The official VEX IQ Robotics Competition Question & Answer system has closed for this season.
Official Q&A: VEX IQ Robotics Competition 2024-2025: Rapid Relay
2501: Question regarding ball loading during rapid loading
We have seen the video where loader forcefully roll the rapid loading ball into the robot which leads to above 1000 points in skills. We have also seen more gental version of that on most of the competitions and online resources. especially, when the second ball is loaded into the robot. We understand all these loading is a violation of updated rule 3.0. But under time pressure, we are not quite sure what situation of the rapid loading ball after being loaded on the field by a loader would be considered as stationary especially giving the fact the rule aknowledges the ball could roll or move after the loader releases his/her hand from the ball. I don't have a good example, but attached is a video (starting from 17 seconds) which shows a reasonable loading into robot, the ball is primarily moved by the motor on the robot, is this loading skill would be considered as a violation under the updated rule 3.0?
As described in the first note in rule <SG5>:
Although it is not required, Robots are highly recommended to remain some distance away from the Ball entirely until the Loader’s hand has clearly been removed. This will make clauses “B” and “C” abundantly clear to Head Referees, and help them to verify clauses “A” and “D”.
While the final decision is up to the Head Referee, we feel that the Rapid Load method shown in this video does NOT meet the requirements of rule <SG5>, and the Ball is being rolled into the Robot by the human Loader. Methods like this should result in a Score Affecting Violation and a Disqualification for the Match.
Loaders are advised to make it abundantly and visually obvious that they are not rolling or bouncing Rapid Load Balls, that the Ball is never in contact with both the Loader and Robot at the same time, and that the Ball is being removed from the Starting Zone by a Robot action.