GENERAL RULES

  • The robot must be built entirely of pieces from within the Lego kit. No glue or tape may be used to hold the robot together. Nothing from the tackle box that holds the Legos may be used in addition to the Lego parts. This must be followed to ensure an equal starting ground. Violation of this rule will lead to immediate disqualification.
  • The robot kits must be returned with all of the items and in the same condition that they were received. Loss of kit parts or destruction of parts will result in deduction of points and/or possible disqualification.
  • All robots must be autonomous, meaning as soon as an event begins, the robot cannot be touched. Touching the robot will result in disqualification for that event.
  • After check-in of the robots at the beginning of the contest, the robots must not be physically altered. However, if the robot is damaged during an event, reconstruction will be allowed, though only using the same pieces to return the robot to its initial condition. Altering of the robot by using additional materials or attempting to reconfigure the robot after an event will lead to disqualification.
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    THE EVENTS

    PING PONG MADNESS

    This event consists of a special circular course. The robot is placed by the participant into the yellow circle, as seen in figure 1, in a place of their choosing. The robot is set on Pre-Programmed Mode 4 and started. The purpose of the event is for the robot to knock the maximum number of balls out of the yellow circle. There will be a railing along the black square to keep the balls from leaving the course. The robot must stay within the yellow circle to get a point value.

    Rules:
    1. The robot must be in Pre-Programmed Mode 4 to participate.
    2. Participant is responsible for placing robot on the course, wherever they choose.
    3. The robot must stay within the yellow circle to receive a point value. However, the robot will have a second attempt should it go outside of the circle. Whatever point value received for the second attempt is what will be kept, even should the robot fail to stay within the circle.
    4. The balls will be placed in the same initial locations for every participant and trial.
    5. Point value is directly proportional to the number of balls knocked outside of the circle. Meaning the number of points is equal to the number of balls outside the circle.


    BULL DOZER BONANZA

    This contest consists of a course and a block. The robot must push this block across the distance. This contest will be done to find the most powerful robot, which means the robot that can push the block across the distance in the least amount of time. Figure 1 shows the specifications for the course in terms of the Starting and Finish Zones. The Starting Line is the thick yellow line. The Finish Line is the thick black line.

    Rules:
    1. The participant is responsible for placing the robot and the block, both, completely behind the Starting Line.
    2. Timing begins when the block is first pushed across the Starting Line. Timing is stopped when the block first crosses the Finish Line.
    3. The robot has no more than three minutes to push the block across the distance.
    4. The points will be assigned according the best time. This means that the smallest time will receive the most points.


    ROAD RUNNER RALLY

    This contest involves the robot racing across a simple, yet long course. As seen in figure 1, the robot begins in the "Starting Zone", behind the Starting Line. The Starting Line can be found by looking for the green arrow, which points directly to the line. The robot must then go forward and cross the heavy black line, which is the Finish Line. The Finish Line can be found by looking for the purple arrow, which points directly to this line. Note that there is a red block after the Finish Line, which is called the Bonus Zone. Robots that make use of the light sensor and stop within this Bonus Zone will double their point value, determined by the time they take to traverse the course. Crossing the sides of the course, not the Finish Line, will result in zero points. Finishing the course, but not stopping within the Bonus Zone will keep the initial point value, not double, but no points will be taken away.

    Rules:
    1. The robot must start completely behind the Starting Line.
    2. Timing begins when the robot crosses the Starting Line and stops when the robot crosses the Finish Line, or once the robot has crossed the side boundaries.
    3. Time value will only be kept if the robot crosses the Finish Line.
    4. Robots that stop within the Bonus Zone will have their point value doubled.
    5. The robot with the smallest kept time will receive the highest point value. This point value will be assigned before the Bonus Zone is taken into consideration.
    6. Participant is responsible for placing robot on the course within the Starting Zone to begin the contest. Participant is also responsible for stray robots.


    TRACTOR PULL

    This event consists of a sled with a variety of weights. The robot must pull the most weight across the given distance, as seen in figure 1. The robot will have a string tied to it by a judge, from which a small sled will be pulled. In this sled will be placed a variety of weight, to determine the power of the robot. This contest is not based on time.

    Rules:
    1. The robot must begin behind the Starting Line with the sled behind it.
    2. The robot need only cross the Finish Line itself to be considered complete.
    3. The robot's time to pull the weight cannot exceed five minutes due to the number of trials it will take to find the maximum weight each robot can pull.


    AESTHETICS

    Is your robot pretty?

    Does it have personality?

    Does your robot say, "Wow!"?

    The purpose of the Aesthetics section of this contest is to encourage the creativity of the participant. By awarding uniqueness and innovation, we can encourage the continuation of this trait. To get the most points out of the Aesthetic portion of the contest, we encourage the participants to find interesting uses for pieces contained within the kit to provide expression for their robot.