Communication

RoboNautica 8 will feature the 2008 FIRST LEGO League Challenge - Climate Connections!

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is delighted to host this major FIRST Robotics event, and help showcase the talented young minds of tomorrow's engineers and scientists. Held at Harrington Auditorium, RoboNautica and the annual BattleCry@WPI for high-school competitors, have become New England's proving grounds for hundreds of would-be robotic champions. This year, 64 teams hailing from all over Massachusetts are slated to compete.

FIRST LEGO League is an international program for children, ages 9 to 14, created in a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Company. Each September, FLL announces the annual Challenge, which engages the teams in hands-on robotics design and authentic scientific research. After 8 intense weeks, the FLL season culminates at high-energy, sports-like tournaments like RoboNautica.

Guests

Bring a crowd! RoboNautica is free and open to the public. It promises to be great fun and a thrilling day for our kids. And it will be all the more memorable if they can share it with their family and friends. Spread the word!

Essential Information for Teams and Coaches

Driving Directions and Parking

Directions to WPI can be found in the Directions & Campus Information section. Ample parking is available in the main lot on the Quad. You may easily identify Harrington Auditorium by the "Registration" banner hanging above the entrance.

Check-in Process

Doors open at 7:30 a.m. Early birds will not be admitted.

As you enter Harrington Auditorium lobby, report to the registration desk to receive an information packet containing a schedule, building maps, and important announcements. From the Registration Desk, you will be directed to the Team Pit Area where a table is reserved for your team. Electrical power will be available at all tables.

At 8:15 on the balcony level of Harrington, there will be a mandatory briefing for all coaches by our Head Referee. Please be sure at least one coach from your team attends.

Food

Beginning at 8 a.m., coffee, juice, bagels, pastry, etc. will be available at the concession stand on the main floor adjacent to the Pit Area. Each team will be given a complimentary breakfast bag for their kids including orange juice, granola bars, and fruit.  A variety of lunch food will be available in the concession stand starting at 11:30 a.m.  

Teams are welcome to bring their own food to RoboNautica.  However, please be respectful of our facility and place garbage in the appropriate bins and recycle whenever possible!

Schedule

Match and judging schedules will be available to all teams the morning of the event.  Each team will receive at least one copy in their registration packet and their group leader will always have a current copy of the schedule.  Teams should rely on their group leaders to answer any scheduling questions and help direct them to where they need to be at any given time!

 

Judging

As RoboNautica is the official FLL Championship event for Massachusetts, teams are required to participate is all areas of judging including robot performance, research presentation, technical presenation, and teamwork.  Teams who do not participate in all areas will not be eligible to win any awards.

Research Presentations

Research Project presentations and interviews will be conducted in the Campus Center during the Qualifying Rounds immediately before or after the Technical Interview. Tournament staff will escort teams to the Campus Center. Coaches, mentors, and parents will NOT be admitted to the judging room.

Each teams will be allotted five minutes for presenation followed by five minutes for Q&A by the judges.  Setup time is including in the five minute presentation so your team should plan accordingly.  Teams will be required to stop their presenation at the end of the five minutes whether or not they are done.  The presenation area will have ample space for presenation but teams will not have access to network connections or special equipment, such as power cords, projectors, screens or laptops.

Technical Interviews

Judging of robot design, construction, and programming will be conducted in the Campus Center during the Qualifying Rounds immediately before or after the Research Presentation. Tournament staff will escort teams to the Campus Center. Each team is allotted ten minutes to present their robot and discuss its unique features and abilities. The entire team is expected to participate. Adult and Coaches, mentors, and parents will NOT be admitted to the judging room.

Teamwork

New this year, RoboNautica will have 'pit judges' who will be walking through the pit, watching matches, and interviewing teams throughout the day.  These judges will be evaluating teamwork and also be looking for award-winning teams in other areas like "Success Against All Odds" and "Outstanding Coach/Mentor".  Welcome the judges into your space and encourage your teams to talk with them about their experiences.  These judges will also talk with the group leaders, referees, and other volunteer staff to hear the excellent stories about teams who showcased gracious professionalism and exhibited the FLL Core Values!

Practice Fields

Your team will be assigned to a group of eight teams. Within the Team Pit Area, each eight-team group will have its own officially configured practice field to use throughout the day. Each team will also have an 8-ft pit on which to work.  Teams are not allowed to setup their own practice fields on the floor anywhere in the venue.  Teams may use their 3' x 8' table space as they choose but may not have materials which extend beyond that.

Complete details about the qualifying rounds, playoff format, and rules can be found at Mission Brief. Please read that section carefully.

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: December 12, 2008 11:26:51