Yes, two Robots might collide while they are both on the Bridge.  No, there is not a gap to make the Robots avoid colliding -- "It is okay and expected for Robots to collide while trying to earn Flag points."

  I don't know if most teams have designed their Robots to be able to climb the Bridge.  If so, then we'll probably see some collisions.  I'll know more after this weekend's tournaments.

For the other questions, please remember that your Team will get at least 3 tries to earn their highest score. (see Rule 37)  That's one way that FLL evens out the good/bad luck that may affect a single Match.

Question: What if a Robot's attachment prevents the other Robot from reaching the top?

Answer:

• Then the other Robot doesn't reach the top.
• The other Robot may still get points for being Supported by the Bridge.  It could score Flag points, but it probably won't since it wouldn't have gone as far up the Bridge as its Team wanted it to go.

Question : What happens if a Robot's attachment is damaged by a collision and they don't have adequate time to fix it before the next run?  

Answer :

• If a Robot is damaged by a collision with another Robot, that's just bad luck for that Match.  The team is allowed to retrieve the broken pieces.  (Rule 22)
• Most tournaments will typically have 30 minutes or more between a team's matches, so there is time available.  (But, your team might also have to go to a judging session, which shortens the available time for repairs.)
• If your Robot has an attachment that is very delicate and hard to rebuild, then your Team might want to change their design to be more robust..
• If there's a catastrophe affecting your Robot before your match, then your Team can talk to the your Table Referee, the Head Referee, etc.  There may be some limited options they can use.

Steve Scherr

Virginia-DC FLL Referee Advisor

On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 12:53 PM Shyamala Chikkam <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Hello,

I have some questions about the bridge mission. 

If a Robot has a front attachment then it could potentially collide with the other team's Robot when it gets to the top of the bridge. 

What if a Robot's attachment prevents the other Robot from reaching the top? What happens if a Robot's attachment is damaged by a collision and they don't have adequate time to fix it before the next run?

Will there be sufficient gap between the 2 Robots on the bridge to avoid this situation?

Thanks,

Shyamala

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