Gustavus Robo-Pong Contest Rules
(adapted from Circuits to Control: Learning Engineering by
Designing LEGO Robots, by Fred G. Martin)
Object
To have fewer balls on your robot's side of the table at the end of a 60 second round.
Balls
The balls will be yellow practice golf balls. These are similar in weight to ping pong balls, but are slightly larger, have less bounce, and are more readily visible.
There will be 15 balls on the playing surface at the start of a round which will start at predetermined locations. Three balls will start at the top plateau. Each side of the table will have 6 evenly spaced balls in the player's flat area.
Robots may gather balls “into” their body.
The balls may not be altered or destroyed in any way.
If a ball is removed from the playing space, then the point at which it leaves the space (crosses the rim) will determine its permanent position on the playing field. E.g.: if your robot pushes or shoots a ball off the opponent's side of the table, it counts as being permanently on that side of the table (for that round).
Rules of Play
The powered portion of a round will last 60 seconds. After the machines are started, they will have 60 seconds to apply battery power to their actuators (defined as motors and servos).
The round ends when all machines and balls come to rest.
The round will be started by the judge turning on the start lights, located underneath the table at the center of each robot’s start circle, for the beginning 5 seconds of the round.
The contestants will place their machines on the playing field at the center of their start circle, at a random angle.
The contestants must stand a given distance away from the playing field during each round. Any contestant that makes an attempt to touch their machine during the round of play will automatically be disqualified from the round.
The machines must have their own internal clock which cuts off power to the motors at the end of 60 seconds. Any machines that continue to supply actuator power after 60 seconds will be disqualified.
The contest will be a double elimination competition.
All rounds will have two robot players.
Machines are not allowed to destroy their opponent's microprocessor board. Machines cannot try to destroy other machines' broadcast or detection beacons.
Control
All entries must be solely controlled by their onboard computer. There can be no human intervention once the round begins.
After the start of the contest, there can be no change to the robot's program or configuration switches made by the contestants.
No parts or substances may be deliberately deposited or left on the playing surface. A machine that appears to have been designed to perform such a function shall be disqualified.
Structure
Only LEGO parts and connectors may be used as robot structure. Rubber bands are counted as LEGO parts; therefore, rubber bands may be used to provide structural support to your machine.
LEGO pieces may not be glued together.
LEGO pieces may not be altered in any way, with the following exceptions:
1. The grey LEGO baseplate may be altered freely.
2. LEGO pieces may be modified to facilitate the mounting of sensors
and actuators.
3. LEGO pieces may be modified to perform a function directly related to the
operation of a sensor.
Wire may only be used for electrical purposes, and not structural.
Rubber bands may be attached to LEGO wheels or gears to increase the coefficient of friction.
Only rubber bands may be used to provide stored energy.
Contestants may not alter the structure of their entry once the contest has begun, but may repair broken components between rounds if time permits.
The dimension of the machine may not exceed an imaginary 1 foot cube at the start of each round. Any IR transmitting and receiving beacons are exempted from this rule. Entries may however expand once the round has begun.
Entries may not drag wires between two or more structurally separate parts of their robot.
Entries must be built completely from kit parts, or parts from the classroom. Tools may not be used as part of your structure, e.g. screwdrivers or pliers. If there is a question about this, ask your instructor.
No lubricants may be used, at all.
Cable ties may not be used for structural purposes.
Scoring
The winner will be the machine with fewer balls on its side at the end of the round.
A clear division between the two sides will be noted by having the surface of the two sides painted in contrasting colors. Dynamically, robots will be able to determine which side they are on by using reflectivity sensors aimed toward the playing surface.