2008 ASABE Robotics Competition

The deadline to register your team is MAY 1^st, 2008. Please email to "robotics@asabe.org" the following information:

1) Team name.

2) Team member’s names.

3) University/Department name.

4) Advisor name and e-mail.

5) Team web site if you have one or e-mail to robotics@asabe.org later when you have one.

Next year’s competition will have a two-part format: a robotic trial demonstrating the capabilities of small robots designed and built by university students and a presentation outlining the details of their design.

The theme for the trial portion of the competition will emulate the operation of a tree harvester. One or two robots developed by the team will be placed in the competition area and run autonomously to harvest, gather and transport as many trees as possible during the time allotted. Trees will be simulated by rods and marked as “harvestable” and “unharvestable”. The trees will be secured to the floor of the competition area. Teams will move the tree to the unloading zone to “harvest” it. Points will be awarded for each harvested tree that is placed in a holding portion of the competition area. Points will also be deducted for harvesting unharvestable trees and/or knocking over trees. The configuration of the trees will be randomized before each run to avoid teams from pre-mapping the location of the harvestable trees. Each team will be allowed two runs and the best run will be used as that team’s score.

The size and weight of the robots are up to the team’s discretion, though the teams should take care to notice the dimensions and layout of the competition area. A compromise should be made between a large robot for increased harvesting capabilities and a small robot for maneuverability among the trees. Students will be allowed to purchase robotic kits from which to build their robot or build their own from scratch. Students may not purchase or use pre-built robots, nor may they use designs other than their own. Though it is often useful to study the designs of other engineers, the theme behind the competition is to design and build your own robots.

Lego Bot with Vision and Gripper (Courtesy of UGA/AI program)

Costs to compete in the competition including travel to and from the competition and the cost of parts and materials will be paid by the university teams. Students are expected to participate in fundraising in order to obtain all needed funds.