The rules specify that “The Open League kicker power test is passed if after bouncing off of the opposite goal the ball does not return further than the front line of to the penalty area it was shot from”. For a robot with a dribbler, will the kick test be done while the ball has backspin? Since the backspin may slow down the ball after kicking in an actual game, I was wondering if the kicker power test can be performed with the dribbler turned on. Thanks!
We tell teams to test the way they would play in a game so if you’re shooting from dribbling in game then test like that. If you do both then I guess we’d have to test both, we didn’t have that happen yet.
I see! So if my robot only shoots when the ball is being dribbled, then the test can be performed with the dribbler turned on?
May I ask what would happen if my robot sometimes kicks the ball shortly after the ball begins to be dribbled? Since the ball has not had the time to spin up to speed yet it may be kicked further than if it were to be kicked after it has been dribbled for a while. Thanks!
Yes, we have tested robots while dribbling in those cases. It also doesn’t seem to make too big of a difference as the bounce on the back wall of the goal absorbs quite a bit of momentum, both forward momentum and angular momentum. Usually if the ball isn’t up to full dribbling speed it also doesn’t get kicked precisely in the center. Just make sure you can adjust if necessary if e.g. your local/regional tournament organizers have variations on those requirements.
I see, thank you for your clarification!