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Just been reading the rules. Cant find anything saying interchangeable drive systems arnt allowed. for example changeing from 2wd to 4wd depending on who your against. or chassis parts like extending the machine. just aslong as the heaviest setup is weighed. i am expecting this is allowed then?
I would allow it.
F.R.A International Build Rules & Guidelines 2006
Para 2.4
If interchangeable panels and/or weapons are used, the weight is measured with the heaviest set-up in place.
However......
Para 1.2
If you have a robot or weapon design that does not fit within the categories set forth in these rules or is in someway ambiguous or borderline, please contact the event organiser. Safe innovation is always encouraged, but surprising the event staff with your brilliant exploitation of a loophole may cause your Robot to be disqualified before it ever competes.
Drive systems are not classified as weapons so really only Para 2.4 would apply in your case.
(Message edited by anukhet on August 19, 2006)
Dont the rules say that the chassis is the robot so any changes to drive would have to be made without altering the chassis in shape or size. But otherwise I see nothing wrong with it.
I cant see that anywhere in the current version (although it may have been there in earlier versions).
ill translate.
can i bring 10 identical robot chassis and swap damaged ones for brand new ones as I need them?
hope that helps answer his question
No problem if they are identical. If not then Para 2.4 would apply because the chassis would be part of the overall set-up.
10 identical chassis? Are you expecting trouble? :)
As dave said, james is not planning on multiple spare chassis - but if he was i couldnt see it being a problem unless the roboteers see it as un sports-like. But like the conversation we had before i now have two complete and almost ready to drive Ploughbots and so I would like to know whether if my new one did get broken, wif i could put the old one is as Interchangable?Or atleast if an astro blew, put my old golds back in for a semi-final or something?(this would invole the old basic chasis aswell) Leaving the outside the same. If this is allowed, then what happens if little spinner wrecks my shell? can i then replace my new shell, with my less armoured old shell? (effectivly my whole robotwill have been replaced in a single competition, to a whole new one, with all different components)
I have had many conversations about this, and know one seems to know where the line should be drawn? I certainly wouldnt like to think up the rule!
FRA rules do have lots of loopholes, the reason for this is to allow for development of machinery.
It is not FRA policy to dictate on how machines are built other than already specified in its build rules.
When a new inovation or style is encountered it is up to an individual event organiser to allow a new style to run.
After this it is usually put on the FRA agenda by the event organiser for discussion as to safe use or suitability. A considered opinion is then offered.
only 10 james...... na your thinking way too small :) lol
no thats not what ive got in mind but still a good point. There isnt a rule on the limitations of how many parts you could interchange, so in practice you could have kan-opener and interchange the armour, then the drive and chassis, oh and not forgetting the weapon and there you have it..... youve morphed into Terrorhurtz. No rule saying you cant?
It would be interesting to see peoples thoughts on such a radical idea but perfectly legal one.
Maybe the rule should be a bit like football where you can only have so many substitutions. Maybe you can allocate 5 things whether they be weapons, drive motors or armour?
When Dantomkia entered Battlebots they had to have a different chassis and name even though all the internals were the same as the original. So if it has a different chassis then its a different robot. I know this isnt in the current rules but maybe it should be or like James C says you could transform into a whole new robot.
IMO i cant see a problem with changing wheels, motors, ram, speed controllers, armour etc.
I do feel thought that the chassis IS the robot and should not be allowed to be changed. Allowing changes to parts attached to the chassis is fine. But changing the chassis and putting all original parts in it, in mid competition i think takes it a bit too far.
Just my thoughts.
(Message edited by armadrillo on August 21, 2006)
The easiest analogy to this would be how F1 used to be before they stopped people changing the engine without huge penalties.
During qualifying teams would run different engines which were capable of greater power output although would fail if run for a full race.
The point here would be that having a robot that was modular to the degree that it was capable of being essentially a different robot for different fights. E.g. for spinners you removed the weapon and fitted a lighter drive chain and much heavier armour.
I for one whole heartedly support the diversity of fighting robots. If someone wishes to build such a robot then I would love to see it.
However, the line between being one robot or another becomes very grey then perhaps this will need some consultation.
In my mind, if you take it apart and put it back together again in the pits, its the same robot... What wouldnt be acceptable is having a complete standby chassis you swapped out after taking heavy damage. Although using the chassis for spares would be completely acceptable.
What if you had a 6kg robot, with 6kg of armour for the spinners, and then you go through to the next round, can you use an identical 6kg robot with little armour as a clusterbot?
No, because you cant be a clusterbot and a non-clusterbot.
When I built swarm (heavyweight) I wanted to have a 50kg chassis base with 50kg of weapon on the back. The idea was that I could bolt on different weapon set ups dependant on the event, the arena and the opponent. So far I have only had time to create the spinning disc (even that is getting a bit close to the line) but I am looking at making lifters, axes etc in the future. As far as I can tell, this is well within the rules as the robot would be weighed with the heaviest setup on the back.
For my antweight i was planning on just adding some more armour that can be easily attached and removed and compete in the soz bots weight class with it as well. It would be a light soz, or a heavy ant. I could just a easily opt for 4 wheels instead of 2, or changing to a another weapon.
Its the same trick we did for tractor pulling, just add more motors to compete in more than one weightclass (super spetter was 5 V8 engines in the lightest setup, to 9 V8s in the heaviest).
Keeping it in the same weightclass should just as well be possible to swap, and have the heaviest setup weighed. I would insist however that it doesnt take up more time between fights to swap setups. The robot should be ready for the next round without delays.
Well, we have a new weapon for the UK champs which when (if?) we get through the first round we may use. If you dont allow interchangeable armour, but do allow interchangeavle weapons, then where is the line drawn. The other weapon protects the whole front of the robot from those nasty discs, but we called it a weapon, not armour :)
As it doesnt say what is allowed then I guess that you can change armour as I know robots have Anti-THz armour and no one ever complained about these for live events.
What about robots that dont have a chasis? It would be hard to put in writing a rule that would cover this.