8 Game Rules: Humans

FIRST is committed to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and as such, FIRST makes reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities that request accommodation. If a participant needs an accommodation for an event, please talk to a volunteer at the event or contact local leadership before the event so they can help ensure the accommodation is provided.

Accommodations are adjustments that allow all people with disabilities to access the building and participate in the game. Accommodations are determined reasonable given they do not create an undue hardship or cause safety concerns.

8.1 General

Examples of inappropriate behavior include, but are not limited to:

a. use of offensive language or other uncivil conduct,

B. more than

blockage of an opponent from the or their , and

c. use of

as a projectile in an attempt to inhibit an opponent .

Examples of particularly contemptible behavior that is likely to result in

ejection include, but are not limited to, the following:

d. assault, e.g. throwing something that hits another person (even if unintended),

e. threat, e.g. saying something like “if you don’t reverse that call, I’ll make you regret it,”

f. harassment, e.g. badgering someone with no new information after a decision’s been made or a question’s been answered,

g. bullying, e.g. using body or verbal language to cause another person to feel inadequate,

h. insulting, e.g. telling someone they don’t deserve to be on a

,

i. swearing at another person (versus swearing under one’s breath or at oneself), and

j. yelling at another person(s) in anger or frustration.

“Entering” a

(or ) into a FIRST Robotics Competition means bringing it to or using it at the event such that it’s an aid to your team (e.g. for spare parts, judging material, or for practice).

While “most of its drive base” is a subjective assessment, for the purposes of this rule, an assembly whose drive base is missing all wheels/treads, gearboxes, and belts/chains is not considered a “

.” If any of those are incorporated, the assembly is now considered a “.”

This rule does not prohibit teams from bringing in

from other FIRST programs for the purposes of awards presentations or pit displays.

Egregious violations of this rule to which H201 may apply include, but are not limited to:

a. pushing past the

reset person blocking an open gate to get on the ,

b. ignoring a warning to not go on the

,

c. walking on to the

during a , and

d. reaching into the

and grabbing a during a .

Violations of this rule apply to the entire team, not specifically to any 1 individual. For example, a member of Team 9999 enters the

prior to lights going green after 3, and a different member enters the prior to lights going green after 25. The team receives a verbal warning for the first violation and a for the second.

Teams are encouraged to ensure that all members of their

are aware of this rule. It’s easy to violate, particularly when teams are doing their best to move on and off the quickly. The violations of this rule are intended to avoid nuisance penalties, but still enforce safety requirements around the . There is the potential for injury when stepping over the guardrail.

Violations of this rule apply to the entire team, not specifically to any 1 individual. For example, a member of Team 9999 steps over the guardrail prior to

3, and a different member steps over the guardrail prior to 25. The team receives a verbal warning for the first violation and a for the second.

NOTE: This rule is not intended to prevent an

from planning and/or executing its own strategy in a specific in which all the teams are members of the .

Example 1: A

is being played by Teams A, B, and C, in which Team C is encouraged by Team D to not engage with the at the end of the , resulting in Teams A, B, and C not earning a Ranking Point. Team D’s motivation for this behavior is to prevent Team A from rising in the Tournament rankings and negatively affecting Team D’s ranking. Team D has violated this rule.

Example 2: A

is being played by Teams A, B, and C, in which Team A is assigned to participate as a . Team D encourages Team A to not participate in the so that Team D gains ranking position over Teams B and C. Team D has violated this rule.

FIRST considers the action of a team influencing another team to throw a

, to deliberately miss Ranking Points, etc. incompatible with FIRST values and not a strategy any team should employ.

NOTE: This rule is not intended to prevent an

from planning and/or executing its own strategy in a specific in which all the members are participants.

Example 1: A

is being played by Teams A, B, and C. Team D requests Team C ignore the at the end of the , resulting in Teams A, B, and C not being able to earn . Team C accepts this request from Team D. Team D’s motivation for this behavior is to prevent Team A from rising in the Tournament rankings negatively affecting Team D’s ranking. Team C has violated this rule.

Example 2: A

is being played by Teams A, B, and C, in which Team A is assigned to participate as a . Team A accepts Team D’s request to not participate in the so that Team D gains ranking position over Teams B and C. Team A has violated this rule.

FIRST considers the action of a team influencing another team to throw a

, to deliberately miss Ranking Points, etc. incompatible with FIRST values and not a strategy any team should employ.

The

’S role is to help the team prepare the so it can perform at its full potential during a . The , except as described at the end of Section 6.6 , is not an additional , , or .

Team members in open-access spectator seating areas are not considered to be in a restricted area and are not prevented from assisting or using signaling devices. See E102 for related details.

• A. climbing on or inside,
• B. hanging from,
• C. deforming, and
• D. damaging.

8.2

REFEREE

Interaction

In addition to rule violations explicitly listed in this manual and witnessed by a

, the Head may assign a YELLOW or for egregious actions or team member behavior at any time during the event. This includes violations of the event rules found on the FIRST® Robotics Competition District & Regional Events page.

Please see Section 11.2.1 Yellow and

for additional detail.

The intent of this rule is to provide the Head

the flexibility necessary to keep the event running smoothly, as well as keep the safety of all the participants as the highest priority. There are certain behaviors that automatically result in a YELLOW or because we believe this behavior puts our community at risk. Those behaviors include, but are not limited to the list below:

a. inappropriate behavior as outlined in the blue box of H101,

b. jumping over the guardrail,

c. behaviors listed in the blue box in H103,

d. PINNING in excess of 15 seconds,

e. climbing on the

, and

f. exploiting the 5-second scoring assessment period after a

to avoid rule violations (e.g. triggering an over-extension that enables points or using a ’S residual energy to impact an opponent on their ).

The Head

may assign a YELLOW or for a single instance of a rule violation such as the examples given in items a-e above, or for multiple instances of any single rule violation. Teams should be aware that any rule in this manual could escalate to a YELLOW or . The Head has final authority on all rules and violations at an event.

Please see

Interaction for more information about process and expectations.

8.3 Before/After the

MATCH

are expected to stage their for a , and remove it from the afterwards, safely and swiftly. Examples of violations include, but are not limited to:

a. late arrival to the

(including across different and after a or ),

b. failing to exit the

once a is ready to begin (indicated by the green LEDs having turned off),

c. installing

, charging pneumatic systems, or any other maintenance once on the ,

d. time-consuming use of alignment devices that are external to the

(e.g. a could bring and use a measuring tape, as long as there is no delay to the by doing so), and

e. failing to remove

from the in a timely manner.

At the conclusion of a

, are expected to be staged on the prior to the timer displaying 0 and ready for the to start.

There are no rules that prohibit use of hand tools (including battery operated tools) while setting up and/or removing

from the provided they do not cause significant delay or cause safety concerns.

Teams are encouraged to consider this rule when developing their

.

will not enable after the conclusion of the .

Tethering includes any wired or wireless connection used to electrically energize and/or

elements on the . The safety of teams and volunteers in close proximity to and elements on the is of the utmost importance, therefore or may not be enabled in any way on the once the has concluded.

need to be safely transported off the and back to the pits after the , and there may be bystanders, doorways, or height restrictions along the route.

• A. the
  OPERATOR CONSOLE
  ,
• B. non-powered signaling devices,
• C. reasonable decorative items,
• D. special clothing and/or equipment required due to a disability,
• E. devices used solely for planning or tracking strategy,
• F. devices used solely to record gameplay, and
• G. non-powered Personal Protective Equipment (examples include, but aren’t limited to, gloves, eye protection, and hearing protection) Items brought to the
  ARENA
  under allowances B-G must meet all following conditions:

I. do not connect or attach to the

, , or ,

II. do not connect or attach to another

member (other than items in category G),

III. do not communicate with anything or anyone outside of the

,

IV. do not communicate with the

,

V. do not include any form of enabled wireless electronic communication, and

VI. do not in any way affect the outcome of a

, other than by allowing the to

a. plan or track strategy for the purposes of communication of that strategy to other

members or

b. use items allowed per B to communicate with the

.

Examples of equipment that may be considered a safety hazard in the confined space of the

include, but are not limited to, a step stool or a large signaling device.

Examples of remote sensing capabilities include, but are not limited to, vision systems, acoustic range finders, sonars, and infrared proximity sensors.

Use of imagery that, to a reasonably astute observer, mimics the Vision Targets employed on the

is a violation of this rule.

Examples of wireless communication include, but are not limited to, radios, walkie-talkies, cell phones, Bluetooth communications, and Wi-Fi.

Figure 8‑1

participation flowchart

The team should inform the lead team queuer if the team’s

is not able to participate.

• A. all
  DRIVE TEAM
  members wearing their designated buttons above the waist in a clear visible location at all times while in the
  ARENA
• B. the
  COACH
  wearing the “
  COACH
  ” button
• C. the
  DRIVERS
  and
  HUMAN PLAYERS
  each wearing a “
  DRIVE TEAM
  ” button
• D. the
  TECHNICIAN
  wearing the “
  TECHNICIAN
  ” button
• E. each
  HUMAN PLAYER
  in a
  TERMINAL AREA
  wearing their
  ALLIANCE
  color apron around their waist Teams are invited to customize the aprons included in their Kickoff Kit, provided the pocket and bottom 2 in. aren’t modified. A team may borrow a
  FIELD
  apron if they don’t have theirs or a
  REFEREE
  determines the apron unfit for a
  MATCH
  .
• F. during a Playoff
  MATCH
  , the
  ALLIANCE CAPTAIN
  clearly displaying the designated
  ALLIANCE CAPTAIN
  identifier (e.g. hat or armband)

An intent of this rule is to prevent unsafe situations where long tethers to

devices increase tripping hazards as the operator moves about the . In the interest of avoiding nuisance penalties associated with a member stepping outside of a prescribed area, we prefer to offer a general guideline as to what it means to use the in the . Provided the member is within close proximity of their , there will be no repercussions. However, a member located more than approximately half a width away from their own while using their is likely violating this rule.

• A. in compliance with all
  ROBOT
  rules, i.e. has passed inspection (for exceptions regarding Practice
  MATCHES
  , see Section 10 Inspection & Eligibility Rules),
• B. the only team-provided item left on the
  FIELD
  by the
  DRIVE TEAM
  ,
• C. confined to its
  STARTING CONFIGURATION
  (reference R102 and R104),
• D. positioned such that it is fully contained in 1 of the
  ALLIANCE
  ’S 2
  TARMACS
  , and
• E. fully and solely supporting not more than 1
  CARGO
  (as described in Section 6.1 Setup).

If a

is prior to the start of the , the may not remove the from the without permission from the Head or the .

• A.
  DRIVERS
  : inside their
  ALLIANCE AREA
  and behind the
  STARTING LINE
  ,
• B.
  COACHES
  : inside their
  ALLIANCE AREA
  and behind the
  STARTING LINE
  , and
• C.
  HUMAN PLAYERS
  :
• a. 1
  HUMAN PLAYER
  per
  ALLIANCE
  deployed to each
  TERMINAL AREA
  , and the
  HUMAN PLAYER
  in the
  TERMINAL AREA
  furthest from their
  ALLIANCE AREA
  behind the
  TERMINAL STARTING LINE
  ,
• b. any remaining
  HUMAN PLAYERS
  : inside their
  ALLIANCE AREA
  and behind the
  STARTING LINE
  , and
• D.
  TECHNICIANS
  : in the event-designated area near the
  FIELD
  .

8.4 During the

MATCH

:

AUTO

Pointing, gesturing, or otherwise extending across the

such that contact is not made with carpet or other elements is not a violation of this rule.

An example of an exception for equipment safety is if an

starts to fall from, or has already fallen off of, the shelf. In that circumstance, members may step forward to catch it or pick it up off the ground and return it to the shelf.

For the purposes of FIRST Robotics Competition, any device connected to the

is considered a device because are not expected to differentiate between devices that can or cannot the .

8.5 During the

MATCH

Exceptions may be made before a

for major conflicts, e.g. religious holidays, major testing, transportations issues, etc.

• A. by a
  HUMAN PLAYER
  and
• B. through the
  GUARD
  .

Inconsequential touching, such as shifting an opponent

out of the way within the to retrieve your own, is not a violation of this rule.