Basic Table Top Challenge
The Contest
The goal of this contest is to build a robot that is capable of autonomously navigating to different zones of the course within a given time limit. Scoring is based on speed, accuracy, and fun.
The Basic Table Top Challenge was inspired by an event of the same name held by the Chicago Area Robotics Group.
Course Layout
The Basic Table Top Challenge course consists of a white surface with black borders. The outside dimensions are 24" by 72". The borders are 0.75" wide.
The course is divided into three zones. The inner dimensions of zones A and C are identical, at 11.25" wide by 22.5" high. The inner dimensions of the middle zone B is 46.5" wide by 22.5" high.
Robot Construction
Each entry for the contest must be autonomous and follow general safety guidelines and common sense.
The robot must be able to fit entirely into Zone A (specified to be an 11.25" x 22.5" rectangle). The height and weight of the robot is only limited to the constraints of the table and room where the contest will be held. Generally this will be the same location as the normal monthly meetings.
The Judge may disqualify any robot that seems unsafe or acts unsportsmanlike.
Contest Procedure
The Basic Table Top Contest requires a robot to begin entirely within Zone A. It may be started by any method (see below for remote start).
The robot shall then traverse the length of the course and reach Zone C. A zone is considered "reached" when all parts of the robot have been within the zone as defined by the black border. There is no penalty for overshooting an end border or any intermediate border, providing that the robot can complete its run without human intervention.
Once the robot has reached Zone C, it must return to Zone A. After it has reached Zone A and has come to a full stop anywhere on the table, the robot's time for completing the course will be recorded. Extra points will be awarded base on how "centered" the robot is within the zone. See the Scoring section for details.
"Passing through a zone" fulfills the requirement of "reaching the zone".
As illustrated above, all zones are bounded by the inside edges of the border. Imagine that each inside edge is the bottom of a vertical plane. To qualify as being completely inside of a zone, your robot must not be in a position where it could touch any of the four imaginary vertical planes that define the zone.
Each robot shall be given three attempts at completing the course. An attempt is complete when either:
- The robot successfully finishes the course within 60 seconds.
- The robot fails to finish the course in the allotted time.
- The robot does not move for 15 consecutive seconds.
- The builder agrees with the Judge that the robot will be unable to finish.
- Human intervention is required to either catch a falling robot going off course, or to 'fix' a stuck robot. Note, this does not include catching the robot if it overshoots the final entry into Zone A.
In the event the robot is unable to complete the course on its attempt, the builder may elect to temporarily withdraw from the contest for up to 10 minutes to repair or reprogram the errant robot without loss of any remaining runs. This may occur only once during a given contest.
Scoring
The robots run one at a time, and each robot will be given three tries at completing the challenge. Only the best score from all of your runs will be considered for placement in the competition. Each robot will be awarded a score based upon the criteria given in the table below. Extra points are available for remote starting and for entertainment value.
| Description | Points |
| Shortest time to complete the course | 30 |
| 2nd shortest time to complete the course | 20 |
| 3rd shortest time to complete the course | 10 |
| Start on remote command (sound, infrared, radio, etc.) | 10 |
| Reach Zone C | 10 |
| Returns to Zone A | 10 |
| Entertainment Value | 10 |
| Navigation Bonus | Up to 20 |
The Entertainment Value is an objective 10 points awarded if the robot somehow signals that it has completed the course, for example, playing a song, waving a flag or just flashing a light.
The Navigation Bonus points will be awarded based upon the precision with which the robot is centered between the 22.5"-long border after reaching Zone A the final time after completely stopping.
The Judge will measure the shortest distances from two opposite points on the perimeter of your robot to the nearest edge of the closest 22.5"-long black border. Bonus points are based upon the difference between the two measurements, as shown above. As the precision of centering improves (difference in distance decreases), the Navigation Bonus awarded increases up to a maximum of 20 points.
| Distance | Points |
| > 5" | 0 |
| 5.0000" | 1 |
| 4.3125" | 2 |
| 3.6250" | 3 |
| 3.0000" | 4 |
| 2.5000" | 5 |
| 2.2500" | 6 |
| 2.0625" | 7 |
| 1.8750" | 8 |
| 1.7500" | 9 |
| 1.6250" | 10 |
| 1.5000" | 11 |
| 1.3750" | 12 |
| 1.2500" | 13 |
| 1.1250" | 14 |
| 1.0000" | 15 |
| 0.8750" | 16 |
| 0.7500" | 17 |
| 0.6250" | 18 |
| 0.5000" | 19 |
| 0.3750" | 20 |
The difference is measured from the robot's perimeter to the inner edge of the black border.
There will be no rounding of numbers, the values all fall in ranges. For example, using a difference of 3/8th inch (0.3750) gives 20 points, while a difference of anything over 3/8th inch (even 0.3751 inches) gives 19 points. Please note that the measuring device used will be delineated down to 1/16th or 1/32nd of an inch and "eyeballed" by the judge.
Any loops of wire or other material projecting beyond the main body of the robot are considered to be an integral part of the robot, and hence part of its perimeter. Measurements will be made to these projections, and should they happen to overhang a border, the robot will not qualify for extra points that might otherwise have been awarded. For example, if a bundle of wires hangs out past the robot's frame, that bundle of wires is part of the perimeter of the robot.
Last updated on January 3, 2009