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R101       *Frame Perimeter must be fixed. The Robot (excluding Bumpers) must have a Frame Perimeter, contained within the Bumper Zone and established while in the Robot’s Starting Configuration, that is comprised of fixed, non-articulated structural elements of the Robot. Minor protrusions no greater than ¼ in. (~6 mm) such as bolt heads, fastener ends, weld beads, and rivets are not considered part of the Frame Perimeter.

To determine the Frame Perimeter, wrap a piece of string around the Robot (excluding Bumpers) at the Bumper Zone described in R402 and pull it taut. The string outlines the Frame Perimeter.

Example: A Robot’s chassis is shaped like the letter ‘V’, with a large gap between chassis elements on the front of the Robot. When wrapping a taut string around this chassis, the string extends across the gap and the resulting Frame Perimeter is a triangle with 3 sides.

Figure 9‑1 FRAME PERIMETER example

A V-shaped robot has a triangular frame perimeter.

Similar Rules

Rule R102
R102       *Starting Configuration – no overhang. In the Starting Configuration (the physical configuration in which a Robot starts a Match), no part of the Robot shall extend outside the vertical projection of the Frame Perimeter, with the exception of its Bumpers and minor protrusions such as bolt heads, fastener ends, rivets, cable ties, etc.
Rule R401
R401       *Bumpers should protect all corners. Robots are required to use Bumpers to protect all outside corners of the Frame Perimeter. For adequate protection, at least 6 in. (~16 cm) of Bumper must be placed on each side of each outside corner (see Figure 9‑3) and must extend to within ¼ in. (~6 mm) of the Frame Perimeter corner. If a Frame Perimeter side is shorter than 12 in. (~31 cm), that entire FRAME PERIMETER side must be protected by a Bumper (see Figure 9‑4). A round or circular Frame Perimeter, or segment of the Frame Perimeter, is considered to have an infinite number of corners, therefore the entire frame or frame segment must be completely protected by Bumpers.
Rule R105
R105       Robot extension limit. Robots may not extend more than 48 in. (~121 cm) beyond their Frame Perimeter.
Rule R410
R410       *Bumpers must be supported. Bumpers must be supported by the structure/frame of the Robot (see Figure 9‑9). To be considered supported, a minimum of ½ in. (~13 mm) at each end of each Bumper wood segment must be backed by the Frame Perimeter (≤¼ in. gap, ~6mm). “Ends” exclude hard Bumper parts which extend past the Frame Perimeter permitted by R408-B. Additionally, any gap between the backing material and the frame: