5 Safety Rules

Safety is always paramount, and each rule below is intended to establish norms at each event that will mitigate injury risk to all participants.

Event staff have the final decision authority for all safety-related issues within a venue.

Note

Please refer to FIRST® Robotics Competition Event Experience web page for safety, conduct, etc. rules not specific to this game or limited to MATCH play. As with all violations in this document, any Event Experience rules also carry the potential consequence of a YELLOW or RED CARD.

S1. Dangerous ROBOTS: not allowed. ROBOTS whose operation or design is dangerous or unsafe are not permitted..

Violation: If before the MATCH, the offending ROBOT will not be allowed to participate in the MATCH. If during the MATCH, the offending ROBOT will be DISABLED.

Note

Examples include, but are not limited to:

· Uncontrolled motion that cannot be stopped by the DRIVE TEAM

· ROBOT parts “flailing” outside of the FIELD

· ROBOTS dragging their battery

· ROBOTS that consistently extend beyond the FIELD

S2. Wait for the green lights. Team members may only enter the FIELD if the POWER PORT LEDs are green, unless explicitly instructed by a REFEREE or an FTA..

Violation: Verbal warning. If repeated at any point during the event, YELLOW CARD. If egregious, RED CARD.

Note

Egregious violations of S2 include, but are not limited to:

a.     pushing passed the FIELD reset person blocking an open gate to get on the FIELD

b.     ignoring a warning to not go on the FIELD

S3. Never step/jump over the guardrail. Team members may only enter or exit the FIELD through open gates..

Violation: Verbal warning. If repeated at any point during the event, YELLOW CARD.

Note

Teams are encouraged to ensure that all members of their DRIVE TEAM are aware of this rule. It’s easy to violate, particularly when teams are doing their best to move on and off the FIELD quickly. The violations of S3 are intended to avoid nuisance penalties, but still enforce safety requirements around the FIELD. There is the potential for injury when stepping over the guardrail.

Violations of S3 apply to the entire team, not specifically to any one individual. For example, a member of team 9999 steps over the guardrail prior to MATCH 3, and a different member steps over the guardrail prior to MATCH 25. The team receives a verbal warning for the first violation and a YELLOW CARD for the second.

S4. ROBOTS, stay on the FIELD during the MATCH. ROBOTS and anything they control, e.g. a POWER CELL, may not contact anything outside the FIELD with the exception of momentary incursions into the BOTTOM PORT or LOADING BAY Chutes..

Violation: Offending ROBOT will be DISABLED.

Note

Please be conscious of REFEREES and FIELD STAFF working around the ARENA who may be in close proximity to your ROBOT.

S5. Humans, stay off the FIELD during the MATCH. DRIVE TEAMS may not extend any body part into the FIELD during the MATCH..

Violation: YELLOW CARD

Note

Examples of egregious violations that are likely to escalate the violation to a RED CARD include, but are not limited to, walking onto the FIELD during a MATCH or reaching into the FIELD and grabbing a ROBOT during a MATCH.

S6. Stay out of the Chutes. DRIVE TEAMS may not extend any body part into the LOADING BAY Chute. Momentary encroachment into the Chute is an exception to this rule..

Violation: FOUL

S7. Stay off the SHIELD GENERATOR and CONTROL PANELS. Team members may not sit, climb, or hang on the CONTROL PANELS, SHIELD GENERATOR, or GENERATOR SWITCH.

Violation: Verbal warning. If repeated at any point during the event, YELLOW CARD.

Note

Teams are encouraged to ensure that all members of their DRIVE TEAM are aware of this rule. There is the potential for injury if horseplay ensues around the SHIELD GENERATOR.

Violations of this rule apply to the entire team, not specifically to any one individual. See example in the S3 blue box.