Ring It Up!
 | |
| Year | 2012–2013 |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 2423 |
| Championship location | St. Louis |
| Awards | |
| Inspire Award winner |
 Beta 3550 |
| Think Award winner |
Robugs 4076 |
| Rockwell Collins Innovate Award winner |
CyberKnights 3717 |
| Motivate Award winner |
AHERT Ravens 5132 |
| Connect Award Winner |
Pheonxtrix 3509 |
| PTC Design Award Winner |
Fish in the Boat 4140 |
| Champions |
Cougar Robotics - 4251 Fish In The Boat - 4140 Monkey Madness - 5096 |
| Links | |
| Website | FIRST Tech Challenge |
Ring It Up!, released on 8 September 2012, is the 2012–2013 robotics competition for FIRST Tech Challenge. In the competition, two alliances, each consisting of two teams of high school students, compete to score plastic rings on a set of pegs aligned in a three-dimensional tic-tac-toe board.[1] Ring It Up! is the eighth FTC challenge. There are more than 2400 teams competing worldwide,[2] surpassing the number of competitors in the previous year's Bowled Over! challenge.
Alliances
In each match, the four teams competing are organised into red and blue alliances. The members of an alliance compete together to earn points. Alliances are selected randomly prior to the start of each competition.[1]
Field
The field for the competition is a square measuring 12 feet by 12 feet, which can be constructed by teams for practising prior to competitions.[3] In the centre of the field there is a vertically constructed set of pegs, which are arranged in a three-by-three grid (as a tic-tac-toe board). Along the edges of the field, there are other pegs, each of which contains a set of six red or blue rings, which can be harvested and scored by the corresponding alliance. The field is also divided into two triangular sides, one red and one blue.[1]
Scoring
There are three sections to the game: the Autonomous Period, the Driver-Controlled (or Tele-Operated) Period, and the End Game. The criteria for scoring is different during each segment.[4]
- Autonomous Period
In the Autonomous Period, robots run autonomously for thirty seconds. Infrared beacons are placed randomly on a peg in the tic-tac-toe board prior to the start of the match, but after autonomous programs have been selected. Each robot is allowed to begin with one specially-marked autonomous ring. Unscored rings are removed by referees after the Autonomous Period ends.[1] An infrared sensor is available to aid in autonomously locating the IR beacon.
| Method | Points |
|---|---|
| Scoring autonomous ring on the same column as the IR beacon | 50 points each |
| Scoring autonomous ring on any peg | "Ownership" of that peg |
- Driver-Controlled Period
During the two-minute Driver-Controlled Period, teams can use standard gamepad controllers, each with two joysticks to operate their robots.[1]
| Method | Points |
|---|---|
| Scoring a ring on the center floor goal | 1 point each |
| Scoring a ring on the first level of the grid | 5 points each |
| Scoring a ring on the second level | 10 points each |
| Scoring a ring on the third level | 15 points each |
| Linear ring alignment (i.e. getting tic-tac-toe) | 30 points for each line |
| Scoring weighted ring in corner goal | 20% increase in points scored for rings |
- End Game
The final thirty seconds of the Driver-Controlled Period are referred to as the End Game. During End Game, teams are permitted to attempt to score points for special tasks, but these tasks must not begin before the start of End Game.[1]
| Method | Points |
|---|---|
| Lifting alliance partner robot 1 inch off the floor tiles | 30 points; 5 points for each subsequent inch up to 24 inches |
Advancement criteria
During tournaments and championships, match wins are not the largest part of the advancement criteria. For example, the winner of the top judged award (the Inspire Award) ranks higher than the winner of the competition-based component (Winning Alliance Captain).[5] Winning lesser judged awards (Think Award, Connect Award, etc.) also plays a part in the advancement order. The criteria for the Inspire Award are "...match performance, observations made during interviews and in the pit area, and the team’s Engineering Notebook as equal factors...".[6] Criteria for the other awards also include robot design, creativity, innovation, team performance, outreach and enthusiasm.[7]
For the Ring It Up! challenge, a new format for qualifying competitions has been introduced in the United States regions for Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, and St. Louis. These shorter competitions, called "meets", are held over weekends, and they are smaller, shorter and more frequent than normal qualifying competitions.[8] This makes the "meets" more accessible for new teams, in addition to providing more opportunities for structured practice in the company of other local teams. They are designed for participation more similar to participation in organised sport at the high school age.[9]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 FTC 2012-2013 Game Manual Part 2. USFIRST.org. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ↑ What Events And Teams Are in My Area?. USFIRST.org. Retrieved 2013-3-18.
- ↑ Ring It Up Build Guide. USFIRST.org. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ↑ Game Manual Part 1. USFIRST.org. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ↑ "Tournament Information: Advancement Criteria". FIRST. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- ↑ "FIRST Tech Challenge Inspire Award". FIRST. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ↑ "Judged Awards". FIRST. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ↑ Frascella, Vince. "Ring It Up!" FTC 2012-2013 New Jersey Kickoff. Livingston High School, Livingston, NJ. 8 Sept. 2012. Address.
- ↑ Johnson, Ken Introducing the FTC League/Meet format. The Official FTC Blog. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
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