NEIRG Sumo
Rules-
LEGO Class
Chapter
1: Definition of Bouts, Matches and Competitions
Chapter
2: Sumo Ring (Dohyo) Specifications
Chapter
3: Robot Specifications
Chapter
4: Bout and Match Principles
Chapter
5: Match Procedure
Chapter
6: Yuko (Effective) Points
Chapter
7: Penalty Types
Chapter
8: Injury and Accidents
Chapter
9: Objections
Chapter 10: Resources
Introduction
The Sumo
Wrestling Competition pits your creation, your autonomous robot, against
another robot in a field of battle, where brute strength and cat-like reflexes
combine to create the ultimate conflict! The challenge is to create a robot,
using only LEGO parts, that can seek out the enemy robot and push, throw, flip,
drag, or otherwise remove its opponent from the sumo ring within three minutes,
while preventing the opponent from doing the same to it.
Chapter 1:
Definition of Bouts, Matches and Competitions
Article 1.1 - Definitions
1.
Bouts: A Bout involves two contestants who manage
their autonomous robots in the sumo ring (Dohyo) according to the
competition rules. The goal: to actively seek out the opponent’s robot, and
remove it from the sumo ring. A Bout
begins 5 seconds after the Referee announces that operators must turn on their
robots, and continues until a (Yuko) point is scored by one of the
contestants, or three minutes of total Match Time have elapsed. The Referee will make the decision
on when a point is scored.
2. Matches: A Match is comprised of up to three Bouts; and, Match Time should normally not go past three minutes. The winner of a Match is generally the first person to earn two Yuko points during these Bouts. The winners and losers of Matches will move forward in the Competition as appropriate.
3. Competition:
The name of the specific robot contest, usually describing a specific division,
such as “LEGO Stock Sumo.” The NEIRG Sumo Competitions are double-elimination tournaments.
Winners and losers of Matches move through the two brackets of the Competition, allowing all robots a
chance to lose one Match, and still
win the Competition. Generally, a First, Second and Third
place robot is awarded for each Competition.
Notes:
All Matches must end with a winner. Everyone will have at least two Matches.
During the Competition, the top robots should expect to face anywhere from 5 to
10 opponents, for up to 40 minutes of active wrestling. No flash photography
during Bouts. Extra batteries on hand is recommended.
Article 1.2 – Classes of Competition
1. There are 2 Sub-Classes of
Competition for LEGO Sumo Wrestling.
a. Stock-Only the parts available in one LEGO MindStorms
Invention Set 2.0.
b. Open-Only the parts
available with one or more LEGO robot kits and also any other
LEGO brand piece or component.
2. Chapter 3 describes these
robot specifications in detail. Note: The LEGO Stock Competition is held on a 3
foot Dohyo instead of 5 foot.
3. Age has not proven to be as
critical as the number and kind of parts allowed, so there are no currently no divisions based
on age for the LEGO Classes.
Chapter 2:
Sumo Ring (Dohyo) Specifications
Article 2.1 - Sumo Ring (Dohyo) Specifications
1. The Dohyo is a plywood cylinder, painted black, with
a height of (2 in.) and a diameter of 60 in. Exception: The Stock LEGO Dohyo
has a 36 in. diameter, with no other changes in the below information.
2. The Dohyo folds up, and thus, there is a slight crack
down the center. Please be aware that, if the Referees feel that that part of the surface is uneven,
black tape will be placed over it to make it more even, if they feel this will
help. (We acknowledge that some scoops may also catch on that tape, and thus
this is not our preferred solution.) The Stock LEGO Dohyo is a single board.
3. The starting lines are indicated as two parallel
brown (color ratio - blue : red : yellow = 4 : 4 : 2) lines with a width of 2
cm (25/32 in.) and a length of 20 cm (8 in.). The outside edge of each line is
20 cm (8 in.) apart, and they are centered on the Dohyo.
4. The outer edge of the Dohyo, the borderline, is
indicated as a white circular ring with a width of 5 cm (2 in.) and an outside
diameter of 60 in. The borderline is defined as being on the Dohyo.
5. During the games, it is up to the Referee to decide
whether the Dohyo can continue to be used or whether it should be replaced.
Chapter 3: Robot Specifications
Article 3.1 – Specifications
1. The robot must be able
to fit in a box with a width and depth of 30.5 cm (12 in.). There are no
restrictions on height. The robot will always start or reset a Bout in this
configuration. Robots may move and expand to any size after the 5-second delay.
2. Weight (including accessories) must not exceed 3.0 lb. for the LEGO Open Class or 2 lb. for the LEGO Stock Class.
3.
Robots are based on the LEGO MindStorm Sets, RCX or NXT, in original factory condition (no purposefully
mutilated, modified or re-engineered pieces). Pieces will not be held
together by any other means than standard LEGO construction methods (no
stickers, glue, tape). Pieces may not be coated in foreign substances
(paint, oil, cloth). No “made-for-LEGO” non-brand LEGO pieces allowed.
4.
Stock LEGO Class robots may use no
more than the specific number and type of pieces provided in one LEGO MindStorms kit, plus 6 AA batteries. This includes
even the smallest of pieces. Note: RIS 1.0, 1.5 and RoboLab kits are
nearly the same, and the LEGO MindStorm NXT and Educator's versions are
fairly consistent. See
5.
Open LEGO Class robots will be based on the
MindStorms kits, but can use any and all LEGO brand pieces, in original
factory condition. Unusual pieces like LEGO people, trees,
lances, etc from children’s LEGO sets are allowed.
6.
An autonomous robot must be designed to begin action
no earlier than five seconds after the contestant presses the robot's start
button.
7.
All robots must be capable of some form of
movement across the Dohyo.
Article 3.2 - Restrictions on Robot Design
1. The robot may attempt to confuse or mislead the
opponent’s sensors, but may not otherwise interfere with the electronic
functioning of the opponent’s robot, such as reprogramming the opponent’s
robot. In Open LEGO Class, for instance, a bright LEGO light, used to confuse
an opponent’s light sensor, would be considered legal.
2. The robot will not include any parts that might
damage or deface the Dohyo.
3. The robot will not include a device that insufflates any liquid, powder, or gas.
4.
The robot will not
include an inflaming device.
5. The robot will not include a throwing device.
6. The robot will not include any part that fixes the
robot to the Dohyo surface and prevents it from moving (such as suckers, glue,
and so on).
Chapter 4:
Bout and Match Principles
Article 4.1 – Bout and Match Principles
1. A Match
consists of up to three Bouts
with a maximum of three minutes per match. A Bout generally ends when a robot earns a Yuko point.
2. The first contestant to win two Yuko points is the
winner of the Match, which may
occur before three Bouts have been played; or,
3. If a winner cannot be determined per above, the
contestant who has the most Yuko points at the end of the Match will be judged as the winner;
or,
4. If neither contestant receives any Yuko points, or if
both contestants have one Yuko point, an extra three-minute Sudden Death Match may be announced by
the Referees; or,
5. If too much time would be needed to find a victor
that way, the Referees have discretion to award the victory to the player with
an obvious superiority, or may resort to a coin toss as a last resort.
Chapter 5:
Match Procedure
Article 5.1 - Beginning of the Match
Before the Match, the contestants shake hands and
then place their robots behind their starting lines on the Dohyo, as indicated
by the Referee. Operators will prepare to begin their three Bouts. The Referee will check that the robots
are indeed the correct ones competing in this Match, and that the timekeeper
and scorekeepers are ready.
Article 5.2 - Beginning of the Bout
1. Robots will be placed parallel to each other, in
opposite directions, as close to the brown starting lines as possible without
touching them. Thus, they will be in either a clockwise (A) or
counter-clockwise (B) orientation to each other. These orientations will flip
after each Bout.
2.
The tournament bracket
will predetermine these orientations. Thus, the three Bouts will follow an
A-B-A or B-A-B sequence.
3. The contestant must press the start button on the
robot at the Referee’s signal and immediately take several steps back. The Bout begins five seconds after the
Referee’s signal. The robot may not move at all until the 5-second delay is
over.
Article 5.3 – Finishing the Bout
After a Yuko point is earned or some other event ends the Bout, the
Referee will announce that the current Bout has ended, and that the next Bout,
as appropriate, should begin. Match Time pauses between Bouts.
The operators will place
their robots in their starting positions, in the reverse starting orientation
as the previous Bout, and await the signal to press their start buttons.
30 seconds are available
between Bouts for contestants to repair their robots without receiving a
Warning.
Article 5.4 - End of the Match
The Match ends when the
Referee calls the winner, who will generally be the operator whose robot first
earns 2 Yuko points, or when 3 minutes of Match Time has elapsed. Both contestants shake hands after removing their robots.
Article 5.5 – Bout Cancellation and Resets
A Bout will be stopped and a Reset
will be started under the following conditions:
1. The robots are locked together in such a way that no
more action appears to be possible or they rotate in circles several times, per
Referee’s discretion.
2. Both robots touch the exterior of the Dohyo at the
same time.
3. Any other conditions under which the Referee judges
that no winner can be decided.
In case of a Reset,
maintenance of competing robots is prohibited until a Yuko is observed, and the
robots must be immediately put back to the location specified in Article 5.1.
Robots will be returned to their starting conditions and started, with their 5
second delays, after the Referee signals the start. The 3-minute Match Time
clock will continue to count down during this process. Any interruption in this
procedure will likely result in a Warning from the Referee.
If neither of the competing
robots win nor lose after a Reset, the Referee may reposition both robots to a
specified location and restart. If even that does not yield a winner, the Bout
may continue at any location decided by the Referee, until the time limit is
reached.
Chapter 6:
Scoring Yuko Points
Article 6.1 – Yuko (Effective) Points
The following conditions are
determined as Yuko (effective) points:
1.
When a robot ejects its opponent off the Dohyo with a
fair action. As soon as a connected part of the opponent’s robot touches the
ground, it is considered ejected.
2. When the opponent's robot falls off the Dohyo on its own (for any reason).
3. When the opponent's robot commits a Violation or has
had more than one Warning.
Chapter 7:
Penalty Types
Article 7.1 – Warnings
A contestant who takes any
of the following actions will receive a Warning when:
1. The operator or any part of the operator touches the
Dohyo before the Referee’s call ends the Bout.
2. Preparation for the start of a Bout takes more than
30 seconds. If this Warning has already been given, a Yuko will be given if the
player is not ready after 90 seconds.
3. Preparation for a Reset of a Bout is not immediate.
4.
An autonomous robot
begins action (physical expansion or moving) before five seconds have elapsed
after the Referee’s start command.
5. Any other actions that may be deemed unfair occur.
6. When a contestant receives two Warnings, the
contestant's opponent will be awarded one Yuko point.
Article 7.2- - Violations
Any of the following actions
is determined as a Violation and the offender's opponent, or both robots, will
get a Yuko point:
1.
A part (or parts) of the robot that exceed(s) a
weight of 10 grams is separated and dropped from the robot. (If such a part is
still connected via a connector or wire, and leaves the Dohyo, the robot is now
considered removed from the Dohyo.)
2.
The robot stops moving on the Dohyo. This includes
mechanical failures and circumstances such as being flipped on one’s back.
3. Both the robots are moving, but don't contact each other.
4. The robot emits smoke.
Article 7.3 - Loss by Violation
A contestant who takes any
of the following actions will lose the Match by Violation:
1. A contestant does not attend the appointed Dohyo when
called at the beginning of the Competition.
2. A contestant ruins the Match or Competition, such as
by intentionally breaking, damaging, or defacing the Dohyo.
Article 7.4 – Disqualification
A contestant who takes any
of the following actions will be disqualified and forced to leave the
Competition:
1. A contestant's robot does not meet the robot
specifications stated in Article 3.
2. A contestant makes a robot using a method restricted
in Article 5.
3. A contestant displays un-sportsmanlike behavior. For
example, using violent language or slandering an opponent or a Referee.
4. A contestant intentionally injures the opponent's
operator.
Chapter 8:
Injury and Accidents
Article 8.1 - Request for Suspension
When a contestant is injured
due to the operation of the robot or the robot has an accident, and the Bout or
Match cannot be continued, a suspension can be requested by the contestant.
A Referee must take immediate necessary action in response to this situation.
Chapter 9:
Objections
Article 9.1 - Objections to the Referee
No objections to the
judgment of the Referee can be raised. The referee’s call is final.
Article 9.2 - Objections to the Rules
A contestant who has an objection to the operating rules must express dissent to the Tournament Committee before the end of the Competition.
Chapter 10 - Resources
Robot Web Sources
LEGO MindStorm