ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

For the final project in the Advanced Robotics Club that I teach at our local middle school, I made up a challenge called SARB: Semi-Autonomous Robot Battle, which is an extension of Sumo-like challenges. Although we used RCX kits (because we have a bunch), it could just as easily be done with the NXT, so I will explain it here and reference several NXT projects on nxtprograms.com that you could use to get started with a challenge like this using the NXT. For the fighting ring, (er, ahem, "Playing Surface"), I used our FLL table, turned the mat upside down, and then used electrical tape to mark out an elongated octagon-shaped ring. Like Sumo, one of the goals is to push the other robot outside of the ring. However, the SARB robots can also have some kind of striking (motorized) weapon and get points for successful strikes on the other robot. Like a Karate match, only a "controlled strike" will count as a point. Random spinning/flailing weapons that happen to ...