Contest Name: Maze Run
Submitted By: Gary Reynolds, Physics Instructor at Santa Ana High School, Santa Ana, CA
Materials:
- Boe-Bot, Shield-Bot, ActivityBot or Similar Robot
- Masking tape
Objective:
- The robot must run through the route shown without touching any tape and it must stop on the target.
Rules:
About the Robots:
- Because this game tests participant’s ability to carefully program a sequence of movements, the robots in this game must be:
- Similarly matched in capability – wheel encoders should either be required for all robots or not allowed for any.
- Programmed in a similar fashion – a possible requirement would be to call movements from EEPROM or to require that each different movement is written as a GOSUB or Function.
About the course/field:
- The course is laid out on the floor with masking tape in the pattern shown below.
- The target should be dot in the center of an 8-inch diameter circle, and if ring-shaped markings are used for the target, the rings should be 4 inches wide.
About the Game:
- Upon turning on the robot, it should try to drive straight, then turn right, then left, then left, then right, driving until it reaches the target where it stops.
- It should be decided ahead of the time if the competition will be:
- A single run for each robot,
- Multiple runs with an average or total score,
- Or multiple runs with the best score
Scoring:
- Robot starts with 20 pts
- 1 point is subtracted each time tape is run over
- 1 point is subtracted for every 4 inches from the target to the stopping point of the robot
- Robot is disqualified if the prescribed route isn’t attempted (for instance, it simply runs straight for the target)
Variations:
- When the robot touches the board at the end, it could be programmed to turn around and come straight back or back through the course.
- The method used to program the robots can be varied – for instance, requiring GOSUB, functions, memory calls, etc.