June 2, 2003

Competition Theme "Tower Ball"

Competition Outline
(1) Team composition
- A total of 12 teams of 4 people each, including 2 people from overseas, 1 from outside the prefecture, and 1 local resident will be chosen through a strict selection process.
(* For the overseas participants, care has been taken to place 2 people from the same country in each team to prevent isolation and for ease of communication.)

- Care has been taken to notify all participants and leaders in advance over matters such as team members and their addresses and other contact information, their profiles, and an outline of the competition rules, to promote communication and mutual understanding of ideas for robots.

(2) Competition rules
1) Spaces 3.6 m×7.2 m (equal to 16 tatami mats) will be marked out in the center of the red and blue courts and they will be separated by 10-cm transparent dividers in a crank configuration and a 20-cm-high board fence surrounding them to ensure that the robots of rival teams do not bump into each other during the competition.

2) Next to your own team's court, 25 colored Styrofoam balls of 7 cm in diameter will be available to carry and place inside the area prepared for this purpose in your own tower.

3) Point-gaining area (zone)
There are 3 point-gaining areas:
Floor point-gaining area ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 point for 1 ball
Central stage cylindrical part→the large semispherical saucer ---------------- 2 points for 1 ball
Upper stage cylindrical part→round depressed saucer ------------------------- 5 points for 1 ball

The match lasts for 120 seconds.

1) The competition is held for the total points obtained, including points for balls put into the saucers within the time limit; the "performance/artistic points" awarded by a special committee are explained below for the elimination rings consisting of the 3 blocks (of the 4 teams) of the 12 teams.

2) During the elimination rings of the 3 blocks of 4 teams each, each block will compete in an overall league match. The number of ball and performance points will be added to determine the elimination order, based on which the final tournament seeds will be determined.

3) If no ball points or equal ball points are obtained in the elimination league, the outcome will be determined by the difference in "performance points" awarded by the 3-member special committee.
- Individuality: 10 points Masahiro Mori (Professor Emeritus, Tokyo Institute of Technology)
- Level of perfection: 10 points Eiji Nakano (Professor, Tohoku University Graduate School)
- Movement: 10 points Minoru Takahashi (wooden mechanism artist)

4) The winner in the final tournament will be determined by the number of ballpoints only.
If the 2 final teams obtain the same number of points or no points at all, there will be a 60-second extra innings . If both teams still have the same number of points after this extra innings, the first team that obtains 1 point using one representative robot will be declared the winner.

5) During the final tournament, if one team succeeds in monopolizing their own team's color balls (red or blue) by putting 4 balls each into the 2 uppermost stage point-gaining areas (about 50 cm), the match will end as a "V-goal victory." (The V-goal victory only applies in the final tournament.)

(3) Each team will create 2 robots:
1) A main robot that focuses on functionality and point-gaining power (victory or defeat)
2) A sub-robot that focuses on performance, mechanism and artistry, known as the "entertainment robot" to supplement the main robot
- Effort should be made to create 2 robots that are fun to make, fun to watch, and that give physical form to the dreams of their creators.
- Unique robots should be created to not only obtain performance points in the elimination leagues, but also gain the various special awards (excluding the order of the winners by the number of points gained in the final tournament), including the "International Junior Robot Contest Grand Prix" (the most prestigious award).

(4) Robot size is limited to a 60-cm cube
1) The main body of the robot cannot exceed the 10-cm-high center wall to enter the opponent's court.
2) However, parts of the robot such as the overhang or the arm are allowed to reach into the opponent's court to steal or pick up dropped balls.

(5) The materials, motors and gearboxes provided must be used.
- Only items obtained at the production venue may be used. However, freedom may be exercised in using these items.

(6) Electric power is 6 V using A batteries.
Eight batteries are provided in advance and an additional 8 batteries will be distributed for use during the matches (4 straight rows×a 2-row electricity source).

(7) Up to 5 remote control channels may be used.
- Circuit channels, motors and gearboxes for each robot.

(8) Each team is allowed to use up to 12 remote control switches.

(9) Separate parts for one robot are not allowed. However, a single unit or a joint production unit for 2 robots is allowed.

#1 Airtight tape (bristle tape 5 mm high)
#2 φ150 x 35-mm-deep acrylic saucer
#3 φ500-mm-high acrylic pipe
#4 φ500 acrylic hemispheres
#5 25 Styrofoam balls of 7 cm in diameter
#6 * The team that places all the balls of its own color (4 balls) into the top level of both towers is declared the V-goal winner.
#7 φ500 acrylic balls
#8 4 balls in the top level
#9 All 4 balls of the same color put into the 2 saucers constitute a V-goal victory.
#10 φ70 bristle-processed Styrofoam balls (Tokyu Hands party balls)

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