MASLab 2002 Contest

The most distinguishing feature of the MASLab playing field is that the location and the orientation of the walls and obstacles is completely unknown; the robot must cope with an entirely unknown playing field each time it is turned on! Once placed in the playing field, the robot earns points by traveling to "waypoints" and bringing "targets" back to the robot's starting position ("home").

Throughout the playing field are infrared beacons, which the robots can "see" if the look towards them. The beacons can be classified into three types and are painted (purely for human benefit) according to type: green waypoints, red targets, and blue navigational beacons. If a robot performs a 360 degree spin within 16" of a waypoint, the robot scores a point. If the robot moves (carry, push, drag, etc) a target to within 24" of the robot's home, the robot scores two points. An additional two bonus points are scored if the target is still at home at the end of the round.

The navigational beacons don't affect scoring, but can be used to help a robot determine its position.The locations of the waypoints, targets, and navigational markers are all unknown to the students. A round ends when either five minutes have elapsed or the judge and the team both agree that the robot has stopped making any significant progress.

Media

Check out the highlight video from the 2002 contest.