Inspect, Test, and Survive a Mock Match

Competition readiness requires more than passing individual subsystem tests.

A match forces systems to operate together under timing, battery, communication, driver, field, and impact constraints.

Verification versus validation

Verification asks whether the system meets its specified requirement.

Validation asks whether the resulting robot actually solves the intended competition problem.

Example:

The elevator reaches 1.2 m within tolerance.

That verifies a mechanism requirement.

The drive team can score the intended game action reliably during a match sequence.

That validates a larger use case.

You need both.

Self-inspection

Use the current season's official inspection resources when preparing a competition robot.

Do not copy an old checklist and assume it is still authoritative.

Before a mock match, confirm at minimum that the machine is safe, mechanically secured, electrically healthy, correctly configured, and using the intended code/configuration.

Build a match test

Your mock match should include:

1. robot startup and connection;
2. disabled-state checks;
3. autonomous start and safe completion;
4. teleop transition;
5. repeated scoring/manipulation cycles;
6. at least one realistic recovery action;
7. end-of-match safe state;
8. post-run inspection.

If you do not have hardware, run this as a simulation/tabletop systems exercise using logs, diagrams, and injected faults.

Inject one failure

Examples:

• simulated sensor unavailable;
• one mechanism disabled;
• autonomous target not detected;
• low-battery warning;
• driver button mapping error discovered before enable;
• CAN device reported missing;
• jam detected.

The team must decide whether to repair, degrade capability, switch strategy, or stop.

Test record

Record the first meaningful divergence between expected and observed behavior.

Then trace it.

Failure mode: success with no record

A successful mock match is good news, but “it worked” is weak engineering evidence.

Which autonomous version ran? Which battery? Which mechanism configuration? Were there warnings? What failed to reproduce?

Configuration control matters because the robot you tested must be the robot you intend to compete with.

Save the test record as part of the dossier.