Robot Game Rules

Rules are summarized from 2014 FLL Challenge Guidebook

Gracious Professionalism • You are competing hard against problems, while

treating people with respect and kindness – people from your own team as well as others

• You build onto other people’s ideas instead of resisting or defeating them

What are we allowed to use to build our robot?

• Teams will be supplied with a basic EV3 kit and an extra resource kit. All of the LEGO manufactured items in these kids are allowed.

• Paint, tape, glue, lubricants, zip-ties, and non-LEGO stickers are NOT allowed

• Non-electric LEGO manufactured elements such as MINDSTORMS /TECHNIC/DUPLO/BIONICLE/STAR WARS/HARRY POTTER etc… ARE allowed

What are we allowed to use to build our robot?

• Only one EV3 Controller “brick” is allowed • Sensors – as many LEGO Manufactured EV3

sensors as you want • Motors – you are allowed a maximum of four

motors

What are we allowed to use to program our robot?

• The robot may only be programmed using the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 LabVIEW software that comes with each kit

• Patches, updates, and add-ons are allowed • The robot must compete in autonomous

mode – which means there is no hand-held controller

Robot Game Definitions • Mission – a mission

requirement is a condition the robot produces for points, sometimes in a certain way

• Match – in a tournament two fields will be placed back to back and two teams will compete in one match at the same time

The Game Field • The field is every reachable

place and object in the robot’s match environment.

• This includes the table top, inner walls of border, and the mission models.

• Inside each field is a base. The base is where the robot begins each match and the area where the kids can touch the robot without penalty. Your team can also store attachments for missions or any cargo needed for a particular mission.

• Take the robot challenge guidelines literally • If you think that the judges or officials might have

set the mission field up incorrectly or have ruled incorrectly, you can speak up. Just make sure to teach the kids to speak up in a respectful way.

• Expect for the playing field at the tournaments and other locations to be slightly different than the one you practice on. For example, the lighting, table, waviness of the mat.

• Make sure to check for robot game updates each week before practice. The updates take precedence over what is printed in the guidebooks at competitions. Robot Game Updates can be found at usfirst.org

The Match • Teams will have one minute

to set up for each match • Matches are 2 ½ minutes • The score starts at zero for

each match • Only the highest score from

each match you compete in counts towards the Robot Game Award

• Each team will participate in at least 3 matches per tournament

The Match • Two teams members are allowed to operate the

robot at the match table. Other team members may tag in or out, but only two players are allowed at the competition table. The rest of the must stand behind the line.

• If the kids touch the robot once the match has started outside of base, then it must be restarted from base and the team will incur a touch penalty.

• If the robot knock a mission element over, it must stay that way until the end of the match.

• See competition guidelines for descriptions of penalties that can be incurred during a match