National Robotics Challenge
Encyclopedia
The National Robotics Challenge is a yearly event in which the robot
contestants compete in one or many of the contests in order to win. It has been running since 1986. The 2007 event will have 12 contests.
contests in America
, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Robotic Technology and Engineering Challenge.
The SME-RTEC competition was started in 1986, under the guidance and inspiration of Tom Meravi, Associate Professor from Northern Michigan University and the late Dr. James Hannemann, co-chairman of the event. Working behind the scenes, Professor Meravi and Dr. Hannemann volunteered their time and talents tirelessly for fifteen years to help the robotics competition grow, expand, and develop into one of the premier robotics
and engineering
events in the nation. From its humble beginning, with two work cells and two pick and place competitions, the 2002 competition offered a total of seventeen contests. Dr. Hannemann died suddenly in July 2001. Following his passing, SME
announced that the organization was unable to continue its sponsorship of the event at the 2003 awards ceremony in Rochester, New York
.
Most of the competitors and advisors thought that this was the end, but as with all things, every end can be a new beginning. This new beginning was realized by three educators from Marion, Ohio
. On the bus ride from Rochester to Marion, Ed Goodwin, Ritch Ramey, and Tad Douce discussed the possibilities and support that existed in their community for this type of event. When they arrived in Marion each started working on different aspects of a plan to keep the SME contest alive.
The 2006 National Robotics Challenge expanded to include 5 middle schools, 27 high schools, and 4 post-secondary schools from Ohio
, Indiana
, Virginia
, Pennsylvania
, Connecticut
, South Carolina
, Michigan
and New York
. In all, there were over 180 robots entered in 11 different contest categories. Over 300 students and advisors all in one place; all enthusiastic about robotics education. Even though the event has gone through a great deal of change in the last few years some of the same things that made the 1986 event great can still be found. In 2008 Mark Robinson of Marion Harding
High School's
[pltw.org Project Lead the Way] engineering program was also added to the team.
The 2009 event had college students compete from Iowa, Arkansas, New York, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. One of the high lights of the event was the Ohio Northern University automated Ice Cream Sundae machine. More than 1000 Sundaes were made for visitors and competitors alike. The largest field of entries to date competed in the three day event. The Math Machine challenge was added in 2009 and had middle school and high school teams compete to complete a maze using their Ti-83/84 programmable calculators. A Vex Robotics regional contest was added to the contest in 2009. It will a separate contest in 2010. The AgBot contests was also added for elementary and middle school students. Venders from various robotic industry related businesses had booths and displays. Visitors were taken to RobotWorx for tours of the industrial robot integrator and distributor of new and used robots from top manufacturers such as Motoman, Panasonic, Fanuc, and ABB. The 2010 event will take place April 15,16 and 17th.
and design
through robotics competitions.
and operate a battery powered lego
robot for use in an agricultural simulation
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
contestants compete in one or many of the contests in order to win. It has been running since 1986. The 2007 event will have 12 contests.
History
The National Robotics Challenge has evolved from one of the oldest roboticsRobotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
contests in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is a non-profit organization.-History of the Society:Founded in 1932 with 33 members, the organization was originally named The Society of Tool Engineers . A year later, it was renamed the American Society of Tool Engineers...
Robotic Technology and Engineering Challenge.
The SME-RTEC competition was started in 1986, under the guidance and inspiration of Tom Meravi, Associate Professor from Northern Michigan University and the late Dr. James Hannemann, co-chairman of the event. Working behind the scenes, Professor Meravi and Dr. Hannemann volunteered their time and talents tirelessly for fifteen years to help the robotics competition grow, expand, and develop into one of the premier robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
events in the nation. From its humble beginning, with two work cells and two pick and place competitions, the 2002 competition offered a total of seventeen contests. Dr. Hannemann died suddenly in July 2001. Following his passing, SME
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is a non-profit organization.-History of the Society:Founded in 1932 with 33 members, the organization was originally named The Society of Tool Engineers . A year later, it was renamed the American Society of Tool Engineers...
announced that the organization was unable to continue its sponsorship of the event at the 2003 awards ceremony in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
.
Most of the competitors and advisors thought that this was the end, but as with all things, every end can be a new beginning. This new beginning was realized by three educators from Marion, Ohio
Marion, Ohio
Marion is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Marion County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus....
. On the bus ride from Rochester to Marion, Ed Goodwin, Ritch Ramey, and Tad Douce discussed the possibilities and support that existed in their community for this type of event. When they arrived in Marion each started working on different aspects of a plan to keep the SME contest alive.
Recent events
The 2004 event held at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Marion was a success. With over 200 students and multiple states represented the committee knew that there was going to be more demand for this type of an event in the future. The 2005 event showed some growth both in participants and sponsors. The 2005 event also concluded with another very important development, the addition of a fourth committee member. Brad Pottkotter had just started his teaching career at Ridgedale High School near Marion, and had come to judge at the 2005 NRC. After the awards ceremony Brad decided that he not only wanted to start a team for next year's event but he also wanted to join the effort. “I was very excited when Brad offered to join the committee. I just knew that he would be a real asset to the planning of our event,” said Tad Douce.The 2006 National Robotics Challenge expanded to include 5 middle schools, 27 high schools, and 4 post-secondary schools from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In all, there were over 180 robots entered in 11 different contest categories. Over 300 students and advisors all in one place; all enthusiastic about robotics education. Even though the event has gone through a great deal of change in the last few years some of the same things that made the 1986 event great can still be found. In 2008 Mark Robinson of Marion Harding
Marion Harding High School (Ohio)
Marion Harding High School is a public high school in Marion, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Marion City School District. The school mascot is the Presidents and is symbolized by an eagle named Warren G...
High School's
[pltw.org Project Lead the Way] engineering program was also added to the team.
The 2009 event had college students compete from Iowa, Arkansas, New York, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. One of the high lights of the event was the Ohio Northern University automated Ice Cream Sundae machine. More than 1000 Sundaes were made for visitors and competitors alike. The largest field of entries to date competed in the three day event. The Math Machine challenge was added in 2009 and had middle school and high school teams compete to complete a maze using their Ti-83/84 programmable calculators. A Vex Robotics regional contest was added to the contest in 2009. It will a separate contest in 2010. The AgBot contests was also added for elementary and middle school students. Venders from various robotic industry related businesses had booths and displays. Visitors were taken to RobotWorx for tours of the industrial robot integrator and distributor of new and used robots from top manufacturers such as Motoman, Panasonic, Fanuc, and ABB. The 2010 event will take place April 15,16 and 17th.
Differences with other competitions
The National Robotics Challenge is the only open-platform robotics competition available to middle school, high school and post-secondary students. The goal of the National Robotics Challenge is to create an interest and excitement around the field of engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
through robotics competitions.
List of 12 contests that will take place during the April 15th-17th, 2010 event
Links displayed are just a few of the previous suppliers and kits used to compete in the listed events.- In the Manufacturing Model contest, the participants design, construct, and operate a system that performs more than one manufacturing processes using legoLegoLego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
or fischertechnikFischertechnikFischerTechnik is a brand of construction toy. It was invented by Artur Fischer and is produced by FischerTechnik GmbH in Waldachtal, Germany. Fans often refer to FischerTechnik as FT or ft. It is used in education for teaching about simple machines, as well as motorization and mechanisms...
systems. - The AgBot Challenge contest challenges the student teams to design, construct, program
and operate a battery powered lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
robot for use in an agricultural simulation
- SUMO Robot: in which two robots (RCRemote controlA remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
or autonomous) try to push each other out of the playing circle. - Mini-SUMO Robot: the same as SUMO Robot, but with a smaller mini sumo robots and playing circle.
- Manufacturing Robotic Work Cell: in which contestants design, create and operate a system that can perform at least one manufacturing process.
- Pick and Place Programming: in which contestants write programs that will allow an IntelitekIntelitekIntelitek is a privately-held technology education company focused on CAD/CAM, robotics, and machine vision, based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The company was established in 1982 and in July 2001 adopted the name Intelitek, Inc...
robot to pick up and drop certain items. - Robot Construction - Open: in which contestants choose a task, then design, make and operate a robot that will do that task.
- Robot Maze Contest: in which contestants navigate a maze using a tactile or non-tactile 'mouse'.
- Top of the Hill: in which robots navigate a MoonscapeMoonscapeA moonscape is an area or vista of the lunar landscape , or a visual representation of this, such as in a painting. The term "moonscape" is also sometimes used metaphorically for an area devastated or flattened by war, often by shelling....
with obstacles and try and retrieve ping pong balls. - Robotic Problem Solving: in which contestants use the materials and software provided to create a Robix robot that will solve a common problem which occurs in manufacturing plants.
- Hockey Robot: in which two teams, each with two robots, go head to head in a hockey-like competition.
- Math Machine Challenge - Students use Math Machine robots with Texas InstrumentsTexas InstrumentsTexas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
programmable Ti-83/84 graphing calculators to solve mathematics problems using geometry and Algebraic expressions.