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Cheer on area high school students as they match programming skills against each other to determine who's lego robot is most efficient at seeking a light source.

Overview of Events
09:00 a.m. High School Lego Robotics Challenge participants meet
09:30 a.m. Tour of Lego Robotics Lab in Olin Building on the Case Quad
11:30 a.m. Box Lunches provided by The Case School of Engineering
12:00 p.m. High School Competition Begins
04:30 p.m. High School Competition Ends and College Competition Begins
06:30 p.m. College Competition Ends
06:30 p.m. Engineering Carnival Begins (Pizza Dinner Provided)

The Competition:
Two robots will go "head to head" in the competition arena. Robots will be started on opposite corners of the arena, not in the center. They should "face" inward. When the competition begins, one of 6 lights will come on. Each robot should sense the light and race towards it's one-foot target area as quickly as possible. When a robot reaches a target area it will earn a point. That light will immediately go out and a new light will go on. Both robots should then seek the new light source. The competition will continue until the time limit is reached. Time will be 3 minutes per match, with a one minute tie-breaker if necessary. The tournament will be run as a double-eliminaion style tournament. If you lose one match, you have the chance to continue battling for second place by entering a new bracket with other people who have lost a match. When I have all the teams properly seeded, I will have the schedule posted.

In the case of tie or if neither robot scores a point, a coin will be tossed, with heads and tails assigned by the director of the match. Priority will be assigned to the robot based on the coin toss. The robot with priority will advance to the next level.

The Arena:
The competition arena consists of a hexagonal area approximately five feet to a side, with a polished hardwood floor. Each wall will have a light bulb placed in its center that will be randomly lighted by a control board. Each bulb is 10" from the floor surface and will have a target area of one square foot surrounding it that will be marked by red tape. You should note that several design parameters should be considered. Below are some basic robot attributes you should try to balance. Please be aware that this list is not all-encompassing. Spend some time thinking about the robot design before you dive into its programming and construction.

• Realizing that there are two robots in the arena at any given time, it is important that you build a robust robot. If they bump into one another, it is possible that parts of the robot may break off and impede its movement. At the very least, you will need to make sure that your robots are easily reparable.
• Since your robots will need to sense the light source and move toward it, you should try to program an algorithm that will zero in on the light very quickly.
• The faster the robot moves the better, though you will need to be careful of balancing robot robustness and agility, two contrary design parameters.
• Remain aware of the parts available to you. You should think about several gearing designs and methods of gaining traction on a glossy floor. Transferring power from your motor to locomotion is not a trivial matter, especially when it comes to developing the fastest robot you can. You are expected to use only the parts available from one (1) Lego Mindstorm Robotics Kit. Please do not include any extra parts from other kits you may purchase.

For more information about the competition please contact Matthew Finlay at msf2@po.cwru.edu or visit the Frequently Asked Questions page.