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Official Q&A: VRC 2020-2021: Change Up
712: Tetherbot Pinning
See the previous question defining a "tetherbot".
Regarding trapping and pinning as it pertains to tetherbots. The game manual defines trapping as:
Trapping – A Robot status. A Robot is Trapping if it has restricted an opposing Robot into a small, confined area of the field, approximately the size of one foam field tile or less, and has not provided an avenue for escape. Trapping can be direct (e.g. pinning an opponent to a field perimeter wall) or indirect (e.g. preventing a Robot from escaping from a corner of the field).
Rule G15 says:
No Trapping for more than five seconds (0:05). A Robot may not Trap an opposing Robot for more than five seconds (0:05) during the Driver Controlled Period. A Trap is officially over once the Trapping Robot has moved away and the Robots are separated by at least two (2) feet (approximately one foam tile). After ending a Trap, a Robot may not Trap the same Robot again for a duration of five seconds (0:05). If a Team does Trap the same Robot again, the count will resume from where it left off when the Trapping Robot initially backed off. Minor violations of this rule that do not affect the Match will result in a warning. Match Affecting offenses will result in a Disqualification. Teams that receive multiple warnings may also receive a Disqualification at the Head Referee’s discretion.
Should the robot on an opposing alliance be called for pinning a tetherbot, if part of the tetherbot is still free to move?
Can a robot that occupies a large part of the field ever be considered trapped (or pinned), because it occupies much more than one foam tile?
Should the robot on an opposing alliance be called for pinning a tetherbot, if part of the tetherbot is still free to move?
No, this would not fall within the intent of the definition of Trapping. The intent of the Trapping rule is to cover scenarios when a Robot is physically prohibited from playing the game.
Can a robot that occupies a large part of the field ever be considered trapped (or pinned), because it occupies much more than one foam tile?
It is impossible to provide a blanket answer that would encompass all hypothetical Robot designs and Match contexts. We would not advise using "approximately one foam field tile" as a strict pass/fail for the definition of Trapping. Rather, we would advise reviewing the implications of Trapping and G15 that are described in the associated Referee Training video. Many of the broader definitions of Trapping, such as "actively preventing a Robot from escaping", would tend not to apply if an 18"-wide Robot is playing defense against a 60" wide Robot with multiple moving parts.