Mini-Sumo Ship-In's! on again for another year!
Last year we had a larger number of Ship-In's and the contest had an international flavor with Canada showing well. Our students learned what tough competitors there were out there. We have a new group of students building this year. They haven't experienced competition yet, so please, all you guys with Sumos, come show us how it is done. This year, if you thought about entering, you should actually enter!
What better example of showing your robots have matured, than sending them off to compete in a contest on their own. Then watch the Live Webcast as they "duke it out" with other robots from this and other countries. And if you've seen the previous matches, you know we get some very careful and dilligent assistants to prepare, place and operate your robots per your written instructions.
This year we are trying a new location, hoping to draw more student interest and participation. We will also increase our local advertizing to get them in. And we will again have our excellent team of videographers webcasting and recording the event. So we continue the hope of growing into a very significant robot event.
So get ready and send in those challengers. Remember, there's a cap on how many competitors will be accepted (12) so enter as soon as you can.
Following below are details from the sponsor.
Randy
We have reserved a large meeting hall in the Maucker Student Union for
8 am to Noon, Thursday, May 1, for the "Third UNI Mini-Sumo Robotics Challenge." [This is not where we held the event last year, but hopefully more accessible for our students to drop by.]Updating what we sent out last year:
The 2008 Mini-Sumo Robotics Challenge--hosted by the University of Northern Iowa Physics Department.
- The Third UNI Mini-Sumo Robotics Challenge will accept a maximum of 12 robots from outside UNI for the May 1 event. Those wishing to enter should e-mail Cliff Chancey at snipped-for-privacy@uni.edu. He will validate their entry within 24 hours, or let them know that the challengers have already been selected. Those selected will receive shipping information.
- Include detailed instructions about preparing your entry, how it should be charged (include extra batteries or a charger), how the wheels should be cleaned (include handy wipes or other materials for this purpose), how you want in placed on the line (pictures help), and any special button pushes, etc., to initiate the combat.
- There will be a entry fee. Checks or money orders should be made out to "UNI Physics Department" and included in the submission. (Covers return postage, etc.)
- The UNI Physics Dept. will return-mail each of the 12 challenger robots to their owners using the packing materials that the robots arrived with, where possible. The Department will make a good faith effort to return all robots in operating condition but we cannot guarantee this. We will use proper carriers (US Postal Service, Fedex, or similar) but this is the extent of our promise. Challengers must accept the normal risks of shipping sensitive equipment.