pistons and any other electrical component or pneumatics component of the VEX Robotics Design System may NOT be altered from their original state in ANY way.

The intent of this change was to make it crystal clear that modifying the PTC in a VEX motor is strictly prohibited.

Rule <R18> was modified and now states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<R18> Pneumatic devices may only be charged to a maximum of 100 psi. Teams may only use a maximum of two (2) legal VEX pneumatic air reservoirs on a Robot.
• The intent of this rule is to limit teams to the air pressure stored in two reservoir tanks, as well as the normal working air pressure contained in their pneumatic cylinders and tubing on the robot. Teams may not use other elements (e.g. surgical tubing) for the purposes of storing air pressure. Teams who use cylinders and additional pneumatic tubing for no purpose other than additional storage are in violation of the spirit of this rule and will fail inspection.

The intent of this change was to make it clear that it is illegal to try and use superfluous pneumatic tubing or any other elements in an effort to circumvent the air storage limitations specified in <R18>.

Rule <R19c> was added and states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<R19c> Robots must use the colored plates that match their alliance color for each match. (i.e. Robots on the red alliance must have their red plates on for the match)

The intent of this rule is to make it clear that teams must use the new coloured license plates, and they must use the appropriate coloured plate to match their alliance colour.

Rule <R20> was modified and now states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<R20> Some events will require VEX Robot Identification Flags. At these events, robots must include a mounting device to securely hold one VEX Robot Identification Flag throughout an entire match.

The intent of this change is to state that flags will not be required at all events, however this decision is up to the Event Partner.

Rule <R22> was added and states:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

<R22> Any violation of robot rules will result in a team being unable to play until they pass inspection (per <R2d>). In addition, teams who intentionally circumvent or violate rules to gain an advantage over their fellow competitors are in violation of the spirit and ethos of the competition. As such, anyone caught violating a rule in this manner may be disqualified from upcoming matches, the event, or even future events at the discretion of the VEX Robotics Competition Game Design Committee.

The intent of this rule is to specify the potential additional punishment for any team who intentionally circumvents the robot rules. Cheating is prohibited in the VEX Robotics Competition and will be punished.

Both Skills Challenge Appendices, B & C, had the following minor modifications:

• The scoring description was updated to make it clear that teams can score both colours of Cubes
• It was made clear that not all events will run the Skills Challenges on a “first come, first serve” basis.

Appendix C was updated to make it clear that the matches are Autonomous, not Driver Controlled.

[Karthik]

On August 1st, 2014, the following updates will be made to the VEX Skyrise Game Manual.

The definition of Student was updated to the following:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

Student – Anyone enrolled in a pre-college school or home-schooled as part of a pre-college educational curriculum and is less than 19 years of age on April 23rd, 2015. Eligibility may be granted based on a disability that has delayed education by at least one year.

This change was made to make it clear that adults that are 19 and over do not meet the definition of a Student.

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The definition of Subsystem 1, in the <R1> was updated to the following:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

Subsystem 1: Mobile robotic base including wheels, tracks, legs, or any other mechanism that allows the robot to navigate the majority of the flat playing field surface. For a stationary robot, the robotic base without wheels would be considered Subsystem 1.

This change was made to make it clear that it is legal to have stationary robot. The intent of <R1> was never to ban stationary robots, merely a set of definitions to ensure teams were only using one robot at an event.

Appendix C - Programming Skills Challenge, had the following wording added to the end of the rule.

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

During contact with the Robot, the Student Drive Team Members may not intentionally manipulate or modify the position of any Scoring Objects relative to the Robot’s overall system, either by direct hand contact or indirect contact via the Robot. (i.e. it is acceptable to change the orientation of a Robot that includes Scoring Objects in it as long as the position of the elements relative to the Robot is not changed).

Student Drive Team Members also may not change the configuration of the Robot. (i.e. it is okay to reposition the robot relative to the field, but it is not okay to manually lift up the Robot’s arm).

The intent of this rule is to allow teams to fix Robots that are unable to move, to reposition and/or reorient Robots, and to activate additional autonomous modes by interacting with the Robot via sensors or buttons. The intent of this rule is not to allow teams to manipulate their Robot in such a way that they are controlling the Robot via human contact or creating motions that lead to scoring.

Violations of this rule will result in a warning for minor offenses which do not affect the final score of the Programming Skills Challenge Match. Egregious (match affecting) offenses will result in a score of zero (0). Teams who receive multiple warnings may also receive a score of zero (0) at the head referee’s discretion.

The intent of this wording change is to make the types of legal interactions during the Programming Skills Challenges abundantly clear. These are the exact same guidelines that have been present in past VRC games.

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Appendix E - VEX U, and were updated to say the following:

@VEX Skyrise Game Manual

c. Two plastic, 3D printed parts, each less than 3” x 3” x 3”
d. Two plastic, 3D printed parts, each less than 3” x 6” x 6”

There were two changes here.

• Making it clear that all 3D printed parts must me printed out of plastic
• Reducing the size of the larger 3D printed part allowance, to ensure it could be printed on most consumer grade 3D printers.

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[Karthik]

<G18> states that there will be a scheduled manual update on April 6th, 2015. This post is to officially state that there are no updates. The manual as currently published will stand at the 2015 VEX Robotics World Championship.