Mini Sumo Contest - Open - Ship-IN at UNI May 1st

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.

formatting link
Here's a way to send your robot into combat, and have its appearance documented for the foreseeable future! ("I'll make ya famous!")

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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.)

  1. 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.

Reply to
RMDumse
Loading thread data ...

Just so you know, we've already had 5 contestents sign up to Ship-In, and we have a large class of students. We'll run off our students in a pre-contest the week before, so we will have a full field of 16- competitors for the actual web-cast on May 1st.

I'll bring you more details as I have them

Randy

Reply to
RMDumse

Okay, we had a drop out. Couldn't make it in time. Very sad to say. But we do have a class full of students so we'll have a full roster for a good go on May the 1st.

Be sure to commit to Ship In now if you want to participate. Just contact Cliff Chancey as described above.

Join us, and watch the live video from the webcast. I'll try to post more information on how to log on before the contest date.

Randy

Reply to
RMDumse

On Apr 18, 2:46=A0pm, RMDumse wrote: This Thursday, just three days away, May 1st, UNI will be hosting its Third Annual Mini-Sumo Challenge. You will be able to watch this competition live by webcast. A link to the live web cast will appear on

formatting link
directing you to the live link. The broadcast will begin about 8:30AM CDT, and the contest should be in full swing by 9AM CDT, so be sure to tune in by then. We expect the contest to run until about 11AM.

If you miss the show, it will be recorded and should be available for streaming any time afterwards. We've got our very competent video crew with multiple cameras, and we're going to be in a new venue this year, in the student union, so potentially the crowd will be larger and more entusiastic.

This will be a very exciting year. We have several really impressive competitiors shipping in their robots. Rick Brooks is returning from last year with Expurt Mule, which very much impressed us last year. Bob Cook's Thin Man has already arrived and looks tough. And we have a host of sudent competitors we've trained this semester, fresh and raw, and ready to test their stuff for the first time.

We do not have the top two competitors shipping in from last year, so there's bound to be an upset in the bragging order to come.

Please join us if you can for the exciting Mini-Sumo action, and the proof of autonomy - when your robot has advanced enough you can send him off to a contest on his own, and watch from the comfort of home - The Ship-In Challenge!

Randy

Reply to
RMDumse

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.