RobofestSM 2004 Rules
Final Version
RobofestSM is an open contest in which students (5th grade and up)
can show off their robots while learning problem solving techniques, mathematics, creativity,
team work, computer programming, and science and engineering concepts.
Robofest 2004 has the following five divisions in two contest categories:
- Competition
- LegoTM Robot Competition
- Advanced Robot Competition
- Laptop Robot Competition (only for LTU students)
- Exhibition
- Lego Robot Exhibition
- Advanced Robot Exhibition
The competition:
Teams of students compete to accomplish robotics missions emulating real world
environments. Robofest competition has some unique features: Robots must be
fully autonomous, with no radio/remote controls. The game rules are simple, as is the
construction of the playing fields. However, both the dimension of the playing field
and a part of the game scenario are unknown until the day of the competition.
Any sensors, motors, and software environments / programming
languages may be used.
The game for the Lego robot and advanced
robot competition, "Earthquake Challenge - HTML"
(or pdf)
will require cooperation between two robots.
There is also a competition division for college teams using
laptop robots with on board camera(s). The challenge
is "Obstacle Challenge - HTML" (or
pdf). This college student competition is only for LTU students
and held only at the LTU site.
More information about the competitions is summarized in the following table:
Division Name |
Robot Type Used |
Programming Languages |
Grades |
Team Size |
Challenges |
# of Robots per Team |
Lego Robot Competition |
Two Lego RCX robots |
RCX code or RoboLab |
5-12 |
2-7 |
"Earthquake Challenge" |
2 |
Advanced Robot Competition |
Lego RCX; Handy Boards, Basic Stamps, or other robots |
High-level languages such as Java, C++, VB, NQC, PBasic,
IC |
7-12 |
2-7 |
"Advanced Earthquake Challenge" |
2 |
Laptop Robot Competition |
Laptop robot with camera(s) |
Any high-level languages such as Java, C++, VB, or Python |
College students |
1-4 |
"Obstacle Challenge" |
1 |
Each competition team will have two official chances to run their robots before the (semi-)final on the
competition day. Unlike previous Robofests, teams are not competing in predetermined orders.
For each round, whenever the team is ready to compete,
they are supposed to line up with the official competition slip which
can be found in the team envelope given during check-in.
The exhibition:
The robotics exhibition is a great way for students to show off their creativity.
Each team has complete freedom to create autonomous robotics projects such as
robot pets, robot artists, dancing robots, storytelling with robots,
robots for scientific experiments, and practical robotics applications.
Robots may be of any size and can use any material.
More information about the exhibitions is summarized in the following table:
Division Name |
Robot Type Used |
Programming Languages |
Grades |
Team Size |
# of Robots per Team |
Lego Robot Exhibition |
Lego RCX robots |
RCX code or RoboLab |
5-12 |
Min: 1 Max: 1+(2 x #Robots) |
Any |
Advanced Robot Exhibition |
Lego; Handy Board, Basic Stamp, or any other robots |
Any high-level languages such as Java, C, C++, VB, NQC, PBasic, Python,
etc. |
8 and up (including college students) |
Min: 1 Max: 1+(2 x #Robots) |
Any |
On the day of Robofest, each exhibition team will be given a table on which
to demonstrate the robot at any time. They will also have a chance (up to 3
minutes) to explain and
demonstrate their robot(s) to the public on the stage using a microphone.
Teams must bring all the necessary
materials for the exhibition. For example, if the robot performs a dance to music,
the team must bring a CD or audio cassette tape.
The sound system in the hosting site will be available to play your audiotape or CD.
General Registration Rules
- Thanks to sponsors and volunteers, there is no registration fee. However, it is now
required for each team to pay a $20 check-in fee when the team checks-in on Robofest day
(cash or checks only). The check should be payable to the hosting organization.
Details will be announced by emails to coaches.
The event is open to the general public and admission is free.
- A team can register in only one contest division at one site.
Though not recommended, if a team wants to do both competition and
exhibition, then the team must be registered separately for each division with
different team ID number.
- A team must have an adult "coach". A detailed job description of the "coach"
will appear in the next section below.
- Any organization, such as a school, home school, civic organization, etc. can
form teams.
- There are four steps in the registration process:
- Step 1: Coach Registration will begin after the official Robofest 2004 rules are posted
on the web, before Feb. 29.
The exact date and time will be announced through the
Robofest mailing list.
After the registration, a coach ID and your password will be sent to the
coach's email address in less than 3 minutes from [email protected].
You must confirm the coach registration by clicking a link in the email, otherwise the coach registration
has not been completed.
If you do not receive the confirmation email,
either the system/network must be down or the email address
you gave must be wrong. In either case, you need to contact
[email protected] to resolve the problem.
Robofest 2003 coaches can use their old coach ID and password.
If you forgot your password, click on "Forgot Password" link.
- Step 2: Using the coach ID and password, the coach can now create teams after selecting
a site. Note that the team registration has not been completed yet until you finish
step 3!
- Step 3: All the team member names and grades must be entered and a 'team photo' must be uploaded
to the coach's Robofest web account. The requirements for the team photo are:
(1) standard
"landscape" jpg file (width:height ratio must be 4:3)
(2) size should be less than 350KB (3) must show all the team members listed (4) adult
coach and volunteers may take the picture together (5) must show the identifiable
team ID and team name (Write down the number on a paper and hold it when taking the photo)
The team ID number is decided in stage 2 above. Here is a sample team photo.
In case of an exhibition team, the exhibition description must be entered in this step.
It must include the theme of the exhibition, functionalities
of the robots, the number and types of sensors and motors used, and
any other information to explain about the exhibition. Please note that
a team is not official yet unless this step 3
is completed and there is still room for the division in the site.
Remember, the registration
will be closed if there are more teams who completed step 3 than the max capacity
for each division of the hosting site.
- Step 4: Take a photo of the robots built with the team ID name sign and upload to the web
account. Also, update any information (including the previous team photo) on the web before
the deadline which will be
defined in the last section in this document.
Team Coaches
- The coach will register their team(s) and enter team information such as student names and team photos
on the web at www.robofest.net.
The coach must have a valid email address
and must check the email account periodically. Email is the primary
and official communication method between the team and the Robofest organizer.
If their email address is changed, it is the coach's responsibility to change it by
logging into the coach's robofest account. Then the coach must check his/her emailbox
to confirm the change.
The team coach is responsible for facilitating and overseeing
team members.
- Eligibility: a teacher, parent, college student, professor, tech specialist, or
scientist/engineer can be a coach. Coaches must be adults without any criminal records.
- A coach can register more than one team from any one organization.
(However, a coach can represent only
one organization, which means a coach cannot enter teams from different
organizations.)
- Robofest 2004 has multiple sites. A coach must register team(s) only for one site.
- A coach cannot register more than 4 teams.
- It is recommended for coaches to recruit technology mentor(s), if necessary.
The coach is responsible for entering volunteer names and
their roles on the web.
- New for Robofest 2004: each coach must provide at least one volunteer for helping with
either setup on Friday 23, 2003 afternoon or cleanup on April 24 after the event
at the hosting site.
Each hosting site will send detailed information regarding the jobs.
- The coach is responsible for entering and updating the team data on
the web before the deadlines.
Please note that certificates will be printed based on the information on the website.
The Robofest organizer will not reprint certificates due to incorrect information on the web.
- Robofest has been attracting lots of media attention.
Coaches must collect
Media Release Forms (pdf file) not only for team students but also for coach him/herself and
team volunteers. These must be submitted to the hosting site during check-in.
- Another important role of the coach is to find sponsors for their team(s). The Robofest
website will list up to three sponsors per team on the web.
A Certificate of Appreciation will also be given to the sponsor on the day of
Robofest. Possible funding sources for teachers and parents are:
bridges4kids and
Meemic Foundation.
- Before and after Robofest, please contact newspapers, radio, and TV stations
to recognize your teams efforts and achievements. Tell them the robots were not remote controlled, but
computer programmed! Let's us know if your teams were introduced on any media.
- As mentioned in the previous section, the coach is responsible for uploading the team photo
and robot photo using the robofest coach account. The photo will be used for printing
the individual certificates. It is highly recommended to collect the media release form when
they take the team photo.
Team Members
- Must be students in April 2004.
- Must solve problems by themselves.
- It is recommended that a student should participate in only one team for a contest.
Team Volunteers
The team cannot work without the help of various volunteers for the
jobs such as
mentoring, financial sponsoring, transportation, or constructing playing fields,
taking pictures,
video taping, etc.
The Robofest website will list up to five volunteers per team and a certificate of
appreciation will be given to each team volunteer on the Robofest day. As mentioned before,
each team must provide at least one volunteer for the setup or cleanup of hosting site.
Common Sense Rules for Education
Construction of the robot body is to be done by the students.
All programming is to be done by the students.
Parents, teachers, mentors, or coaches may not assemble the robot bodies or write
the program code for the team at any time during the preparation period or during the
contest.
Any direct participation (writing code, assembling robots) is a violation of the rules.
The offending team will become ineligible for any awards.
Team's Responsibility on Robofest Day
- All the teams must check-in by 9:00am. The check-in begins at 8:30am
on Sat. April 24.
- Things to bring
- A laptop (or PC computer) for each team. (To solve the unknown part, each team need a computer.)
- Poster boards to introduce the team ID and name, the team,
robots, hard copy of programs (very important for judge's awards),
and its strategies;
also an exhibition description if it is an exhibition team.
They should be placed on the team table.
- In case of a exhibition team, all the necessary materials for the exhibition.
For example, if the robot performs a dance to music, the team must bring a CD or audio cassette tape.
- A power strip, if available
- Cardboard box to cover your robot and ID tower when downloading
- Extra batteries
- Teams must use the team table assigned by the organizer. Please do not change the team tables. Judges
will visit the team tables using a map from the hosting organizer.
- Robots must pass inspection before the competition begins.
- During the judging period, at least one team member must
stay at the team table.
Judges will visit team tables during the judging period at any time
for possible interviews with team members. Show the poster boards to the judges.
- For the competition,
teams need to implement new additions for the unknown missions and
adjust programs to allow for the variation in
the new environment. Each team is supposed to check/change the light values for the black line,
white area on the shelves and light bulb in the gym or write programs to self-adjust light threshold
values on the fly.
Remember, the robots are working in the real, physical world! Even if flash lights are
forbidden inside the gym, cameras and camcorders using auto focus function are
emitting infra red lights.
- It is the team's responsibility before the game to ensure the track is in
satisfactory condition.
Remember, we are using pieces of all-purpose shelves.
There may be big cracks even if referees have checked the track before each game.
Therefore, the team members should also check the
playing field before each game.
- Whenever new programs are downloaded, both your robot and the IR tower MUST be
covered by a box. If not, you may damage other robots and/or your program may be
corrupted.
Do not forget to bring a cardboard garage to house your robots to prevent interference from
another
RCX while downloading programs. It is suggested to cover RCX's infrared sensor
with electric tape after downloading a program in order to prevent it from receiving
somebody else's program.
- There will be judges/proctors in the gym. If any adults want to give help to
their
teams for any reason, the adults must get permission from the judges/proctors.
General Rules
- No food or drink are allowed inside the contest area
- Only team members with badges are allowed in the pit
(team table) area. For security purposes, the coach with a badge must stay in the team table
area, especially when the team plays.
Judging and Prizes
About 20% of the total number of teams at each site will win big impressive trophies
during the award ceremony. Winners are
decided by several categories
including, but not limited to: performance, originality, creativity, functionality,
programming,
construction, teamwork, team spirit, presentation, and new technology used.
Every officially registered team member will receive an individual trophy and framed
certificate
of achievement after the award ceremony. If you do not attend the closing ceremony,
it cannot be guaranteed that you will receive your awards at a later date.
Official Hosting Sites
Site Name - Site Location |
Host Organization |
Date |
Time |
Divisions |
Capacity (tentative) |
LTU - Lawrence Technological University 21000 West Ten Mile Road, Southfield, MI |
Department of Math and Computer Science, College of Arts and Sciences,
Lawrence Technological University |
April 24, 2004 |
8:30am-3:00pm |
Lego Competition |
20 |
Exhibition |
10 |
Adv. Competition |
25 |
LaptopBot Competition |
10 |
Macomb - Macomb Intermediated School District Building, 44001 Garfield Road,Clinton Township, MI |
Macomb Intermediated School District |
April 24, 2004 |
8:30am-1:30pm |
Lego Competition |
30 |
Detroit - The Dexter-Elmhurst Family and
Community Center (managed by Wayne County Family Independence Agency)
11825 Dexter Ave, Detroit, MI |
Cranbrook Institute of Science Young Scholars Program |
April 24, 2004 |
8:30am-1:30pm |
Lego Competition |
20 |
NH - RoboTech Center, 110 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, NH |
RoboTech Center |
April 24, 2004 |
8:30am-1:30pm |
Lego Competition |
20 |
Adv. Competition |
10 |
Total |
145 |
Important Timelines
- Saturday, Jan. 17 - Draft rules will be announced on the web. Informational Meetings at LTU.
9am-11am, Science S321. Same agenda will be repeated from 1pm-3pm. The power point file
of the meeting will be posted on the web.
- Feb. 21 - Official finalized competition rules will be announced via the Robofest mailing list.
- Before Feb. 29 - Official coach and team registration begins on the web. The announcement will be only
through the mailing list. (First come first serve basis for each hosting site.)
- Friday, Mar. 26 11pm - Deadline to post/update team photo and update team member names.
- Friday, Apr. 16, 11pm - Deadline to add robot photo and update any information on the web.
We will print certificates from Saturday and will not reprint.
- Saturday, Apr. 24 - Robofest 2004. Doors open at 8:30am. (Opening Ceremony at 10:00am)
Last modified 2-21-2004. Copyright 2004 Chung
Everyone may use this game
rules for your own event, however, it is requested to get the permission from the author.