2012 UNI MiniSumo Competition
Rick Brooks
Are you ready to take the next step in the development of your mini sumo? Would you like some national (and international) exposure for your latest sumo robot? Do you want one more chance at defeating ExSpurt at a neutral site and don't want to wait another year for a local event? Now is the time to prepare your mini sumo for the University of Northern Iowa MiniSumo Competition. The best part is that you don't have to drive to Iowa to compete and you can even watch the event live on the internet.
ExSpurt has been making the trip every year since 2007. The professors and students at UNI value the ship in competitors and go to extreme measures to assure that your robot is run exactly as instructed and returned to you promptly and safely after the event.
At the event last year, the students discovered a weakness in ExSpurt and used it to defeat the perennial champion. Perhaps this year will be your turn to win.
The event is scheduled for April 19, 2012. More details can be found on http://www.narobotics.org/. The $20 registration covers the return shipping cost. This year, if your robot finishes in the top three, your registration fee will be returned. Please contact Dr Olson, dale....@uni.edu , the "local arrangements chair", of your intent to compete. The visiting robots should arrive before April 12 to allow the local "host operator" to become familiar with your robot's operational procedures.
Dr Olson tells me that they have 26 students building robots and learning microcontroller programming from Randy Dumse. Most of the student robots are conventional kits, but a few students do go to great lengths to produce a winning robot. They all just need outside competitors to evaluate the success of their designs.
Also, UNI has a MiniSumo Robotics Summer Camp intended for students entering ninth grade and higher. See www.narobotics.org for details.
Rick Brooks
Brian Wagner
again? We have a month or so to get one ready....
b