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BrickFest™ 2007 LEGO Mindstorms Robot Competition
NXT-only Sumo
The Challenge:
Build a Sumo robot using only the parts in one standard NXT set. (Only set
#8527; sorry, not the education version, set #9797.)
The Rules:
This event is a round-robin tournament, with head-to-head play. The goal is to
push the opponent out of the raised 3-diameter circle arena pictured
here. The robots are placed diametrically opposite each other on the arena,
within an inch of the edge, facing any direction of the competitors choosing.
There is a 2-inch wide black warning zone at the perimeter of the circle to help
robots see if they are near the edge. If a main component (any component of
your robot connected to the NXT) of a robot makes contact with the surrounding
surface, outside the arena, the opposing robot is declared the winner of that
round.
Robots must be completely independent once they have been started. Once the
judge indicates the start of the round, competitors press the run button on
their robots. A robots driving wheels must stand still for 5 seconds before
moving. Then the robots have two minutes to push their opponents off the field.
Robots are not allowed to intentionally damage each other. Any robot which, in
the opinion of the judges, intentionally damages another robot will be
disqualified from the competition. In the event that a robot becomes
accidentally disabled in the course of a round, the owner of that robot may
elect to concede the round to avoid further damage to the robot. In the case
that both robots had become accidentally disabled, the round may be re-started
by the judges, with a one-minute delay for minor repairs. If a robot is not
ready to compete in one minute, it will automatically concede the round. All
decisions of the judges are final.
Scoring is as follows:
Robots will be paired off in a round-robin tournament fashion. A robot will
receive two points for each round that it wins, and zero points for each round
that is lost. A tie will result in each robot receiving a single point.
Besides the points won in the tournament, there two types of bonus points that
will be given out. A single bonus point will be given (once) to each robot that
actually moves around the arena. In the event of a tie for first place, a single
bonus point will be given to one of the tied robots by audience vote for their
favourite.
The winner is the robot with the highest number of points.
Building restrictions:
Your robot must fit in a 10 by 10 square. There is no height restriction. Only
the pieces that come in set #8527 may be used. No other part (except for
batteries) may be used. You may not modify pieces in any way. Only standard
building techniques are allowed. No gluing, taping, etc.
The robot must stay in one piece at all times. If a part is lost, it will remain
on the arena until the end of the round.
The Arena:
The arena will be a 3 diameter circle, completely white, except for a 2 black
line around the edge. The sumo arena surface is approximately 3/4 above the
surrounding surface.
Robot placement is one inch away from the edge, which means at least a small
portion of the robot will overlap the black edge. Robots will be placed by their
owners, but judges will make sure that they are directly opposite each other on
the arena.
At the event:
Each robot will be given a chance to compete against each other for a two minute
round. Judges will announce which robots will be next. Participants must be
ready with their robots or concede the round.
Since the robots must be placed within an inch of the edge of the arena, and
there is a 2 wide black circle, be aware that this means part of your robot
will be on the black edge. This may impact the way you program your robot if it
uses a light sensor to detect the edge.
After the main event, there will be a chance for all the robots to compete
against each other at the same time (space allowing). This will be just for fun.
Some Tips:
There is only one type of wheel in the NXT set. Make the best use of them.
There are three motors in the NXT set. While the extra weight will be enough
of a reason to put it on your robot, try thinking of something useful to use it
for!
Dont forget to do the five-second pause before your robot starts moving.
The ultrasound sensor seems like a great way to find your opponent, but be aware
that there are spectators around the arena that may be closer than your
opponent, and that your opponent may also be using an ultrasound sensor,
possibly interfering with your readings.
While the physical parts used must be what comes in the NXT set, you may use
whatever firmware or programming language you wish. You are not being restricted
to using the firmware that the NXT was shipped with, nor the NXT-G programming
language.
Fine Tuning:
The organizers reserve the right to make minor changes to the arena or rules
before or during the event. All teams will be made aware of any changes to the
rules.
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In lugnet.events.brickfest, David Schilling wrote:
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BrickFest™ 2007 LEGO Mindstorms Robot Competition
NXT-only Sumo
The Challenge:
Build a Sumo robot using only the parts in one standard NXT set. (Only set
#8527; sorry, not the education version, set #9797.)
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Dave,
We just had a sumo contest last weekend in Fort Wayne - the Northeast Indiana
Robot Games. The stock class that used to allow parts from only 1 RCX based
Mindstorm kit was changed to allow the NXT to compete against the RCX. NXT
based robots had to be built from a single NXT based kit (set 8527) and were
limited to the use of 2 motors to even the field.
As it turned out, the RCX based robots were competitive with the NXT based
robots.
I suggest that you allow RCX based robots in the competition so you dont limit
participation if someone hasnt been able to purchase an NXT kit.
Just my 2 cents :)
Good luck, Bryan
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In lugnet.events.brickfest, Bryan Bonahoom wrote:
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In lugnet.events.brickfest, David Schilling wrote:
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BrickFest™ 2007 LEGO Mindstorms Robot Competition
NXT-only Sumo
The Challenge:
Build a Sumo robot using only the parts in one standard NXT set. (Only set
#8527; sorry, not the education version, set #9797.)
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Dave,
We just had a sumo contest last weekend in Fort Wayne - the Northeast Indiana
Robot Games. The stock class that used to allow parts from only 1 RCX based
Mindstorm kit was changed to allow the NXT to compete against the RCX. NXT
based robots had to be built from a single NXT based kit (set 8527) and were
limited to the use of 2 motors to even the field.
As it turned out, the RCX based robots were competitive with the NXT based
robots.
I suggest that you allow RCX based robots in the competition so you dont
limit participation if someone hasnt been able to purchase an NXT kit.
Just my 2 cents :)
Good luck, Bryan
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Thanks for the suggestion, but this was carefully considered before the rules
were drafted. If someone has an RCX and wants to enter a robot competition, they
are very welcome to enter the Robotic Easter Egg Hunt
http://news.lugnet.com/events/brickfest/?n=3870. While Im sure that an RCX
can compete decently against an NXT in sumo and possibly win, the NXT-only Sumo
will remain NXT-only. Its not a desire to be exclusive to someone who doesnt
have an NXT, but these are the rules that were chosen.
Im hoping, by the way, to see some very interesting uses of that third motor in
the NXT-only Sumo!
Future sumo events may explore the possibilities of the two systems against each
other.
Perhaps youll attend BrickFest, and bring a sumo robot? If so, let me be the
one to wish you good luck!
--
. David Schilling
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In lugnet.events.brickfest, David Schilling wrote:
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Perhaps youll attend BrickFest, and bring a sumo robot? If so, let me be the
one to wish you good luck!
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I wish I could...but, right now I am commuting 110 miles for work to a new job
and the week of PDX I will be at a convention in Las Vegas... so life is pretty
crazy
...but, you never know, maybe a midwest robot design will show up in the
competition through some magic :)
Have fun at PDX!!!
B
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