• +20 points for recognizing the end of the line and stopping.

•  -10 for using a fundamentally unmodified retail line-following robot kit.

Winners determined by the highest number of points.  In the event of a tie in points, winner will be determined by the robot with the shortest time for successful completion of the course.

Judges
Judges decisions are final.

Robot Web Sources
LEGO MindStorm

http://mindstorms.LEGO.com/

Lynxmotion, Inc.

Source for MicroMouse and Carpet Rover

http://www.lynxmotion.com/

Parallax, Inc.

Source for Parallax Basic Stamp I and II and BOE-Bot

http://www.parallax.com/

http://www.parallax.com/html_pages/edu/index.asp

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Basic Line Following (Introductory Level)

Concept

The present NEIRG line following contest has proven to be too challenging for entry level robot builders.  In order to provide a contest for those robot builders, the Basic Line Following contest was developed.  This Basic Line Following contest is provisional for 2010 NEIRG. Please submit comments and/or requests concerning the rules. 

Description

The robot contestant must follow a single line from the start position to the end of the line.  Then the robot contestant must turn around and follow the line back to the start.  The run is not timed.  The goal is to accomplish the task by returning to the start after reaching the end of the line.  All robots contestants who accomplish the task successfully will be declared the winners.  Once a robot builder has won the Basic Line Following contest, entries in future Basic Line Following contests will be prohibited.

Classes

There is only one class in this competition: Any robot, any age.

Starting Order

Robot contestant starting order will be chosen by random drawing.  When it is your robot's turn to compete, place the robot on the beginning of the black line, activate the robot, and step back from the playing surface.  Each registered robot competitor will have a maximum of two minutes to complete the task.

Contestants

All Contestants shall be Autonomous Mobile Robots.  By autonomous we mean that once started - the robot proceeds without external equipment.  External equipment includes humans and electronic devices.  The robots have no restrictions on size or power sources, but must be able to operate without cues or input from the owner/operator.  We recommend keeping your robot under 12" square, - aim for 9" or smaller.  The robot must not damage the playing surface.

Prohibited Items
Other than following the black line, nothing may be used to guide the robot.  No externally-controlled device (i.e., by the operator or another computer or external sensor) that transmits, receives, or reflects any energy, such as acoustic/sonar, microwave, radio wave (HF, RF, UHF, etc.), light, laser, or infrared energy may be used.

Playing Field

The playing field is a white foamcore 40" x 32".  The line is made with 3/4" "plastic" electrical tape.  All turns will have a minimum radius of 5 inches.  There will be no cross paths, nor gaps in the path.

Calibration Period

There will be a practice/adjustment time the day of the event.  Competitors must share the line following course with other competitors who wish to practice.  Contestants are responsible for making sure the course is clean and ready for the next contestant to the satisfaction of the judges, or the contestant who produced the mess may be disqualified.  This includes debris, fluids, or marks remaining course.

Performance

After your trial begins, the only interference allowed is to pick up your robot, return it to the Start and restart the course.  The two minute clock will not be reset and your robot must negotiate the line again, in a continuous path, from Start to Finish.  The evaluation of what constitutes "following the line" will, in some cases, require a judgment.  Judges decisions are final, so if in doubt about your robot, ask a judge before the competition to check robot's performance.

Scoring

All robots who complete the task will be declared the winner.  No other scoring is used.

Judges

Judges decisions are final.

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The Maze
Description
The challenge is to create a robot whose purpose is to navigate a 12-foot x 12-foot maze in the shortest amount of time.

Classes
There is only one class in this competition: Any robot style, any age.

The Maze
The maze is approximately 12 feet by 12 feet.  The walls are 6 inches tall and 1/8 inch thick.  The minimum clearance between walls is 11½ inches.  There will be a designated entrance and exit to the maze.  NOTE: Walls and floors are yellow and black, respectively, and will contain grooves (with a little blue showing through the cracks) and slight separations (i.e. not perfectly smooth surfaces).

The Play
Robots will be placed at the entrance and will then navigate through the maze until they reach the exit. There will be 5 minutes to complete the course, which is the maximum amount of time for a robot to complete the maze.  If hung up, robots may be restarted at the entrance (beginning a new time measurement) as many times as necessary within those 5 minutes to complete the course.  Time to complete the course is counted from the time the robot first moves.  The judges will designate an official timekeeper.  Time of an individual run will start as soon as the robot crosses the entrance line.  Timing will stop when the robot crosses the exit line.  Time will be reported only for robots that complete the maze.  For robots that do not complete the maze, we will record how far through the maze they went.  

The time that will be recorded for the maze robot will be the first successful navigation of the maze – any subsequent maze trips will be at the discretion of the judge, but will not be used for scoring, unless the judge declares that the maze itself hindered the robot improperly, such as walls falling out due to faulty construction.

There will be a practice/adjustment time before the event.  Competitors must share the course with other competitors who wish to practice.  At the end of the time period, contestants are responsible for making sure the maze is clean and ready for the next contestant to the satisfaction of the judges, or the contestant who produced the mess may be disqualified.  This includes debris, fluids, or marks remaining on the maze.

Scoring

• First, second and third place will be determined by fastest amount of time taken to complete the maze.

• If no robots complete the maze, then placement for first, second and third places will be determined by who is the shortest travel distance away from the exit.

The Robots

1. The height of the robot is unlimited. 

2. The robots must weigh 6.6 pounds or less.

3. Robots must not receive any prompts or cues from the operator.  This includes remote starts. 
All motivation and control must come from within the robot itself.  

4. The contestant will determine sensors for detection in the maze

Possible (but not limited to) kits to use for the Maze: 
Lynxmotion Carpet Rover, Parallax BOE-Bot, LEGO MindStorms (RCX or NXT)