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 > >______________________________________________________________ >To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE YOUR SETTINGS, please visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html and select "Join or leave the list". > >If you want to join the VADCFLL-ADMIN-L mailing list - to which FLL administrative announcements will be distributed - visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-admin-l.html and select "Join or leave the list". >=========================================================== ============== ______________________________________________________________ To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE YOUR SETTINGS, please visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html and select "Join or leave the list". If you want to join the VADCFLL-ADMIN-L mailing list - to which FLL administrative announcements will be distributed - visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-admin-l.html and select "Join or leave the list".