Student Robotics

Last updated

Student Robotics
Founded2006
FoundersRobert Gilton, Stephen English
TypeEducational Charity
Registration no.1163168
Focus Robotics, Engineering and Computer Science
Location
Area served
United Kingdom
ServicesCharitable services
Method Robotics Competition
Key people
Diane Dowling (Trustee), David Massey (Trustee), Thomas Scarsbrook (Trustee)
Website studentrobotics.org

Student Robotics is a registered charity that runs an annual robotics competition for teams of 16 to 19 year-olds. [1] The charity aims to foster a world where engineering and artificial intelligence is accessible to young people with a stated mission "to bring the excitement of engineering and the challenge of coding to young people through robotics". [2] The competition is free to enter and teams are provided with all of the core electronics that they need to build a robot. To encourage creative and ingenious solutions to problems, constraints on design (other than overall size) are kept to a minimum, and the students can build and fashion their robots with any materials they choose; this results in a wide range of quirky, original robots. The robots must operate autonomously; once they are switched on to compete no interference from the team is allowed. [3]

Contents

The organisation was founded at the University of Southampton in 2006 by Robert Gilton and Stephen English. Students at the University of Bristol [4] and Grenoble INP [5] joined the project in 2010. In 2016 the organisation became a registered charity.

Student Robotics competition

The competition is designed, organised and managed by a team of volunteers ("Blueshirts"). Most volunteers have previously competed in an annual competition and many have gone on to study robotics, computer science or engineering at university. The competition takes place over a weekend in April/May. There are a series of league matches, spread over two half days, where each team competes against 3 other robots, to score points. On the afternoon of the second day, the points from the league table determine the rounds for the knockout stage, which eventually determines the winners of the competition.

Teams are introduced to the competition, and provided with their kit, at a "KickStart" event at the beginning of the academic year in October. Kickstart involves briefings on the competition challenge, and its rules, by Student Robotics volunteers. There is also a mini-game to introduce the teams to the kit. During the competition cycle, "Tech Days" held at various locations where teams are encouraged to work on their robot under the supervision of Student Robotics' Volunteers.

Historically the competition has been hosted on the Highfield Campus of the University of Southampton, however the 2014 and 2015 competitions were held at Newbury Racecourse Grandstand. Kickstart is also held on the Highfield Campus of the University of Southampton, but for the 2014 competition there were Kickstarts at the University of Bristol and Gresham's School, and for the 2015 competition there were Kickstarts at the University of Bristol, Facebook's office in London, and Technische Universität München. In 2017, two Kickstart events were held, at the University of Southampton and at the offices of Thread in London.

The competition rules mandate that the robots are autonomous, rather than remote controlled. The competitors may program their robot in Python via an IDE provided by Student Robotics. Student Robotics does not ban, nor support other methods than the IDE for programming their robots.

The competition is free to enter although schools have to make their own travel arrangements and provide the materials to build a chassis and fashion their robot. In some years a small budget has been given to schools. [6]

Robotics kit

Another group of volunteers (the Kit Team) develops and maintains a modular "robotics kit" that is provided to every team. [7] The current revision of the kit uses a Raspberry Pi 4 as its central controller; previously both an Odroid U3 (2015 - 2022) and BeagleBoard have been used. Most competitors use the Python programming language and teams are given access to a software library to ease interaction with the kit. However, it is not a requirement that they use Python or the library.

The main contents of the kit are: [8]

The software library includes a vision system based on OpenCV, although previously a system called libkoki was specifically developed for the competition. This allows for markers, placed in the arena, on other robots and on game objects/obstacles, to be seen by the robot. These provide information such as distance, position and rotation. [10]

As the competition is free to enter, Student Robotics requires that the kit is returned post-competition. [11]

Competitions

2022: "This Way Up"

This task involved moving and stacking cans of food in an arena, and marks the return of Student Robotics to an in-person competition following the COVID-19 pandemic.

This competition year also marked a transition to Python 3 on the physical kit, and a new computer vision system based on OpenCV.

Arena for "This Way Up" in "The Cube" Student Robotics 2022 Arena.jpg
Arena for "This Way Up" in "The Cube"

23 teams attended the competition that was held at the University of Southampton on 23 and 24 April 2022. [12] Notably, the competition had two arenas, one for testing only and one for matches. The arenas were also smaller than previous years at 6.5m x 6.5m, compared to the previous 8m x 8m.

Team
First Place Hills Road Sixth Form College
Second Place Queen Mary's College
Third Place Brockenhurst College
Rookie Award Abingdon School
Committee Award Queen Mary's College
Robot and Team Image Hills Road Sixth Form College
Online Presence Hampton School and Lady Eleanor Holles School

2021: "Radars of the Lost Ark"

This task involved using virtual radios to navigate an arena and "claim" a number of towers. The 2021 competition was held remotely using the same simulator framework that was used for the 2020 competition, which allowed for this novel navigation system in addition to a number of more traditional sensor components. [13]

Due to the remote nature of the competition, the usual structure of having a weekend with all matches on was replaced with four game "modules". League sessions were held over a number of weeks, with a new module and therefore additional complexity introduced into the game after each league session. [14]

Team
First Place St Paul's College
Second PlaceYayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah
Third PlaceThe Malay College Kuala Kangsar
Rookie AwardWe Robot
Committee Award Hills Road Sixth Form College Team 2
Online PresenceYayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah

2020: "Two Colours"

This task involved gathering cardboard boxes (tokens) of exactly one colour. Both Gold and Silver tokens were placed in the arena. A central raised platform was placed at the centre of the arena to act as an obstacle. [15]

The competition was due to be held at Reading University Students Union on 18 and 19 April, [16] but was delayed, [17] and then eventually cancelled [18] due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virtual arena from the Student Robotics 2020 Live-stream Student Robotics 2020 Livestream.png
The virtual arena from the Student Robotics 2020 Live-stream

A virtual competition was held [18] instead of the physical competition across three weekends in July 2020. A simulated environment based on Webots was developed and distributed to teams. Teams were instructed to submit code at the start of each competition day, so that matches could be pre-recorded, and then live-streamed over YouTube.

This final resulted in a 4-way tie so a tiebreaker match was held, the first since 2013.

Team
First PlaceJAMDynamics
Second PlaceKenilworth Sixth Form
Third Place Lawrence Sheriff School
Rookie AwardKenilworth Sixth Form
Committee Award South Wilts Grammar School
Online Presence "MAI" - Gymnasium Markt Indersdorf, Germany

The Robot and Team Image award was not issued this year. [18] This year also marked the first year to use Python 3 for student code, albeit only for the competition simulator.

2019: "Caldera"

This task involved moving cardboard boxes (tokens) around the arena in order to capture zones. A central "volcano" was placed at the centre of the arena to act as an obstacle; zones on the volcano were worth more points. [19]

37 teams attended the competition that was held at the University of Southampton on 6 and 7 April 2019. [20]

Team
First Place The Ladies' College Guernsey
Second Place Hills Road Sixth Form College
Third Place Hampton School and Lady Eleanor Holles School
Rookie Award Eltham College
Committee Award South Wilts Grammar School
Robot and Team Image Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
Online Presence The College of Richard Collyer

2018: No Competition Held

There was no Student Robotics competition in 2018. Due to some organisational issues within the charity, it was decided to take a year off to reorganise and ensure the longevity of the charity. [21]

Two alternate competitions were held with very similar characteristics and involved many of the original volunteers.

2017: "Easy as ABC"

The task involved picking up cardboard cubes labelled A, B or C, and placing them in the team's allocated zone, scoring additional points by collecting cubes in the order ABC.

The competition was held on 31 March to 1 April 2017 at The Racecourse, Newbury.

PrizeTeam
First Place CATS College Cambridge
Second Place Hills Road Sixth Form College
Third Place The College of Richard Collyer
Rookie Award Dr Challoner's Grammar School
Committee Award Lawrence Sheriff School
Robot and Team Image Hills Road Sixth Form College
Online Presence "MAI" - Gymnasium Markt Indersdorf, Germany

2016: "Sunny side Up"

The task involved rotating cardboard cubes to the colour of the respective teams, and scoring additional points by picking up the cubes and placing them in the corners.

The competition was held on 30 April to 1 May 2016 at The Racecourse, Newbury.

PrizeTeam
First Place Royal Grammar School, Guildford
Second Place The Ladies' College
Third Place Gordano School
Rookie Award The Ladies' College
Committee Award Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
Robot and Team Image "MAI" - Gymnasium Markt Indersdorf, Germany
Online Presence Queen Mary's College

2015: "Capture the Flag"

The task involved "capturing" small wooden cubes ("Flags") from their starting positions by moving them into the team's scoring area.

The competition was held on 25–26 April 2015 at The Racecourse, Newbury.

PrizeTeam
First Place Bishop Wordsworth's School
Second Place Gordano School (team 2)
Third Place King Edward VI Grammar School
Rookie Award King Edward VI Grammar School
Committee Award Cranbrook School
Robot and Team Image "MAI" - Gymnasium Markt Indersdorf, Germany
Online Presence Peter Symonds College
First Robot Movement CATS College Cambridge

Details on the 2015 competition and awards can be found in the 2015 rulebook

2014: "Slots"

The task involved moving 20 cm3 cubes from their start positions into slots in the centre on the arena. Points were awarded for occupying slots. Another main factor was that the tokens could be flipped 180 degrees in order to score extra points.

The competition was held on 26–27 April 2014 at The Racecourse, Newbury.

PrizeTeam
First Place Headington School, Oxford
Second Place Gordano School
Third Place Clifton High School, Runshaw College
Rookie Award Torquay Boys Grammar School
Committee Award "MAI (senior)" - Gymnasium Markt Indersdorf, Germany
Robot and Team Image Hills Road Sixth Form College
Online Presence Peter Symonds College
First Robot Movement Torquay Boys Grammar School

Details on the 2014 competition and awards can be found in the 2014 rulebook

2013: "A Strange game"

The task involved moving large tokens into squares situated on the floor to take ownership of that square. The zone was owned by the team which had the most tokens in it. Points are awarded dependent of how many squares are owned by a team. In each zone there is a "pedestal" which if a robot gets to put their token on, they own that zone no matter on the number of other tokens in the square. Multipliers are awarded for getting zones in a row or column.

The 2013 competition final ended in a three-way tie, so a tie-breaker round was played.

This tie breaker has been said to be the most tense match in Student Robotics history as it was won 3 seconds before the end. The video of this can be found here.

PrizeTeam
First Place "MAI" - Gymnasium Markt Indersdorf, Germany
Second Place "CLF" - Clifton High School
Third PlaceQueen Mary's College (QMC)
Rookie AwardHeadington School, Oxford (HSO2)
Committee Award "Grey Matter Robotics"
Robot and Team Image "Team Sky Crane" - Peter Symonds College, Winchester
Online Presence "Grey Matter Robotics"
First Robot MovementHeadington School, Oxford (HSO1 & HSO2)

Details on the competition and awards can be found in the 2013 rulebook.

2012: "Pirate plunder"

The task involved robots having to collect randomly located tokens from the arena, and depositing it in their zone of the arena. Bonus points were added for any token that was placed into a bucket in that zone.

This was the first year that used the latest vision system: libkoki.

The winners of the 2012 Competition were: [24]

PrizeTeam
First Place "The Hitchhikers" - Peter Symonds College, Winchester
Second Place "Systemetric" - Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
Third PlaceBrockenhurst College, Brockenhurst
Committee AwardQueen Mary's College, Basingstoke
Outstanding Team "Aslan" - Peter Symonds College, Winchester
Online Presence MFG Robotics - Mirfield Free Grammar, Huddersfield
First Robot Movement"MFG Robotics" - Mirfield Free Grammar, Huddersfield

Details on the awards can be found in the 2012 Rulebook

2011: "Tin can rally"

The task was to go around the arena, gaining points for each corner passed. Multipliers were applied to the points gained related to the number of baked bean tins that the robot had picked up en route.

This was the first year that used the latest revision of kit.

The winners of the 2011 Competition were: [25]

PrizeTeam
First PlaceTauntons College, Southampton
Second PlacePeter Symonds College, Winchester
Third PlaceMirfield Free Grammar, Huddersfield
Chairmans AwardMirfield Free Grammar, Huddersfield
Online Presence "Powered By Magic" - Churcher's College, Petersfield
First Robot MovementQueen Elizabeth's Hospital School, Bristol

Details on the awards can be found in the 2011 Rulebook

2010: "QuacMan"

The challenge involved picking up small wooden tokens of the correct colour, with points being lost for picking up the wrong colour blocks. In addition, a super token (a rubber duck, from which the game's name was derived) was placed on top of a ramp in the centre of the arena, which was worth enough points alone to swing the match.

2009: "Golf" and "Squirrel"

In 2009, two game types were specified, both involved collection & placement of coloured play-balls. [26] Teams had a home zone on the floor of the arena, as well as a net suspended above their corner, into which the balls could be placed.

In Golf, teams had to place the balls into their opponents' zones & nets, while in Squirrel the challenge was reversed, with teams aiming to collect the balls.

2008

The first game was not named, and involved teams collecting coloured tokens that were painted wooden cubes. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FIRST Lego League Challenge</span> Robotics competition

The FIRST Lego League Challenge is an international competition organized by FIRST for elementary and middle school students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diabolical Dynamics</span> 2001 FIRST Robotics Competition game

Diabolical Dynamics was the 2001 game for the FIRST Robotics Competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FIRST Tech Challenge</span> Robotics competition

FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), formerly known as FIRST Vex Challenge, is a robotics competition for students in grades 7–12 to compete head to head, by designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other teams. FIRST Tech Challenge is one of the six major robotics programs organized by FIRST, which its other five programs include FIRST Lego League Discover, FIRST Lego League Explore, FIRST Lego League Challenge, FIRST Robotics Competition, and FIRST Global Challenge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rack 'n Roll</span> 2007 FIRST Robotics Competition game

Rack 'n Roll was the game for the 2007 FIRST Robotics Competition season, announced on January 6, 2007. In it, two alliances of three teams each competed to arrange ring-shaped game pieces on a central arena element known as 'The Rack'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABU Robocon</span> Asian Oceanian College robot competition

The ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest is an Asian-Oceanian college robot competition, founded in 2002 by Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. In the competition robots compete to complete a task within a set period of time. The contest aims to BUİLD friendship among young people with similar interests who will lead their countries in the 21st century, as well as help advance engineering and broadcasting technologies in the region. The event is broadcast in many countries through ABU member broadcasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botball</span> Educational robotics program

Botball is an educational robotics program that focuses on engaging middle and high school aged students in team-oriented robotics competitions. Thousands of children and young adults participate in the Botball program. It has been active since 1998 and features a robotics curriculum which focuses on designing, building and programming a pair of autonomous robots. Teams use a standardized kit of materials, document the process and then compete in a tournament in which the challenges change annually. All materials in the kits are exactly the same for every team around the world, so there are no unfair advantages. Botball teams are mostly based in the United States with over 300 teams and local tournaments in more than a dozen regions. In recent years it also holds an annual Global Conference on Educational Robotics (GCER), with an international tournament that attracts teams all over the country as well as from Mexico, Austria, China, Uganda, Poland, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, and many others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midwestern Robotics Design Competition</span>

The Midwestern Robotics Design Competition (MRDC) was an annual student-run robotics competition held every March at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where participant teams competed with self-constructed robots in an annual game objective. The competition was first held in 1987 and at the time of its last event was one of the oldest continuing robotics competitions in the United States. Prior to 2016, it was named the AMD Jerry Sanders Creative Design Competition (JSDC) after Jerry Sanders, a University of Illinois alumnus and the co-founder and former long-time CEO of AMD.

<i>RoboRally</i> Board game

RoboRally, also stylized as Robo Rally, is a board game for 2–8 players designed by Richard Garfield and published by Wizards of the Coast (WotC) in 1994. Various expansions and revisions have been published by WotC, Avalon Hill, and Renegade Games.

Breakaway is the game for the 2010 FIRST Robotics Competition, announced on January 9, 2010. Robots direct soccer balls into goals, traverse "bumps" in the field, suspend themselves and each other on towers, and/or go through a tunnel located in the center of the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology</span> Engineering societies based in the United States

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) is an international youth organization that operates the FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST Lego League Challenge, FIRST Lego League Explore, FIRST Lego League Discover, and FIRST Tech Challenge competitions. Founded by Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers in 1989, its expressed goal is to develop ways to inspire students in engineering and technology fields. Its philosophy is expressed by the organization as Coopertition and Gracious Professionalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collegiate Aerial Robotics Demonstration</span> US robotics competition

The Collegiate Aerial Robotics Demonstration (CARD) is a defunct robotics competition for college and university students inspired by FIRST. The inaugural event was held at the 2011 FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Block Party!</span> FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition

Block Party!, released on September 7, 2013, is the 2013–2014 robotics competition for FIRST Tech Challenge. In the competition, two alliances, each consisting of two teams, compete to score blocks in plastic crates atop alliance-colored pendulums. Block Party! is the ninth FTC challenge.

FIRST Stronghold was the 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition game. The game was played by two alliances of up to three teams each, and involves breaching the opponents’ defenses, known as outer work as well as capturing their tower by first firing "boulders" at it, and then surrounding or scaling the tower using a singular rung on the tower wall. Points were scored by crossing elements of the tower's outer works, shooting boulders into the opposing tower's five goals in order to lower the tower strength, and by surrounding and scaling the tower.

<i>FIRST</i> Res-Q

FIRST Res-Q, released on September 8, 2015, is the 2015–2016 robotics competition for FIRST Tech Challenge. In the competition, two alliances, each consisting of two teams, compete to climb a mountain and score debris in alliance specific goals. FIRST Res-Q is the eleventh FTC challenge game.

VEX Robotics is a robotics program for elementary through university students and a subset of Innovation First International. The VEX Robotics competitions and programs are managed by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF). In April 2018, VEX Robotics Competition was named the largest robotics competition in the world by Guinness World Records. There are four leagues of VEX Robotics competitions designed for different age groups and skill levels:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FIRST Steamworks</span> 2017 FIRST Robotics Competition game

FIRST Steamworks, stylized as FIRST STEAMworks, was the FIRST Robotics Competition game for the 2017 season. As in past games, two alliances of three individual teams and their robots compete on a field to score "match" point to win the game and ranking points to advance to playoff rounds. The game has a steampunk theme and teams are required to shoot wiffle balls which represent fuel into a simulated boiler which transfers the generated steam into an airship in the middle of the field. Each alliance has one airship, which they pressurize with steam from the boiler and load with plastic gears from the field. At the end of the match, robots can climb and hang on team-supplied ropes attached to the airship for additional points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FIRST Global Challenge</span> STEM education and careers for youth

The FIRST Global Challenge is a yearly robotics competition organized by the International First Committee Association. It promotes STEM education and careers for youth and was created by Dean Kamen in 2016 as an expansion of FIRST, an organization with similar objectives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FIRST Power Up</span> 2018 FIRST Robotics Competition game

FIRST Power Up, stylised as FIRST POWER UP, is the FIRST Robotics Competition game for the 2018 season. It involves two alliances of three teams each, with each team controlling a robot and performing specific tasks on a field to score points. The game has a retro 8-bit theme and teams are required to place milk crates, or "power cubes", on large balancing scales to tip the scale and gain ownership. Alliances can also trade power cubes for power ups, giving them a temporary advantage in a match. At the end of the match, robots can climb the tower attached to the centre balancing scale using a rung attached to the tower, giving them additional points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Destination: Deep Space</span> 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition game

Destination: Deep Space, stylized as DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE and officially known as Destination: Deep Space Presented By The Boeing Company, is the FIRST Robotics Competition game for the 2019 season. It involves two alliances of three teams each, with each team controlling a robot and performing specific tasks on a field to score points. The game centers around an outer space theme involving two alliances consisting of three teams each competing to place poly-carbonate hatch panels and orange rubber balls or "cargo" on rockets and cargo ships before returning to their HAB platform to climb at the end of the match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charged Up (FIRST)</span> 2023 FIRST Robotics Competition game

Charged Up, stylized as CHARGED UP and officially known as Charged Up presented by Haas for sponsorship reasons, was the FIRST Robotics Competition game for the 2023 season. The game is part of the FIRST-wide FIRST Energize theme for the 2022-2023 season, which focuses on energy and sustainable development. The season's kickoff event occurred on January 7, 2023, and was streamed live on Twitch.

References

  1. ↑ "Charity Details". beta.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  2. ↑ "Vision, Mission and Values". opsmanual.studentrobotics.org. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  3. ↑ "Student Robotics 2019 Rulebook" (PDF). studentrobotics.org. 2 March 2019.
  4. ↑ Autumn 2010 issue of LynchPin Bristol Engineering newsletter
  5. ↑ "Grenoble INP news article - Des élèves-ingénieurs de Grenoble INP ont participé au concours "Student Robotics" (in French)".
  6. ↑ "Information on Teams Budgets".
  7. ↑ "Student Robotics "kit" page".
  8. ↑ "Kit | Student Robotics". studentrobotics.org. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  9. ↑ "SR2023 Kit Revision". Student Robotics. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "Vision | Student Robotics". studentrobotics.org.
  11. ↑ "2013 Student Robotics Rulebook" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "Competition". Student Robotics. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  13. ↑ Jad, Islah (2 February 2018), "Claiming Feminism, Claiming Nationalism: Women's Activism in the Occupied Territories", The Challenge Of Local Feminisms, Routledge, pp. 226–248, doi:10.4324/9780429492921-10, ISBN   978-0-429-49292-1 , retrieved 1 May 2021
  14. ↑ "The SR2021 Final League Session comes to a close | Student Robotics". studentrobotics.org. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "Student Robotics Rulebook 2020" (PDF). Student Robotics. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  16. ↑ "SR2020 Competition Dates Announcement | Student Robotics". studentrobotics.org. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  17. ↑ "Student Robotics 2020 Competition Postponed | Student Robotics". studentrobotics.org. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 "Transitioning to a Virtual Competition | Student Robotics". studentrobotics.org. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "Student Robotics Rulebook 2019" (PDF). Student Robotics. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  20. ↑ "The Ladies' College, Guernsey Wins Student Robotics 2019". Student Robotics. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  21. ↑ "Student Robotics returns for SR2019 | Student Robotics". studentrobotics.org. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  22. ↑ "Competition 2018". sourcebots.co.uk. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  23. ↑ "Last Year | RoboCon". hr-robocon.org. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  24. ↑ "Student Robotics news article on 2012 competition".
  25. ↑ "Student Robotics news article on 2011 competition".
  26. ↑ "Game Rules for SR 2009".
  27. ↑ "Game Rules for SR 2008".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.