7 Game Rules: ROBOTS

The 2022 FRC Game Manual implements updated methods for identifying rule numbers and recurring rules. See Section 1.7 This Document & Its Conventions for details.

7.1

ROBOT

Restrictions

Examples include, but are not limited to:

a. uncontrolled motion that cannot be stopped by the

,

b.

parts “flailing” outside of the ,

c.

dragging their battery, and

d.

that consistently extend beyond the .

Please be conscious of

and working around the who may be in close proximity to your .

This measurement is intended to be made as if the

is resting on a flat floor, not relative to the height of the from the carpet.

For example, a

that is at an angle while driving over something may actually exceed the height limit when compared to the carpet of the .

Figure 7‑1

height example

Examples of compliance and non-compliance of this rule are shown in Figure 7‑2.

Yellow bars represent the limits of the

and are drawn in the same orientation of the ’S . Green bars represent a measured extension from the that does not exceed the limit defined in this rule. Red bars represent a measured extension from the that exceeds the limit in this rule. A and C violate this rule, whereas B does not.

Figure 7‑2 Examples of compliance and non-compliance of this rule

7.2

ROBOT

to

ROBOT

Interaction

G201 does not apply for strategies consistent with standard gameplay, for example a red

in their in the final 30 seconds of the contacts a blue .

G201 requires an intentional act with limited or no opportunity for the team being acted on to avoid the penalty, such as:

a. forcing the opposing

to have greater-than-MOMENTARY of 3 or

b. a

raising an extension to touch their as an opponent is about hit them with no intention to actually climb

A team’s desired direction of travel is not a consideration when determining if a

is PINNED.

If the PINNING

gets PINNED, the original count terminates. Otherwise, if a re-PINS the same before the 3 seconds referenced in the last sentence of this rule, the ’S count resumes from the initial (versus starting at 0).

Examples of violations of this rule include, but are not limited to:

a. fully blocking all access to either

,

b. shutting down access to all opponents’

,

c. quarantining all opponents to a small area of the

, and

d. blocking all access to the opponents’

.

A single

blocking access to a particular area of the is not a violation of this rule.

2

independently playing defense on 2 opponent is not a violation of this rule.

Note, G204, G205, and G206 are mutually exclusive. A single

to interaction which violates more than 1 of these rules results in the most punitive penalty, and only the most punitive penalty, being assessed.

For the purposes of G204, “initiate contact” requires movement towards an opponent

.

In a collision, it’s possible for both

to initiate contact.

• A. deliberately, as perceived by a
  REFEREE
  .
• B. regardless of intent, by initiating contact inside the vertical projection of an opponent
  ROBOT
  ’S
  FRAME PERIMETER
  . Contact between the
  ROBOT
  ’S
  BUMPERS
  or
  COMPONENTS
  inside the
  ROBOT
  ’S
  FRAME PERIMETER
  and
  COMPONENTS
  inside an opening of an opponent’s
  BUMPERS
  is an exception to this rule.

FIRST Robotics Competition can be a full-contact competition and may include rigorous game play. While this rule aims to limit severe damage to

, teams should design their to be robust.

The exception in G205-B effectively means that

with gaps are at their own risk regarding damaging contact in these areas.

Examples of violations of this rule include, but are not limited to:

a. A

leaves an arm extended, spins around to change course, and unintentionally hits and damages a inside the of a nearby opponent .

b. A

, in the process of trying to quickly reverse direction, tips up on a single pair of wheels, lands atop an opponent , and damages a inside that opponent’s .

c. A

high-speed rams and/or repeatedly smashes an opponent and causes damage. The infers that the was deliberately trying to the damage the opponent’s .

Examples of functionally impairing another

include, but are not limited to:

d. opening an opponent’s relief valve such that the opponent’s air pressure drops and

e. powering off an opponent’s

(this example also clearly results in a because the is no longer able to drive).

At the conclusion of the

, the Head may elect to visually inspect a to confirm violations of G205 made during a and remove the violation if the damage cannot be verified.

For the purposes of G205, “initiating contact” requires movement towards an opponent

.

In a collision, it’s possible for both

to initiate contact.

Examples of violations of this rule include, but are not limited to:

a. using a wedge-like

to tip over opponent ,

b. making BUMPER-to-BUMPER contact with an opponent

that is attempting to right itself after previously falling over and causing them to fall over again, and

c. causing an opponent

to tip over by contacting the after it starts to tip if, in the judgement of the , that contact could have been avoided.

Tipping as an unintended consequence of normal

to interaction, as perceived by the , is not a violation of G206.

• A. an opponent
  ROBOT
  contacting their MID, HIGH, and/or
  TRAVERSAL RUNGS
  or
• B. an opponent
  ROBOT
  whose
  BUMPERS
  are at least partially in their
  HANGAR ZONE
  during the final 30 seconds of the
  MATCH
  .

7.3

FIELD

Interaction

• A. grabbing,
• B. grasping,
• C. attaching to (including the use of a vacuum or hook fastener to anchor to the
  FIELD
  carpet and excluding use of the
  DRIVER STATION
  hook-and-loop tape, plugging in to the provided power outlet, and plugging the provided Ethernet cable into the
  OPERATOR CONSOLE
  ),
• D. becoming entangled with,
• E. suspending from, and
• F. damaging.

is expected to undergo a reasonable amount of wear and tear as they are handled by , such as scratching or marking. Gouging, popping, tearing off pieces, or routinely marking are violations of this rule.

7.4

CARGO

Examples include, but are not limited to:

a. shooting

at and

b. corralling

in the opponents’ to clog/congest it.

A

is in of if:

• A. the
  CARGO
  is fully supported by the
  ROBOT
  ,
• B. the
  CARGO
  travels across the
  FIELD
  such that when the
  ROBOT
  changes direction, the
  CARGO
  travels with the
  ROBOT
  ,
• C. the
  ROBOT
  is holding
  CARGO
  against a
  FIELD
  element in attempt to
  guard
  or shield it, or
• D. the
  ROBOT
  is preventing a
  CARGO
  from leaving a
  LOWER EXIT
  .

Egregious examples include but are not limited to the following:

a. simultaneous

of 5

b.

of 3 or more

c. frequent

of 3 or more (an approximate count for frequent in this context is if this rule is violated more than 3 times in a )

Examples of restricting access to

includes, but are not limited to,

a. holding 2 opposing

within your and blocking an opponent from getting to 2 more opposing cornered behind your , or

b. using

contact protection afforded per G208-A to prevent an opponent from legally reaching 4 opposing cornered in the back of your .

In a scenario where a

is PINNING (per G202), are instructed to disregard this rule so they can focus on the PINNING.

It is important to design your

to mitigate the chance your could inadvertently or unintentionally catch as it leaves an .