Robofest 2010 Game

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Posted 4/6/10

 

1.    If a robot returns to Home Base, does it have to stop for 2 seconds before it can be picked up without penalty?

 

Without a human bottle in its possession:� No.�

 

With a human bottle in its possession:� Yes.� If picked up without stopping, the human bottle is considered �dropped off the table� for -20 points, but no touch penalty will be given since the robot is over Home Base.

 

2.    What if the robot mistakenly returns a debris bottle instead of a human bottle?

 

Removal of debris bottles must be done by the robot to obtain points.� If the debris bottle is touched or removed by any human intervention, no points are awarded, the bottle must be fully removed from the field, and scoring opportunities for that bottle are lost.

 

3.   If the robot has the human bottle in its possession and a team member can tell it is about to go off the table, can the team member grab the robot and leave the human on the table?

 

Since the robot is in possession of the human bottle, the human bottle must be removed along with the robot, resulting in -20 points for loss of the human bottle and -10 points for a touch penalty (if not over Home Base.)

 

4.   After 3 touch penalties, is the Game over?

 

No.� There is a maximum of 3 penalties, 10 points per touch, given for the first 3 touches, but the Game continues without further penalizing touches.

 

5.   Can parts be added to or removed from the robot during the Game;� for example, adding or removing a claw?� Can other team members assist in this process?�

 

The robot may be modified during the Game round, including selecting different programs, as long as:

         The robot is measured and weighed in its �largest� state

         The change is made by the one team member running the round

It would be best to inform the judges you intend to do this before starting the round.

 

6.    After starting a round, can a robot's height become its width?� In other words, since robots are not allowed to expand their dimensions during the Game but there is no limit on height, can they reorient themselves so that their height has now become their width?

 

No.� The robot's width and length, as measured before the round, must remain the same (or smaller) throughout the round.� Likewise, the robot's diagonal dimension cannot become it's width.

 

7.    If a team decides not to attempt an Unknown Problem involving an extra bottle, can the team request the bottle be removed before the start of the round?

 

Yes.� However, scoring opportunities for solving the Unknown Problem will be forfeited.

 

8.    If the field is cleared of all bottles and there are no more scoring opportunities left, but the team has not achieved a perfect score, can the team call �time� and end the round before the 2 minutes are up?

 

No.� Only after achieving a perfect score can a round end, with time recorded.� A robot may only be removed without penalty while it is on or over Home Base.

 

9.    If the human bottle is first moved to the Safe Zone, and then the robot tries to move the human bottle to the Home Base, but it fails (bottle now is neither on the Safe Zone or Home Base, but still on the table), will the robot still get 20 points for the intial save or will it lose the 20 points?

Judges check the table after the game is over; the 20 points would not be awarded.

 

10. �If the trapped person bottle is first moved to the Safe Zone, and then is moved to the Home Base (for 2 sec.)� Will the robot get a total of 50 points or just 30 points?

 

Same logic as the above question:� the team is awarded 30 points.

 

11. �Is there any partial credit for solving the UP?�

 

No.

 

12. Can a team use two robots to do the mission � swapping one-for-one during a round?

 

No.�

 

13. �Will Home Base always be located at the lower end of the table?

 

Yes.

 

14. �If debris bottles are knocked off the playing field, can a team remove them from near the edges of the playing field to avoid disrupting their robot's edge detection?�

 

Yes.� Removed debris bottles can be slid underneath the table.

 

15. �Can a team use a different program when resending the robot from Home Base?

 

Yes. .�� ���