Contents: GameGame Rules General Contest RulesRobot Construction |
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The public is cordially invited to: The 2007 Rice LEGO Robot Contest Sunday, December 2, 2007 1:30pm McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
The Year 2007 Game: Robo Basketball
Prizes!
The Judges Rule Contestants should ask the instructor about possible designs or strategies that may be questionable under any of the rules. Contest rules and procedures, or even the game, may have to be altered during the semester. As much notice as possible will be given. The judges are the instructor and any others he may designate. The judges may alter or eliminate any rule, or add rules, at any time. The judges will decide any discrepancies in the contest play. All decisions of the judges are final. Top The contest is a double elimination competition held over two days. On the first day a machine must "beat the brick" win a game played against an inert opponent (or no opponent) in order to qualify for the competition. Qualified machines will then play one competition round, arranged by lottery. The result of these exhibition games will be recorded but not counted for the main contest. At the end of the first day, the qualified machines will be impounded. The main competition will take place the second day. For each round of the contest, two robots will be matched by random drawing for each game, so that at the end of the round each robot will have a recorded Win or Loss. Robots with a total of two Losses will be removed from next round and the contest. Rounds are played until only one robot remains: the Winner. For any game the judges may declare a double loss, a double win, or no result, as appropriate. See Period of Play, above, for detailed game rules. Top Teams are encouraged to seek advice and help from any source, but the design, robot construction, and control code must be exclusively their own work. All entries must be solely controlled by their onboard computer. There can be no human intervention once the game begins. A robot that is touched by a team member during a game will be disqualified for that round. Also, team members touching the game board during play risk disqualification of their robot. Teams may qualify only one robot, and only that robot may play in the final round. Significant changes in robot structure or code following qualification must be approved by the judges. Contestants may not alter the essential structure of their entry, or add/subtract significant parts, once the competition has begun, but may repair broken components between rounds if time permits. Teams may possess only one RoboBoard controller at any one time. A robot cannot be designed primarily to destroy the physical structure of its opponent. In particular, machines are not allowed to destroy their opponent's microprocessor board, or sensors. However, blocking, pushing, turning, overturning, or confusing an opponent is allowed. No parts or substances may be deliberately dumped, deposited, or otherwise left to remain on the game board surface. A machine that appears to have been designed to perform such a function will be disqualified. Pieces which accidentally fall off robots may be removed from the board during a game by a judge at his discretion. No adhesives or sticky substances (such as on tape) may be applied to any part of the game board or to a game piece (ball, block, goal, other robot, etc.) Any machine that appears to be a safety hazard will be disqualified from the competition. Top LEGO PartsOther Parts$15 RuleTop Your robot must be constructed using the parts in your kit, with a few exceptions as detailed below (in particular see The $15 Rule). All kits contain exactly the same components, except that some LEGO parts may be colored differently in different kits. You may request additional sensors, wire, wheels, gears, and other small parts as required. After mid-term recess, the instructor will entertain requests for extra LEGO parts necessary to implement unique design features. Some parts in the ELEC 201 kit are considered tools and may not be used on the robot. Examples are the large plastic parts container, the small rectangular parts container, the soldering iron, the sponge, etc. If there is any question about whether an object is a ``kit part'' or a ``tool part,'' ask the instructor. The dimension of the machine may not exceed 12 x 12 x 12 inches high at the start of each round. Entries may, however, expand once the round has begun. The start light sensor must be within 3 inches of the geometrical center of your robot. Only LEGO parts and connectors may be used as robot structure. All structurally separate parts of the robot must be connected by LEGO beams, plates, axles, etc., specifically not by rubber bands, LEGO chain links or track. Rubber bands may be used to provide stored energy, but not as primary structural elements or as linking elements between LEGO parts. Top LEGO pieces may not be glued together, nor altered in any way, with the following exceptions: The LEGO baseplate may be altered freely. LEGO pieces may be modified to perform a function directly related to the operation or mounting of a sensor or motor. For example, holes may be drilled into a LEGO wheel to make an optical shaft encoder; sensors may be glued to LEGOs. Rubber bands may be glued to LEGO wheels or gears to increase the coefficient of friction. A maximum of five (5) LEGO parts may be cut or modified at will, or glued to non-LEGO parts other than sensors and motors. Top Cardboard, other paper products, and tape may be used to create optical shields for light sensors, to line bins, or to form ramps or other elements that are not primarily structural. Purely decorative items may be added at will, within the size limits and good taste. Cable ties may not be used for structural purposes. String may not be used for structural purposes. Tape may not be used for structural purposes. Wire may only be used for electrical purposes, not structural. No lubricants may be used. Top To encourage creativity, contestants may spend up to $15 of their own funds for the purchase of additional components used in their design. The following conditions apply to all non-kit additions: No single part may cost more than $5. Resistors rated less than 1 watt and capacitors valued less than 100 microF may be used freely, without counting toward the $15 total. LEGO parts not issued in the standard kit but obtained outside of class, must be documented under the $15 rule. The following components, categories of components, or varieties of circuitry are disallowed: any additional batteries; motor driver circuitry, including relays, power transistors, or any other replacements or modifications to the standard motor driver circuitry. All non-kit parts used must be documented in a short report that includes a description of the part, or schematic of any added circuitry, and receipts for parts purchases. A part that has been obtained through means other than retail purchase will be assigned a value by the instructor. This Extra Parts Report must be signed by the instructor prior to the first round of competition, and should be kept by the team in case of a challenge. Any machines found with added parts that have not been documented in this fashion will be disqualified. Top |
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