Introduction
In the run-up to the National Robotics Competition (NRC) which serves as the selection for teams representing Singapore at the World Robot Olympiad, I was asked to propose possible surprise missions for each category (Elementary, Junior High, Senior High). Having developed missions for various other competitions and courses, I took on the task, detailing missions and the insights behind them.
With WRO 2020 cancelled early in the year, some teams would not have printed the mat for the season. For those who happen to have kept 2019 mats, here are some ideas to keep you/your students sharp!
General Guideline
The purpose of the surprise rule is to ensure that the robots and programs that teams bring to the competition are the result of their own work. Furthermore, the surprise rule should also serve to reward teams with a greater understanding of their work and develop solutions on the fly.
As far as possible. the surprise rule must not unfairly penalize some teams and their designs over another. Consequently, physical modifications to mission props should be avoided as they would tend to favor designs that may coincidentally be able to perform the requisite tasks.
Furthermore, teams with fewer resources must not suffer as a result. The requisite use of additional sensors should be avoided entirely. If sensing tasks are to be introduced, they should concern variants of tasks that are already present. This may include changing the color of mission props, or changes in placement, at the same height.
The best surprise rule should be one that capitalizes on the essence of what the mission is trying to test and modifying it such that the test remains the same, while physical parameters may change.
Elementary
The idea behind this mission would be to be able to sense the color of each passenger, and using this information, transport them to the appropriate location. Lines are provided to allow robots to perform line tracking. However, this is not a necessary part of the mission and it cannot be assumed that all teams are indeed using these lines and thus have downward facing color sensors.
To further test the 2 concepts mentioned above, the color of one of the white passengers should be changed (perhaps to black). The home area can be sub-divided diagonally, with one side used for the white passenger, and the other for the black passenger.
While this may increase the duration required for the robot to complete the run, it will be marginal and should not prevent teams from completing the run as there are ~30s solutions available on YouTube.
Junior High
The idea behind this mission would be to be able to sense the color of each bulb, and using this information, transport them to the appropriate location. The distinction between the Elementary and Junior High mission would be the inclusion of a compulsory z-axis movement to lift the bulb above the wall. The comment made the Elementary section regarding the use of lines applies.
To further test the 2 concepts mentioned above, the Bulb Storage Bins that are left empty can be populated with black bulbs. This would mimic the scenario where bulbs stored for too long may become faulty and should be identified, rather than used for replacement.
There is no need for any modifications to the mat.
Again, this will increase the duration required for the robot to complete the run and will be more substantial than that of the elementary mission. Hence, the additional black bulbs moved to the trash should be given bonus points to reward teams able to complete it. The points awarded for the black bulbs should be greater than that awarded for the coloured bulbs to emphasize the importance of removing faulty items from the outset and, to prevent ties and allow room for strategizing.
The scoring scheme could be as follows:
| Task | Each |
| 1st Black Bulb in Trash | 15 |
| 2nd Black Bulb in Trash | 25 |
| 3rd Black Bulb in Trash | 35 |
| 4th Black Bulb in Trash | 45 |
Hence, if all Black Bulbs are placed in trash, teams will stand to gain an additional 80 points.
Senior High
The idea behind this mission would be to be able to sense the color of each bulb, and using this information, transport them to the appropriate location. Like the Junior High mission, there is the inclusion of a compulsory z-axis movement to lift the props above the walls. Additionally, the Senior High mission emphasizes on routing efficiency by placing the elements to be picked up at the other end of the field in a grid like pattern. The comment made the Elementary section regarding the use of lines applies.
To further test the concept of routing efficiency, one of the 2 bottlenecks should be blocked at random. A 5th identifier block can be added (white/black) to indicate if the 1st or 2nd bottleneck is blocked. This is shown in the image below.
This rule should not affect the run time of the robots substantially. It will serve to effectively prevent teams from hard-coding all possible cases. For the rule to be effective, the punishment for using the banned bottleneck should be severe (at least 50% of the mission score per incursion).
Conclusion
I hope that this post inspires you/your teams during these trying times, giving a little something to work on so that everyone can stay sharp and find joy in LEGO.
Do leave comments about what you thought the Surprise Mission should have been and perhaps some ideas you/your teams worked on.
Check us out on our socials and hit us up for collaborations! We’re veteran competition organizers, curriculum developers, and coaches, and would love to play a part in making sure competitive robotics continues to be a great teacher, as it has for us.
