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Botball® is a robotics competition for middle and high school students. Organized by the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics, Botball encourages participants to work constructively within their team building basic communication, problem solving, design, and programming skills. Each team builds one or more (up to four) robots that will autonomously move scoring objects into scoring positions. This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ...
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Overview
The Botball competition introduces students to the field of robotics where they apply science, technology, engineering, and math. Botball robots are required to be completely autonomous during the game using computer programming to start, stop, and maneuver on the game board. Students learn to utilize sensors to detect changes in light, sound, distance, and color. The robot’s actions are based on the feedback from the sensors combined with the computer programming conceived and tested by the students in advance. Botball robots are constructed with Legos with strict limitations on other materials. The challenge which these robots are to complete changes yearly, however, some factors remain the same from year-to-year. These factors include the continued use of Interactive C as the programming language, Legos as the base for building, and Game Boys with the XBC as the controller. The schedule of Botball also remains roughly the same each year being divided into three parts, the pre-conference season, the regional building and programming season and tournament, as well as the additional national building and programming season and tournament. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...
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Lego Group logo. ...
Interactive C is a program which uses a modified version of ANSI C with several libraries and features that allow hobbyists to program small robotics platforms. ...
Lego Group logo. ...
For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ...
The XBC, or the Xport Botball Controller, is a robot based off of Charmed Labs Xport hardware. ...
The official Botball season begins with a two day professional development workshop generally held near the beginning of the new year. However, before this conference is the pre-conference season when teams are formed, basic ideas are taught to new team members, as well as completing a website research and design challenge.
The conference is where educators and team leaders learn about current robotics technology and how to implement it into their classroom or community. Through the course of the workshop, participants receive all the information about the current Botball game and the reusable robotics kit and components, and construct a working demo-bot. The game layout and rules are announced day two and teams have about seven weeks until the region's competition date.
The Building Period and Tournament Following the workshop, students are given about seven weeks to design, build, program a team of mobile, autonomous robots and a website documenting their process. Participants compete against each other on a 4’ x 8’ playing field in a fast paced, non-destructive regional tournament. The robots are student built and programmed to maneuver on the game board without the need for remote control.
Botball events are currently held in 14 regions across the nation and in 3 Middle Eastern countries:
Later, usually at the beginning of July, there is a national competition, where teams from any region can compete, no matter their score in Regionals. The National Conference on Educational Robotics (NCER) has various "breakout" sessions, and other activities. Click this link for information about the 2007 NCER: [1] Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area Ranked 29th - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,002 km²) - Width 239 miles (385 km) - Length 261 miles (420 km) - % water 2. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area Ranked 22nd - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²) - Width 361 miles (582 km) - Length 447 miles (721 km) - % water 17. ...
Greater St. ...
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The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ...
This article is about the region in the United States of America. ...
NY redirects here. ...
It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ...
Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. ...
Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area Ranked 20th - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²) - Width 230 miles (370 km) - Length 298 miles (480 km) - % water 1. ...
Official language(s) English, Pennsylvania Dutch Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area Ranked 33rd - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²) - Width 280 miles (455 km) - Length 160 miles (255 km) - % water 2. ...
Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area Ranked 34th - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²) - Width 220 miles (355 km) - Length 220 miles (355 km) - % water 8. ...
Downtown Los Angeles Skyline Southern California, also colloquially referred to as SoCal, is an informal name for the megalopolis and nearby desert that occupies the southern-most quarter of the U.S. state of California. ...
Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area Ranked 2nd - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²) - Width 773 miles (1,244 km) - Length 790 miles (1,270 km) - % water 2. ...
Open-ended problem solving Like many of life’s challenges, the Botball Program presents an open-ended problem with a variety of solutions. The many different scoring methods offer teams challenges at different levels - requiring them to make decisions about strategy, design, and construction. This gives teams experience in evaluating options and working towards a solution.
A lot of teams find that keeping with the KISS philosophy of Keep It Simple Stupid is often the best solution for a complex problem.
Where is the Driver? There is no driver! Botball robots are completely autonomous and rely on their computer programming to start, stop, and maneuver on the game board. Each robot uses sensors to detect changes in light, sound, distance, and color. The robot’s actions are based on the feedback from the sensors combined with the computer programming written and implemented by the students in advance.
Why Robots? In order for students to apply the subjects they learn in school, they must be able to use those subjects in a way that is meaningful. By designing, building, programming, and documenting robots, students use science, engineering, technology, math, and writing skills in a hands-on project that reinforces their learning.
2005 Competition In 2005, the Botball challenge was to design bots that would collect and sort garbage, and retrieve an orange ball, and the Botguy toy from its perch in the center of the playing field. Each orange ball (there was one on each side of the board) was worth 10 points for getting it on the player's side, and an additional 20 points for placing it in the correct location. Botguy was worth 50 points when placed correctly. Among the trash items, the bottles were worth 10 points each if placed in the "recycling bin" container, and the trash was worth 5 points if placed in the trash container.
The competition also included a research and design website challenge that was judged several months before the competition. In 2005, the research challenge was won by Punahou School. The overall competition was divided into seeding rounds, documentation website competition, and double-elimination head-to-head rounds. Norman High School of Norman, Oklahoma took first place at the national competition at the University of North Florida. Established 1841 School Type Private Preparatory Day (Primary and Secondary) Students 3,700 approx. ...
A tournament is an organized competition in which many participants play each other in individual games. ...
Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area Ranked 20th - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²) - Width 230 miles (370 km) - Length 298 miles (480 km) - % water 1. ...
University of North Florida State University System of Florida FAMU FAU FGCU FIU FSU NCF UCF UF UNF USF UWF The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public university located in eastern Jacksonville, Florida. ...
In 2005, the first ever Botball to be held outside of the United States took place in Doha, Qatar. Five schools competed and the event was won by Qatar Academy led by Md Rezwan Al Islam, who is currently a Computer Science student in Carnegie Mellon University Qatar. The tournament was hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, held at the Qatar Foundation, and was overseen by several representatives of the NASA robotics division. Botball has now expanded even more to include countries such as Kuwait and United Arab Emirates. Doha (Arabic: ‎, translit: or ), population 400,051 (2005 census), is the capital of Qatar and is at , on the Persian Gulf. ...
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States Government, responsible for the nations public space program. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with robot. ...
2006 Competition Beginning with the 2006 season, Botball will use two Xport Botball Controllers instead of Handyboard or RCX processors. The sides of the board are split into three sections - red, green, and gold. These are for sorting tribbles, represented by small fuzzy balls. The tribbles are spread throughout the board, with nine on each side. Six are located on the outside edge, and three are inside a PVC tube. There is a pendulum in the center with two platforms. One holds a green, yellow, and orange poof ball on each end, and the other contains Botguy and six tribbles. Each tribble is worth one point in your black scoring area or in the incorrect colored sections in the back. They are worth two points in the correct colored sections. Each poof ball is worth 6 points in their correct sections (orange is considered red), and 3 points in the incorrect zones and the black zone. Botguy is worth 4 points in the red zone, three points in the black zone, and 2 anywhere else on your side. Southwest Covenant High School won the 2006 national double elimination tournament in the final round against Norman High School, though Norman won overall. The final round was exciting for most of the crowd, as it ended with the Southwest Covenant robot inches from the ground (See video here: [2] Or read about it here:[3]) For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...
The XBC, or the Xport Botball Controller, is a robot based off of Charmed Labs Xport hardware. ...
The Handy Board is a popular handheld robotics controller. ...
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The word tribble can also mean a horizontal frame with wires stretched across it for drying paper. ...
2007 Competition The 2007 Competition has not been officially released.
This season's schedule
Botguy
 Botguy, Botball's mascot. Botguy is the mascot for Botball. He is also a plush toy (used in the 2005-2006 games). He is also used for demos of the setup of games in red and blue. Image File history File links Botball. ...
Image File history File links Botball. ...
National Conference on Educational Robotics (NCER) The learning doesn’t end after the regional tournaments. Each year students, teachers, robotics enthusiasts, and professionals from across the country gather for the annual National Conference on Educational Robotics. Teachers and students lead the way in sharing ideas from curriculum integration to technical aspects of robotics by presenting papers during breakout sessions.
Highlights of the conference include nationally recognized professionals from organizations such as NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory giving fascinating presentations on their topics of expertise. Of course the most anticipated events are the National Botball Tournament, the Beyond Botball Tournament, and the Autonomous Robotics Showcase.
The KISS Institute for Practical Robotics is pleased to announce the dates and location for the 2007 National Conference on Educational Robotics! The 2007 NCER will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii from July 10-13, 2007 (with pre-conference on July 9). All conference events will be held at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu. Check out the links to the left for more information about the 2007 NCER. Click this link for information about the 2007 NCER: [4] “Honolulu†redirects here. ...
Beyond Botball Beyond Botball is a game distributed by KISS Institute for Practical Robotics to encourage ongoing robotics education beyond the high school level.
Botball for Grown up Kids!
College and university educators are encouraged to use the Beyond Botball game spec as a project in their science and engineering courses. Mentors, parents and teachers of Botball teams are encouraged to focus their own creative energies into a solution for Beyond Botball (let the kids build their own robots!). Some examples of how Beyond Botball has been used in college courses can be found in this AAAI Spring Symposium paper.
We hope that those of you who create a team of robots to play Beyond Botball will bring them to the National Conference on Educational Robotics (NCER) and participate in the International Beyond Botball Tournament. Registration for Beyond Botball at NCER will be available soon. You can read more about the National Conference on Educational Robotics here.
Beyond Botball is a high-energy game designed for any robot enthusiast who has finished high school or its equivalent. College students, hobbyists, engineers, teachers, etc are all invited to compete. The game is played on a 4’ x 8’ board. Your robot competes by using robot design and strategy to move objects into scoring position in a challenging robot face-off. Following robot guidelines, Beyond Botball participants build robots using any building materials, processors, and sensors they feel serve the objective of the game. The game rules and guidelines can be downloaded from Botball.org and the competition will take place at the 2007 National Conference on Educational Robotics in Honolulu, Hawaii.
2007 Beyond Botball Challenge This Year’s Game
The game is played on a 4 foot x 8 foot board. Your robot competes by using robot design and strategy to move objects into scoring position in a challenging robot face-off. Following robot guidelines, Beyond Botball participants build robots using any building materials, processors, and sensors they feel serve the objective of the game. The competition will take place at the 2007 National Conference on Educational Robotics in Honolulu, HI on July 10-13.
The National Conference on Educational Robotics gives students, teachers, and robotics professionals the chance to show their work on the playing field as well as share their ideas and give presentations in various breakout sessions. All papers presented will be published in the 2007 NCER Conference Proceedings. Cost for participation in the Beyond Botball competition at NCER includes an individual registration fee for the National Conference on Educational Robotics plus a $25 team entry fee.
Participation Eligibility
Beyond Botball teams must consist of AT LEAST one team member who has finished high school or its equivalent by January 2007. Team members who are middle or high school aged are required to be on a regular Botball team in order to participate on a Beyond Botball team.
External links - KISS Institute for Practical Robotics
- Botball
- A Team WebPage
- Botball video gallery
Botball Facts In 1994 David Miller, Marc Slack, and Cathryne Stein established KISS Institute for Practical Robotics in Fairfax, Virginia. KISS Institute relocated its headquarters to Norman, Oklahoma in 1999.
The Botball Educational Robotics Program began in Florida in 1997. Since that time the Botball Program has impacted approximately 79,517 individuals including 34,220 students. About 2,569 teachers have participated in Botball and attended the hands-on Professional Development Educator Workshops.
1,710 Botball kits have been distributed to students and teachers in schools and communities across the nation.
100% of teachers surveyed indicated that Botball was a valuable experience for their students.
90% of Botball teachers rated the technical content and presentation of the Professional Development Educator Workshops as good to excellent.
93% of students surveyed stated that Botball was one of the best or better things they’ve ever participated in at school.
89% of students feel more confi dent with technology after participating in Botball.
Just over one third of Botball students were undecided about their college careers, and after participating in Botball 100% of these students now plan to pursue a degree in a technical or math-related field.
Each Botball season concludes with the National Conference on Educational Robotics held in the summer. Some of the highlights of the National Conference include: the International Botball Tournament, Beyond Botball (for the post high school crowd), Autonomous Robotics Showcase, breakout sessions, and guest speakers from nationally recognized organizations such as NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory.
About 2,000 students, teachers, parents, mentors, and sponsors have attended our National Conference on Educational Robotics over the past five years.
The ‘KISS’ in KISS Institute stands for the old engineering acronym: ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’.
Legal BOTBALL, BYO-BOT, BEYOND BOTBALL, BOTNEWS BLOG, BOTGUY, and the BOTGUY design and character are trademarks and/or copyrights of KISS Institute for Practical Robotics. | 
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