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.