Knox Computer Club Robot Sumo Competition

Winter 2008

Hello Mr. Roboto...

The competition will be Thursday, February 21, 2008 at 4:00 PM.

On the Sumo Face-Off day we'll wrestle!

• A sumo event in which your robot will try to push another robot out of a circular contest ring. (Your robot will have to find the other robot, push it out of the ring, recognize when it gets to the edge of the ring, and stop).

Rules:

Here are the rules for the Lego Sumo Wrestling contest (gleaned from the Seattle Robotics Club and the Central Illinois Robotics club web sites, with local modifications):

1. A sumo competition requires cat-like (well, maybe sloth-like) reflexes and brute strength as well as the ability to seek out an opponent. The object of the competition is to build a robot that can push your opponent's robot out of a 3 ft diameter ring within a three (3) minute period of time, while at the same time you must prevent your opponent from doing the same thing to you!
   
   
2. Your robot must be autonomous. That is, once you hit the "Start" button the robot is on it's own to find its opponent and push it out of the ring. No human intervention allowed once a bout starts.
   
   
3. Your robot must fit into a box measuring 12 x 8 inches. There are no height or weight restrictions. Only official Lego pieces contained in the Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System 2.0 (or the Mindstorms NXT System) may be used for building the robot (if you'd like to use extra items, then string and rubber bands are allowed with the official pieces and you are welcome to add any other Lego pieces you see fit, provided it is for decoration only as ruled by the judge.)
   
   
4. Wrestling takes place in a level circular ring exactly (well, nearly) 3 feet in diameter. There is a black two inch border around the ring's periphery. The surface of the ring is plywood (or whatever I can find that's cheap) painted flat white. The playing field sits roughly two inches above ground level.
   
   
5. Three rounds shall be the length of the bout, and length of the bout shall be three rounds. The tournament will be a pre-determined bracketed tournament with a winners and losers bracket.
   
   
6. At the start of each bout the robots are placed just inside the ring border and directly across from each other.
   
   
7. When both contestants are ready, the judge will signal the start of the three minute bout and the robots must be activated. Players must clear the Ring Area once the robots have been activated. Neither remote control, nor Bluetooth control are allowed.
   
   
8. The Robots will proceed in combat until one unit is disabled or removed from the ring. If both robots are still in the ring at the end of the 3 minute bout, the bout is stopped and judgment is made by the judge as to a winner or if a rematch of the bout is needed.
   
   
9. A robot is considered to be removed from the ring when any of its wheels or legs touch the floor. A robot whose body hangs over the edge is not considered 'off' until it physically touches the floor.
   
   
10. Should one robot become disabled (flipped on its back or side, hanging over the edge unable to recover, for instance) and is unable to move, the judge will award that bout to the remaining robot.
    
    
11. If both robots are stuck in an entanglement or deadlock, then the clock will be stopped and the bout restarted. The clock will not be re-set in this case - meaning you have a total of 3 minutes, even if we have to stop the bout, disentangle you and start again.
    
    
12. During a match no changes in programming or construction of the robot are allowed. Minor repairs are allowed subject to the approval of the judge. Battery replacements are only allowed before the final match of each bracket. Switching pre-loaded programs is allowed when the robot is on the sidelines (not actively in a bout). No re-programming is allowed once the tournament begins.
    
    
13. The objective of the competition is to push your opponent out of the ring, not to destroy the Lego Kits. No constructs designed to harm your opponents Legos are allowed. However rendering them immobile without destroying Lego pieces is just dandy.
    
    
14. Judgment of the ring official is final.
    
    

Links:

Here are some links to some interesting robotics pages:

Plus a couple of papers to look at: