3305: Scoring while touching a other beanbag
<SG6>Hi. I have a question regarding scoring.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo right now, but I will describe the situation as best I can. The robot uses its rear section to push a blue/red beanbag toward the pyramid and attempts to score by placing a yellow beanbag on L2. Is this permitted if the robot is touching two beanbags at that moment? The same applies to a situation where the robot drives onto one of the beanbags—so that it is resting on it with its chassis—while simultaneously scoring.
Is this allowed, or does it constitute a violation of the rule regarding moving with a single beanbag, meaning the action must be stopped?
<SG6> allows a Robot to Possess or Plow a maximum of one (1) Bean Bag at a time. The blue-border box within <SG6> provides additional context for the rule and guidance for determining whether Plowing has occurred:
The intent of this rule is to prevent each Robot from strategically transporting more than one Bean Bag across the Field at a time. This rule is not intended to prevent a Robot from contacting a second Bean Bag or from causing a second Bean Bag to be pushed out of the way as the Robot drives by or over it.
A Robot Plowing one or more Bean Bags while already in Possession of a Bean Bag would be considered a Violation of this rule. Momentary, incidental contact with a Bean Bag that results in minimal movement of the Bean Bag is not considered Plowing. Greater-than-momentary contact with a Bean Bag that results in more significant movement of the Bean Bag (e.g., pushing a Bean Bag across a distance of more than 1 tile length) would generally be considered Plowing. Final determination of whether a Bean Bag has been Plowed is subject to judgment by the Head Referee.
A Robot contacting or resting on top of a Bean Bag is not enough to constitute Possession or Plowing, so a Robot touching or resting on top of a second Bean Bag is not going to violate <SG6>.
In your example, which involves a Robot using its rear section to push a blue/red Bean Bag toward the Pyramid while attempting to score a Possessed yellow Bean Bag on L2, the Head Referee will have to consider how far the Robot pushed the blue/red Bean Bag on the Floor and whether it was moved in a preferred direction when determining whether that Bean Bag was Plowed. If the Bean Bag was pushed across a distance of only 1 tile length or less, that generally should not be considered Plowing. (The Head Referee may disregard that movement as insignificant.) If it was pushed across a distance greater than 1 tile length, the Head Referee will likely consider that as Plowing (pushing across that distance is less likely to be an incidental action), which would result in an <SG6> Violation for Possessing or Plowing more than one Bean Bag at a time.