Contest rule clarification #1

Hey guys,

We've been receiving questions about the contest rules and have come up with answers to them. This is the first of what I imagine would be a series of posts that will come to clarify some of the rules. Here goes:

1. Each round of the contest will have a photo finish. What this means is that when the time is up, the positions of the balls at that instant will be used to calculate your scores, not the final positions after everything has come to rest. The positions of the balls at that instant will be recorded by some means (i.e., a camera/video camera) so that if there is any ambiguity, we can refer back.

2. In the slot, at the instant when the round ends, the balls directly over the middle divider will be considered 'out of play'. Balls that have cleared the middle divider (i.e., when you look at the arena from the top, the ball is not obstructing ANY part of the middle divider) will count against the side they are in.

3. You are allowed to mount the remote controlled motors on two or more separate modules by running electrical wires across. These modules may move relative to each other, in which case, you will have to prove that the electrical wires will not be in tension when the modules try to move away from each other. You cannot use the wires to trip your opponent's machine (or your own machine for that matter...), nor can you intentionally cut your opponent's wires (or again, yours...).

4. You are not allowed to exert force on your machine using any external element (i.e., a wired control system).

5. You are not allowed to cause RF interference! This will result in INSTANT DISQUALIFICATION!!

6. The action of picking up a ball and storing it in your machine is a legitimate 'offensive move' (per contest rule E.3.), and the same ball in your machine can be used as only score required to win, as long as it counts against the opponent at the end of the contest.

This is it for now. I'm sure you guys will have more questions as you are trying to find loopholes in the contest rules. Keep them coming and we will post clarifications.