Here is an important point to note from the Active Robot Touched rule (which has somewhat 
changed from previous years):  if the robot is bringing an object from the field into base (an object 
encountered out of base), the team has to wait until the object itself crosses IN to base, or the 
object gets taken out of play (this is the change) when the robot is touched.  Sometimes young or 
rookie team members get a little too eager to save time, and grab the robot before the objects it 
is transporting are all in base.

For veteran coaches--Last year's descriptions of robot modes and restrictions on robot activity 
after starting and while still in base were mostly to prohibit the use of "tethers" or "leashes".  This 
year's rules have been simplified and loosened back up, and the presence or absence of a  leash is 
not considered for purposes of touch penalties.

See Q&A RULING 14 – Leashing Robots
If you touch your robot while the only part of it in Base is the end of some long [whatever] that 
was left there like the end of a dog's leash for the obvious purpose of avoiding a touch penalty, 
you'll still get the penalty. I don't want to go back to ruling that the robot must leave base before 
it can do anything, so instead you get this post.

Philosophically (and not official FLL guidance)--the ingenuity and engineering challenge of 
designing a leash were allowable in the past, but not this year, since the ingenuity and 
engineering challenge of having (the main body of) the robot autonomously return to base 
demonstrate both programming skill and management of memory and time.

Steve S

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:57:09 -0500, David Levy <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Sorry... another last minute question.   I know that there have been a
>few rule changes since last season and there is this mention of the
>"active touch rule" which I must admit am not fully aware of its
>implications.     I know that last season, the kids would wait for any
>part of the 'running' robot to cross into base before grabbing it and
>setting up the next mission.    Is there something that has changed in
>that respect.
>
>thanks
>David Levy
>
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