FIRST Games - 2010 - Breakaway

Read the rules here.

Breakaway was a soccer-based game with the obstruction of bumps on the field. Each corner of the field was a goal, with the red alliance goal on the red alliance side and the blue alliance goal on the blue alliance side. Team players placed scored balls back onto the field through a track that brought the balls to the center area. As a result, in order to obtain balls late in the match, robots had to be able to navigate the bumps or fit through the tunnel at the 1/3 and 2/3 marks on the field. Balls were not allowed to pass the bumpers of the robot (unless, of course, it was to bounce off the top).

The end game dared the robots to finish the match not touching the ground. To accomplish this, a construction (a "tower") on top of each tunnel was open to climbing.

Scoring:

Ball in goal: 1 Point
Robot hanging from tower: 2 Points
Robot hanging from another robot on tower: 3 Points

For this challenge, Team 2191 created a short robot that could fit through the tunnel but climb over the bumps anyway. A pneumatic system was used to kick the balls into the goals. The team encountered a problem with the drive train, where the chain was coming loose or falling off mid-match, rending the robot useless. Leading members vowed not to use chain again.