JRA RoboCup Seasons

JRA RoboCup Seasons involve participants (between Year 4-12) preparing for and completing a chosen RoboCup Challenge. These can include a rescue mission, soccer games and/or sumo matches.

Participants will be able to attend weekly sessions to learn, build and code their robots and can choose to compete a variety of Regional competitions and even the State Championships. Optional school holiday workshops will also be on offer to kick start projects or to help ensure teams are ready for any upcoming competitions.

Teams are limited based on available kits and chosen challenges for the season. This keeps numbers down and allows for greater support for each team.

Each category has different requirements/rules that participants must follow. However, the following applies to all teams.

• Participants sign up to their chosen challenge as either an individual or a team and receive allocated robotics kits along with any additional components e.g. IR Sensors, omni-wheels etc.

• Weekly Sessions: Teams work on their projects under the guidance of an experienced RoboCup mentor with options to learn block and/or text based coding.

• Holiday Workshops (optional): Teams are invited to participate in full day, intensive sessions to kickstart or refine their projects.

• Competitions (optional): teams are invited to compete in official RoboCup events around QLD. These are designed to allow teams to test their projects in a formal setting. The focus for RoboCup (and our program) is on engaging children in a friendly, supportive and collaborative environment, not ‘winning’.

  • Soccer and Rescue challenges run through Terms 2 & 3

  • Sumo runs in Term 4.

Our weekly 1.5 hour sessions will see teams meeting each Sunday morning at Elliott Heads State School. Teams will be mentored through the challenge by our experienced RoboCup mentor, Matt. His job during these sessions is to support each team through their robotics journey. This includes design/build tips, teaching a variety of different coding techniques, offering support with debugging and strategies to best complete the challenge.

All robotics and challenge specific equipment will be provided for these sessions with participants only needing to bring a device to code with (laptop, iPad, tablet).

Participants are invited to compete in different RoboCup events to officially test their projects against other competitors in their chosen category. These events include

• Bundaberg Regional RoboCup Competition

  • Wednesday 20th May

• CQ Junior Robotics Competition in Rockhampton

  • Friday 31st July

• QLD RoboCup State Championships in Brisbane (UQ St. Lucia Campus)

  • Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th August

• Bundaberg Regional Sumo Championship

  • Wednesday 4th November

Team Size = 1 - 4 participants

Teams take to the field in a 2 vs 2 completely automated robotic soccer match. Robots chase around an infrared emitting soccer ball while trying to find the goal. Participants will design and create a holonomic wheel base using omnidirectional wheels so the robots can move in all directions. Teams will need to create and test their own tactics for attacking and defending on their journey to become soccer champions.

Competitions see all teams face off in preliminary rounds. These are held like group stages of a soccer tournament with teams earning points based on wins and draws. The top ranked teams in the preliminary round qualify for the finals. Finals are held as do or die knockout rounds to determine the overall places.

Team Size = 1-2 participants

In a simulated disaster zone, robots must navigate a maze full of obstacles by following a line. Once through the maze, the robot needs to rescue the ‘survivors’ from a chemical spill before saving itself and finding its way back out of the maze.

Competitions will see teams divided in to Riley Rover, Primary and Secondary based on their age/experience. Teams will run their robots through multiple different mazes (usually 5 or more) to earn points and record times. Points and times are tallied with the top performing teams entering the finals. Teams in the final will compete against each other in ‘Head to Head’ rounds to determine the overall places.

Team Size = 1 - 2 participants

An exciting, action packed challenge to build a ‘sumo’ robot to push your opponent out of the ring. Teams will need to consider size/weight restrictions, traction, offensive/defensive strategies and reliability.

Teams will compete in the Bundaberg Regional Sumo Championships and can register in either Primary, Secondary or Interdmiate divisions based on their age/access to a 3D printer. The competition consists of 'best of three' matches against opposing teams. Teams earn points for each round win, with the top teams moving onto the knockout rounds.