This rule requires that the ROBOT and its MAJOR MECHANISMS were built by its team, but isn’t intended to prohibit or discourage assistance from other teams (e.g. fabricating elements, supporting construction, writing software, developing game strategy, contributing COMPONENTS and/or MECHANISMS, etc.)

Examples of MAJOR MECHANISMS include, but are not limited to, assemblies used to:

A.      manipulate SCORING ELEMENTS,

B.      manipulate a FIELD element, and

C.      move the ROBOT around the FIELD.

Examples that would generally not be considered MAJOR MECHANISMS, and thus probably aren’t subject to this rule include, but are not limited to, the following:

A.      a gearbox assembly,

B.      a COMPONENT or MECHANISM that’s part of a MAJOR MECHANISM, and

C.      COTS items.

Neither this rule nor the language in this blue box define specific thresholds for how much of a MAJOR MECHANISM must be the result of the team’s effort. This rule expects and requires the team’s honest assessment of whether they built the MAJOR MECHANISMS of their ROBOT.

Attempts to exploit loopholes in the definition of MAJOR MECHANISM in order to bypass this requirement are in the spirit of neither this rule nor the FIRST Robotics Competition. Examples of exploitation include:

A.      assembling pieces of a MAJOR MECHANISM provided by another team, except COTS kits and

B.      receiving a mostly complete MAJOR MECHANISM from another team and providing a small piece.