Botball is robotics competition played on 4' x 8' or 8' x 10' gameboard, where participants compete against each other in a non-destructive tournament. The term "Botball" is a combination of roBOT and BALL since robots interact with ball-shaped objects.
Preceding the tournament, each participating team will be provided with a special robotics kit that includes sensors, motors, customized robot computers, selected LEGO pieces, software and documentation.
Botball starts with a workshop where representatives from each team learn about current robotics technology and how to integrate it with class curriculum. Anyone can benefit, regardless the current knowledge or background. Teachers and students are trained to design, build and program real robots from scratch.
Following the workshop, students are given about seven weeks to create one or team of autonomous robots to actieve a specific task. Robots are entirely built and programmed by students with the guidance and support of teachers and mentors.
For more information about Botball, visit KISS Institute for Practical Robotics at www.botball.org.
Any middle or high school aged student can participate in Botball as long as the team has an adult contact. The organization of the team is up to the team leader.
Check the registration procedures at Botball website at: http://www.botball.org/registration/
or send e-mail to cmuq-botball-web@lists.andrew.cmu.edu, or mmustafa@qatar.cmu.edu
The rules of botball tournament change every year, however, the basic ideas are the same. The Beyond BotBall 2006 Rules and guidelines can be downloaded from BotBall website by clicking here.