1. Technical inspection

Before the competition, the robot must pass the technical inspection. For this, the maximum dimensions are 30x30cm and the maximum weight is 3kg. The wheels of the robot and other parts that are in contact with the track must NOT be able to pick up and hold a standard paper A4 (80g/cm2) for more than 2 seconds.

We realize that there are many variations to the rules for LEGO Sumo Robot; the official Robotics Championship rules posted on the website will be used for this competition and we ask that participants to read and be familiar with this particular rule set at the time of the competition, in order to avoid surprises.

2. Team
2.1. A “team” is composed of one to five students who have built a robot for this event. Each team should also have one adult present with the team. One adult can represent multiple teams if they wish.

2.2. The robot must be an autonomous robot constructed by themselves prior to the competition to the specifications below. This event is not a workshop where you may build robots after arrival. There will be limited time for adjustments and changes to the robots and their programming during the event.

2.3. Only one team member may enter the racetrack area to start the robot; other team members may watch from outside the racetrack area.

2.4. Each team/robot will be assigned a number on check-in and should have a unique name or identity to be easily recognized by spectators and officials when on the field and when scoring.

3. Robot Construction
3.1. The racing robot may only be composed of official Lego parts (for example LEGO Mindstorm kits based on RCX, NXT, EV3 or Spike Prime), which cannot be held together by any means other than the standard Lego construction methods (no tape, glue, stickers, etc.). No homemade sensors, multiplexers, or modifications to Lego elements are allowed. No modification to Lego parts by gluing, cutting or melting is allowed.

3.2. TWO motors with rotation sensors are allowed, and any other sensors manufactured by Lego may be used. No “made for Lego” third party sensors are permitted for this tournament.

3.3. It is encouraged that robots be decorated or themed with Lego parts.

3.4. There will be limited time and space for last minute design improvements and adjustments, however, the robots should be completed at the time of registration, and once check-in takes place, the robot or its programming may no longer be modified. Robot battery should also be sufficiently charged once the robot is checked in.


4. Robot Size
4.1. When started on the racetrack, the robot can’t be more than 25 x 25 cm.

4.2. Height is restricted to 18 cm.


5. Programming
5.1. A line-following program must control your robot’s motion, using one single downward facing light sensor or color sensor to follow a black line. One single line detection sensor is permitted. Use of multiple line detection sensors of any type will result in a 5 second penalty per extra sensor to the lap time.   There are multiple examples of various types of line-following programs that can be found online or in books.

5.2. The robot must be autonomous. No Bluetooth or other wireless control of the robot on the field is permitted. If the LEGO programmable brick has integrated communication modules they will not be used during this competition. The referee may inspect the code at any moment during the competition.


6. Robot Restrictions
6.1. The robot is restricted from destructive action.

6.2. No intentional interference with the opponent robot or the opponent's track is allowed.

6.3. Judges will have the discretion to disqualify any robot whose strategy is deemed to be too dangerous.



7. Player Restrictions
7.1. When teams are called to the racetrack for their robot, teams present to the field promptly.

7.2. Players have to behave in a respectful manner, and are not permitted to use profanity or insulting words or actions, or to have their robot use such words or actions. Unsportsmanlike behavior will not be tolerated. Such behavior will result in a violation or disqualification at the judge’s discretion.

7.3. Only one team member may enter the racetrack area to start and follow the robot, and restart if needed.


8. Racetrack
8.1. For this race, the track will be on a white surface, with one inch (1”) black lines which will be separated by 25 cm or more at all points. The lines will have random and irregular curves from start to finish. The track will be a continuous loop with no intersecting lines.

8.2. The overall length of the track will be between 8 and 15 meters.

8.3. The area immediately around this ring, termed the “Racetrack Area”, will be marked with tape or cones. Only one player from each team may enter the racetrack area with the robot at the start of the match.




9. Start of Match
9.1. One player from each team will enter the racetrack area with the robot.

9.2. Upon the signal of the judge, the robot will be placed at the starting end on the track assigned by the referee, with wheels resting on the racetrack.

9.3. Upon the start command from the judge, the player will start the robot program, and then step back from the track. The player may follow their robot along the length of the track in order to quickly retrieve an errant robot. It will not be allowed for any player to step on the track itself at any time, or to kneel or crawl or otherwise be on top of the track.


10. Round
10.1. The robots must follow their line on the racetrack until the light/color sensor reaches the timing gate, and their time will be recorded. The robot may be immediately retrieved by the player once the robot has passed the timing gate.

10.3. If a robot leaves its line, it may be placed after the starting position and be restarted immediately, without waiting for a judge’s signal. The timer will continue to run including restarts on that leg. If the total time exceeds twice that of the slowest participant, the time for that lap will be recorded as twice the opponent's time for that lap.




11. Judging:
11.1. No objections shall be declared against the judges' decisions.

11.2. The lead person of a team can present objections to the Committee, before the match is over, if there are any doubts in the exercising of these rules. If there are no Committee members present, the objection can be presented to the judge before the match is over.



12. Championship:
The Champion will be the robot with the fastest (lowest) of all the laps / tries in any direction chosen by the participant.


13. Flexibility of Rules
As long as the concept and fundamentals of the rules are observed, these rules shall be flexible enough to encompass the changes in the number of players and of the contents of matches. Modifications or abolition of the rules can be made by the local event organizers as long as they are published prior to the event, and are consistently maintained throughout the event.




14. Liability

14.1. Participating teams are always responsible for the safety of their robots and are liable for any accidents caused by their team members or their robots.

14.2. The Robotics Championship organization and the organizing team members will never be held responsible nor liable for any incidents and / or accidents caused by participating teams or their equipment.