Load in is the first part of any tournament, when the small part of the team brings the teams equipment and robot into the tournament venue. Inspection is when the robot is checked against the rules for the season to ensure that the robot is legal to play.
Load In
Load In Team
During load in, the team is limited to 5 students and 2 mentors in the pit area. These teams members are usually members of the Pit Crew and Drive Team as they will be needed once he pits fully open to get the robot inspected and into Practice Matches.
Load In Goals
- Get all team equipment into the building quickly
- Setup pit structure and plug in electronics
- Get robot ready for inspection
Inspection
Once the pits are open, all teams need their robot and bumpers to be weighed by the Robot Inspectors to ensure they are legal before they can partake in Practice Matches. There is usually a line up for this process, and the order which teams are weighed is usually the order in which they are inspected. Due to this, it is important to get in line early so that you can be inspected as soon as possible.
During the in pit inspection, the inspector has a checklist of item that they need confirm that the robot follows. Some items on the checklist are measurements, such as frame perimeter or conductivity, while others are questions to the team about their robot. The final check is a power on test, where the robot is turned on, and connected to the driver station to ensure that the control system is functioning as expected. Once the inspector is satisfied that all rules are being followed, they will give a signed sticker to the team to display on their robot.