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This section describes the rules governing

MATCH

participation. A team has participated in a

MATCH

if any member of their

DRIVE TEAM

is in the

ALLIANCE AREA

, with or without the

ROBOT

on the

FIELD

, at the start of the

MATCH

At each event, the Lead

ROBOT

INSPECTOR

(

LRI

) has final authority on the legality of any

COMPONENT

MECHANISM

, or

ROBOT

INSPECTORS

may re-inspect

ROBOTS

at any time to ensure compliance with the rules. Teams are encouraged to consult with

INSPECTORS

or the

LRI

if they have any questions regarding the legality of a

ROBOT

or about how to make a

ROBOT

legal.

The inspection process may progress in blocks, i.e. it may pause for a team’s Practice

MATCH

, slot on the practice

field

, lunch break, etc. The process may employ various

INSPECTORS

throughout the process based on availability. At the team’s discretion, they may request a different

INSPECTOR

or invite the Lead

ROBOT

INSPECTOR

to participate in their

ROBOT

’S inspection.

While there is no specific defined procedure in place for teams to be re-inspected prior to Playoff

MATCHES

, it is typical for

INSPECTORS

to use the re-inspection discretion described above to do a limited re-inspection on all

ROBOTS

near the end of QUALIFICATIONS or beginning of Playoff

MATCHES

to help identify any modifications that should be re-inspected per I104.

ROBOTS

are permitted to participate in scheduled Practice

MATCHES

prior to passing inspection. However, the

FTA

LRI

, or Head

REFEREE

may determine at any time that the

ROBOT

is unsafe and may prohibit further participation in Practice

MATCHES

until the condition is corrected and/or the

ROBOT

passes inspection.

Prior to the start of a

MATCH

, any

ROBOT

which is unable or ineligible to participate in that

MATCH

, as determined by the

FTA

LRI

, or Head

REFEREE

, is declared to be

BYPASSED

and is

DISABLED

. A team whose

ROBOT

BYPASSED

remains eligible to receive Qualification Ranking Points or Playoff

MATCH

points provided that its

ROBOT

has passed inspection, per I102.

An Inspection Checklist is available to help teams self-inspect their

ROBOT

before their event. Teams are strongly encouraged to self-inspect prior to their event.

10.1 Rules

I101 *It’s your team’s
Robot
.

The

ROBOT

and its

MAJOR MECHANISMS

must be built by the FIRST Robotics Competition team.

MAJOR MECHANISM

is a group of

COMPONENTS

and/or

MECHANISMS

assembled together to address at least 1 game challenge:

ROBOT

movement,

GAME PIECES

manipulation,

FIELD

element manipulation, or performance of a scorable task without the assistance of another

ROBOT

This rule requires that the

ROBOT

and its

MAJOR MECHANISMS

were built by its team, but isn’t intended to prohibit or discourage assistance from other teams (e.g. fabricating elements, supporting construction, writing software, developing game strategy, contributing

COMPONENTS

and/or

MECHANISMS

, etc.)

Examples of

MAJOR MECHANISMS

include, but are not limited to, assemblies used to:

a. manipulate
GAME PIECES
,
b. manipulate a
FIELD
element, and
c. move the
ROBOT
around the
FIELD
. Examples that would generally not be considered
MAJOR MECHANISMS
, and thus probably aren’t subject to this rule include, but are not limited to, the following:
a. a gearbox assembly,
b. a
COMPONENT
or
MECHANISM
that’s part of a
MAJOR MECHANISM
, and
c.
COTS
items. Neither this rule nor the language in this blue box define specific thresholds for how much of a
MAJOR MECHANISM
must be the result of the team’s effort. This rule expects and requires the team’s honest assessment of whether they built the
MAJOR MECHANISMS
of their
ROBOT
.

Attempts to exploit loopholes in the definition of

MAJOR MECHANISM

in order to bypass this requirement are in the spirit of neither this rule nor the FIRST Robotics Competition. Examples of exploitation include:

a. assembling pieces of a
MAJOR MECHANISM
provided by another team, except
COTS
kits and
b. receiving a mostly complete
MAJOR MECHANISM
from another team and providing a small piece.

I102 *Get inspected before playing a Qualification/Playoff
Match
.

A team is only permitted to participate in a Qualification or Playoff

MATCH

and receive Ranking or

MATCH

Points if their

ROBOT

has passed an initial, complete inspection.

Violation: If prior to the start of the

MATCH

, the team is

DISQUALIFIED

and not eligible to participate in the

MATCH

. If after the start of the

MATCH

, the entire

ALLIANCE

receives a

RED CARD

for that

MATCH

Please take note of this rule. It is important that FIRST Robotics Competition teams ensure their

ALLIANCE

partners have passed inspection. Allowing a partner that has not passed inspection to play puts the

ALLIANCE

at risk of

RED CARDS

. Teams should check with their

ALLIANCE

partners early and help them pass inspection before competing.

I103 *Bring it all to inspection.

At the time of inspection, the

OPERATOR CONSOLE

and the

ROBOT

must be presented with all

MECHANISMS

(including all

COMPONENTS

of each

MECHANISM

), configurations, and decorations that will be used on the

ROBOT

MATCHES

without re-inspection (per I104) and may not exceed 150 lbs. (~68 kg) (note that while up to 150 lbs. (~68 kg) of

ROBOT

MECHANISMS

may be inspected together, the

ROBOT

configuration used in a

MATCH

may not violate R103). The

OPERATOR CONSOLE

and exceptions listed in R103 are not included in this weight.

I104 *Unless the change is listed below, any change to a
Robot
must get re-inspected.

ROBOT

may play

MATCHES

with a subset of the

MECHANISMS

that were present during inspection provided the reconfigured

ROBOT

still complies with all

ROBOT

Construction Rules. Only

MECHANISMS

that were present during the inspection may be added, removed, or reconfigured between

MATCHES

without re-inspection per this rule. If a

ROBOT

is modified after its most recent passed inspection, it must be re-inspected before it is eligible to participate in a

MATCH

. A

ROBOT

that plays in a

MATCH

with an un-inspected modification may be retro-actively

DISQUALIFIED

at the discretion of the

LRI

and Head

REFEREE

Exceptions are listed in A through F (unless they result in a significant change to the

ROBOT

’S size, weight, legality, or safety).

A. addition, relocation, or removal of fasteners (e.g. cable ties, tape, and rivets),
B. addition, relocation, or removal of labeling or marking,
C. revision of
ROBOT
code,
D. replacement of a
COTS

COMPONENT
with an identical
COTS

COMPONENT
,
E. replacement of a
MECHANISM
with an identical
MECHANISM
(size, weight, material), and
F. additions, removals, or reconfiguration of
ROBOT
with a subset of
MECHANISMS
already inspected per I103.

I105 *Don’t exploit re-inspection.

Teams may not use the re-inspection process in I104 to circumvent the weight limit in I103.

This restriction is not intended to prevent a team from returning to a previous configuration (e.g. due to an unsuccessful upgrade or failure of a new

COMPONENT

). If a team is believed to be violating this rule, the

LRI

will discuss the situation with the team to understand the changes and, if appropriate, the

LRI

in conjunction with the team will select a single configuration with which the team will compete for the duration of the event.

Example 1: A

ROBOT

passes initial inspection (which includes

MECHANISM

A). Its team then decides they want to use

MECHANISM

B, which was not inspected. The weight of the

ROBOT

, A, and B is less than the weight limit in I103, but more than that in R103. I104 requires the

ROBOT

be re-inspected, and this rule allows the

ROBOT

, A, and B to be inspected collectively. If passed, the

ROBOT

may then compete in subsequent

MATCHES

with A or B.

Example 2: A

ROBOT

passes initial inspection (which includes

MECHANISM

A). Its team then decides they want to use

MECHANISM

B, which was not inspected. The weight of the

ROBOT

, A, and B is greater than the weight limit in I103. This requires re-inspection per I104 and A is excluded to satisfy I103. B breaks, and the team decides to switch back to A. The

ROBOT

must be re-inspected per I104, and the team is not violating this rule.

Example 3: A team arrives at an event with a

ROBOT

MECHANISM

A, and

MECHANISM

B, which collectively weigh 175 lbs (79 kg). The

ROBOT

passes initial inspection with A and plays a

MATCH

. The team switches to B, gets re-inspected, and plays again. The team switches back to A, gets re-inspected, and plays again. The team switches back to B and asks to be re-inspected. At this point, the

LRI

suspects the team may be violating this rule and has a discussion with the team to understand the changes being made. The team reveals that this rule has been violated, and the

LRI

works with them to select A or B for use for the remainder of the event.

I106 *
Robots
are off for inspection (mostly).

For the safety of all those involved,

ROBOTS

, must be presented for inspection with the

ROBOT

powered off, pneumatics unpressurized, and springs or other stored energy devices in their lowest potential energy states (e.g. battery removed).

Power and air pressure should only be enabled on the

ROBOT

during those portions of the inspection process where it is absolutely required to validate certain system functionality and compliance with specific rules (firmware check, etc.).

INSPECTORS

may allow the

ROBOT

to be powered beyond the parameters above if both criteria below are met:

A. the
ROBOT
design requires power or a charged stored energy device in order to confirm that the
ROBOT
meets volume requirements and
B. the team has included safety interlocks that mitigate unexpected release of such stored energy.

The team may be asked to demonstrate these interlocks during the inspection process.

I107 *No
student
, no inspection.

At least 1

STUDENT

team member must accompany the

ROBOT

for any inspection efforts.

Exceptions may be made for major conflicts, e.g. religious holidays, major testing, transportation issues, etc.

9 ROBOT Construction Rules

The rules listed below explicitly address legal parts and materials and how those parts and materials may be used on a CHARGED UP ROBOT. A ROBOT is an electromechanical assembly built by the FIRST Robotics Competition team to play the current season’s game and includes all the basic systems required to be an active participant in the game –power, communications, control, BUMPERS, and movement about the FIELD. A BUMPER is a protective assembly designed to attach to the exterior of the ROBOT and constructed as specified in Section 9.4 BUMPER Rules.

11 Tournaments

Each 2023 FIRST® Robotics Competition event is played in a tournament format. Each tournament consists of 3 types of MATCHES: Practice MATCHES (not necessarily played at all District Events), Qualification MATCHES, and Playoff MATCHES.

10 Inspection & Eligibility Rules