[Yaaarc] Let's do small scale sumo this summer.

[Paul Haas]

Some members of the now moribund Ann Arbor Lego Robotics club want to
have a contest.  I've got a couple 4 foot diameter sumo rings.  So we
don't need to do much prepwork for the contest other than get our
robots ready.  Reusing an existing contest means that we have a ready
supply of contestents.

We can use their rules with only a few changes.
 1. The requirements for Lego only applies to the Lego only class.
There is no RIS only class, they would compete with the other Lego
only class.
 2. Bout start positions were revised such that the higher ranked
robot is placed anywhere in one half of the ring, then the lower
ranked robot is placed anywhere in the other half.
 3. The module stuff was just confusing, and can be ignored.

The important rules are: The robot most fit in a square twelve inches
on a side at the start of the contest.  It must weigh less than 2
pounds.  Other rules are at
http://24tooth.com/SumobotRules.html

I'm thinking of holding the final competition on a Saturday or Sunday
afternoon in August.  At meetings we can have practice sessions, and
work on tuning and refining the robots.

The sumo ring is a disk 4 feet in diameter.  The top surface is about
4 inches above the floor.  There is a 2 inch wide white stripe around
the outside of the circle.  The interior of the circle is black.
Robots can tell when they are at the edge of the circle with a light
sensor pointed down, or with a mechanical feeler.

SInce the rings are 4 inches off of the floor, it is obvious when a
robot is out of the arena, because it falls to the floor.  So most
judging decisions are relatively simple.  The only time it gets
awkward is when both robots fall out of the ring at almost the same
time.

I'm thinking of prizes 3 prizes for two categories.  Maximum 1 prize
per person.  If 1 person wins more than one category, the next highest
scoring robot wins in that category.

Highest scoring robot over all.
Highest scoring Lego only robot (that didn't win the first prize).
Highest scoring unlimited material robot (that didn't win the first prize.)

We can also add other prizes like audience's choice, contestant's
choice, highest scoring robot from a builder under the age of 14,
etc...  Assuming we can get some donated prizes.

Any objections?
--
Paul Haas
paulh at hamjudo.com