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Autonomous Maze Navigation Summary In this contest the contestant or team of contestants design and build small self-contained robots to negotiate a maze in the shortest possible time. A Gold medal and a $250 Gift Certificate will be awarded to first place. A Silver medal and a $150 Gift Certificate will be awarded to second place. A Bronze medal and a $50 Gift Certificate will be awarded to third place. RULES a) Contest Eligibility 1. The contestant(s) will submit their design in a document that will include a summary description of their Robot, schematics, layout, Bill of Materials (with associated costs) and code prior to the competition. This information will be presented, in five minutes or less, and the contestant(s) will answer any questions posed by the judges of their design. 2. The Robot entry may be the effort of an individual or a team. In the case of a team it should be possible to demonstrate that each individual made a significant contribution. 3. A team may consist of up to five people. 4. Employees or their families of A-WIT Technologies, Inc. or any of their affiliates may not participate in the Autonomous Maze Navigation Contest. b) Rules for the Robot 1. A Robot shall be self-contained (no remote controls). A Robot shall not use an energy source employing a combustion process. 2. A Robot shall not leave any part of its body behind while negotiating the maze. 3. A Robot shall not jump over, fly over, climb, scratch, cut, burn, mark, damage, or destroy the walls of the maze. 4. A Robot shall not be larger either in length or in width, than 11 inches. The dimensions of a Robot that changes its geometry during a run shall not be greater than 11 in x 11 in. There are no restrictions on the height of a Robot. 5. The total cost of the Robot (in materials, labor is assumed to be free) may not exceed $500.00. This is judged on actual cost and market value of any donated materials used in the Robot. Contestants should be prepared to present a list of materials and their market values to the judges upon request. Since market values may vary from source to source, contestants should be prepared with catalogs or quotes to confirm unusual prices. The judge's decision shall be final in these matters. 6. Any violation of these rules will constitute immediate disqualification from the contest and ineligibility for the associated prizes. c) Rules for the Maze 1. The maze is composed of multiples of an 11.25 in x 11.25 in unit square. The maze comprises 7 x 7 unit squares. The walls of the maze are 3.5 in high and 3/4 in thick (assume 5% tolerance for mazes). The outside wall encloses the entire maze. 2. The sides of the maze walls are white, the tops of the walls are red, and the floor is black. The maze is made of wood, finished with non-gloss paint. WARNING: Do not assume the walls are consistently white, or that the tops of the walls are consistently red, or that the floor is consistently black. Fading may occur; parts from different mazes may be used. Do not assume the floor provides a given amount of friction. It is simply painted plywood and may be quite slick. The maze floor may be constructed using multiple sheets of plywood. Therefore, there may be a seam between the two sheets on which any low-hanging parts of a Robot may snag. 3. The start of the maze is located at one of the four corners. The start square is bounded on three sides by walls. The start line is located between the first and second squares. That is, as the Robot exits the corner square, the time starts. The destination goal is the four cells at the center of the maze. The destination square has only one entrance. 5. Multiple paths to the destination square are allowed and are to be expected. The destination square will be positioned so that a wall-hugging Robot will NOT be able to find it. d) Rules for the Contest 1. Each contesting Robot is allocated a total of 10 minutes of access to the maze from the moment the contest administrator acknowledges the contestant(s) and grants access to the maze. Any time used to adjust a Robot between runs is included in the 10 minutes. Each run (from the start cell to the center zone) in which a Robot successfully reaches the destination square is given a run time. The minimum run time shall be the Robot’s official time. First prize goes to the Robot with the shortest official time. Second prize to the next shortest, and so on. Note again that the 10-minute timer continues even between runs. Mice that do not enter the center square will be ranked by the maximum number of cells they consecutively transverse without being touched. All mice who enter the center square within their 10 minute allotment are ranked higher than those who do not enter the center square. 2. Each run shall be made from the starting square. The operator may abort a run at any time. If an operator touches the Robot during a run, it is deemed aborted, and the Robot must be removed from the maze. If a Robot has already crossed the finish line, it may be removed at any time without affecting the run time of that run. If a Robot is placed back in the maze for another run, a one-time penalty of 30 seconds will be added to the Robot’s best time. 3. After the maze is disclosed, the operator shall not feed information on the maze into the Robot however, switch positions may be changed. 4. If it is believed that the operator or anyone else for that matter has fed information to the robot in any way shape or form that robot shall be deemed disqualified. The judge's decision shall be final in these matters. 5. The illumination, temperature, and humidity of the room shall be those of an ambient environment. (40 to 120 degrees F, 0% to 95% humidity, non-condensing). BEWARE: Do not make any assumptions about the amount of sunlight, incandescent light, or fluorescent light that may be present at the contest site. 6. The run timer will start when front edge of the Robot crosses the start line and stops when the front edge of the Robot crosses the finish line. The start line is at the boundary between the starting unit square and the next unit square. The finish line is at the entrance to the destination square. 7. Every time the Robot leaves the start square, a new run begins. If the Robot has not entered the destination square, the previous run is aborted. For example, if a Robot re-enters the start square (before entering the destination square) on a run, that run is aborted, and a new run will be deemed begun, with a new time that starts when the starting square is exited. 8. The Robot may, after reaching the destination square, continue to navigate the maze, for as long as their total maze time allows. 9. If a Robot continues to navigate the maze after reaching the destination square, the time taken will not count toward any run. Of course, the 10-minute timer continues to run. When the Robot next leaves the start square, a new run will start. Thus, a Robot may and should make several runs without being touched by the operator. It should make its own way back to the beginning to do so. 10. The judges reserve the right to ask the operator for an explanation of the Robot. The judges also reserve the right to stop a run, declare disqualification, or give instructions as appropriate (e.g., if the structure of the maze is jeopardized by continuing operation of the Robot). 11. A contestant may not feed information on the maze to the Robot. Therefore, changing ROMs or downloading programs is NOT allowed once the maze is revealed. However, contestants are allowed to: • Change switch settings (e.g. to select algorithms) • Replace batteries between runs • Adjust sensors • Change speed settings • Make repairs 12. A contestant may not alter a Robot in a manner that alters its weight (e.g. removal of a bulky sensor array or switching to lighter batteries to get better speed after mapping the maze is not allowed). The judges shall arbitrate. 13. If requested, a break will be provided for a Robot after any run if another Robot is waiting to compete. The 10-minute timer will stop. When the Robot is re-entered, the 10-minute timer will continue. The judges shall arbitrate on the granting of such breaks. |
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Copyright (c) 2008 Trenton Computer Festival. All right reserved. Trenton Computer Festival is a non-profit educational federal 501(c)(3) corporation. |
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