If we played Rock Paper Scissors, and every round I waited until you had thrown and then threw whatever countered your throw, would you be okay with that? That's exactly what this robot is doing, only faster.
That's not really a bad thing, of course, because it's just a bit of fun and an interesting technical achievement. But as far as RPS goes, it's indisputably cheating.
Cheating in rock-paper-scissors is changing your throw when you see what the other person is throwing. I can win every time if I see what you are throwing and can change my throw to beat it.
However, if we are okay with using all your abilities to win and not count that as cheating, I can guarantee I win every time against that robot. I'd just remove the power source.
Kirk only got a commendation for that. He had to work for a long time after the Kobayashi Maru incident to get the Enterprise.
You're begging the question. Achieving the same goals with different rules is a different game. Using stilts and a machine gun to get a ball in a hoop is not basketball.
Yes, it's not a valid solution to the game of basketball, but it is a valid solution to the "get a ball in a hoop" game.
I don't think the Kobayashi Maru test rules said anything about "don't try to break the game". Success can result from relaxing an irrelevant requirement.
No it's like saying kids cheat on a test because they look at somebody else's test and didn't get caught. They're certainly able to do it and nobody stopped them, right?
That's not really a bad thing, of course, because it's just a bit of fun and an interesting technical achievement. But as far as RPS goes, it's indisputably cheating.