Sumo Bots C

[WinWizard]

We were thinking of using a very small rc car but i cant find any with multiple frequencies that are allowed has anyone found anything.

[Primate]

We were thinking of using a very small rc car but i cant find any with multiple frequencies that are allowed has anyone found anything.

It might be possible to hack one you already have. See http://www.ehow.com/how_5594708_change- ... -toys.html. I'm skeptical, though.

[physicsphan]

On carpet? I have seen a bot match (not Science Olympiad or official 'SumoBot") on video that they used a carpet square for the ring. Running the event on carpet would make a difference to me, I'd want to know ahead of time and maybe adjust my wheels' surface or something...if the team has only practiced on a smooth surface (like maybe on a wooden gym floor or in a linoleum hallway at school) that would put you at a disadvantage if you got to competition and found out the surface was carpet instead.

Just looked in the Rules Manual and it says nothing about the surface of the ring, just that it needs to be 'five foot by five foot square'.

The surface issue needs to be addressed in the official Rules Clarification at soinc.

Yeah I totally agree, they need to make a clarification, which is weird becaus they specified that in the trial rules last year

They probably won't specify a surface to be used nationally to allow for more ease of implementation at all competitions. Best to ask the event supervisor at your individual competition.

[beaverkid]

I heard from my coach today that they are not running Sumobot at our regional or state in southern california

[harryk]

On carpet? I have seen a bot match (not Science Olympiad or official 'SumoBot") on video that they used a carpet square for the ring. Running the event on carpet would make a difference to me, I'd want to know ahead of time and maybe adjust my wheels' surface or something...if the team has only practiced on a smooth surface (like maybe on a wooden gym floor or in a linoleum hallway at school) that would put you at a disadvantage if you got to competition and found out the surface was carpet instead.

Just looked in the Rules Manual and it says nothing about the surface of the ring, just that it needs to be 'five foot by five foot square'.

The surface issue needs to be addressed in the official Rules Clarification at soinc.

Yeah I totally agree, they need to make a clarification, which is weird becaus they specified that in the trial rules last year

They probably won't specify a surface to be used nationally to allow for more ease of implementation at all competitions. Best to ask the event supervisor at your individual competition.

I understand that sometimes it is difficult to get the right floor, but at the invitational I am talking about they actually brought in pieces of carpet and taped them down to the wooden gym floor just for sumo

[maggymay]

Yeah I totally agree, they need to make a clarification, which is weird becaus they specified that in the trial rules last year

They probably won't specify a surface to be used nationally to allow for more ease of implementation at all competitions. Best to ask the event supervisor at your individual competition.

I understand that sometimes it is difficult to get the right floor, but at the invitational I am talking about they actually brought in pieces of carpet and taped them down to the wooden gym floor just for sumo

Oh my...that is...ummm...'interesting'. Wouldn't it totally screw up your prep if the team had only practiced on a smooth floor? And if anyone *knew* ahead of time that carpet squares were being brought in, that would give them an advantage over other teams who did not know.

harryk - thanks for posting this, I had never thought about carpet being used specifcally in place of a smooth floor. I'm going to check with our tournament directors and see if I can get posted clarificiations/rulings on what the surface will be.

[robotman]

<snip>
Oh my...that is...ummm...'interesting'. Wouldn't it totally screw up your prep if the team had only practiced on a smooth floor? And if anyone *knew* ahead of time that carpet squares were being brought in, that would give them an advantage over other teams who did not know.

harryk - thanks for posting this, I had never thought about carpet being used specifcally in place of a smooth floor. I'm going to check with our tournament directors and see if I can get posted clarificiations/rulings on what the surface will be.

They had posted it a week or so ago on the website
It didnt really cause any problems with my bot however

[maggymay]

Yeah but robotman, your robot is probably so fabulous that it doesn't matter what kind of surface the SumoBot ring was made of. I did see some matches from previous years where the surface was a plywood square, one match a Bot got hung up on the edge and couldn't get back in, so I guess everyone should be prepared for almost anything.

[riley404]

What was the sumo ring made of at the nationals in previous years? Was it raised or on the floor? Did they use tape to mark the edges?

I think a lot of teams are going to be at a disadvantage if they build a razor sharp scoop that gets hung up on electrical tape. If the ring is raised, a lot of bots won't be able to get back on if they accidentally drive off.

[JBoyd-NY]

Competitors should check with their tournament directors to find out what surface they will be competing on. Each tournament has to use the facilities provided. If the event is being held in a gymnasium and the school doesn't want the robots running directly on their gym floor, then the event supervisor will have to provide some type of surface to cover the floor.

If you check ahead of time, that gives you the opportunity to alter your bot to avoid problems like getting caught on electrical tape. As for the plywood rings, there are two methods of avoiding problems with those: either build a bot that can get back onto the plywood if you accidentally drive off or practice until you are good enough that you won't drive off yourself.