PDXBOT.05 – Portland Area Robotics Society Annual Contest

The schedule’s been fixed for this years Portland (Oregon) Area Robotics competition. It’s going to take place on Sunday, May 1st at the Smith Center Ballroom on the PSU campus. I’ve attached a copy of the notification they sent out below, but be sure and check the official website at pdxbot.org for the latest information.

They mention that DVDs from the past two events are available for online ordering. I purchased both DVDs about a month ago, and definitely enjoyed viewing them. The 2003 event DVD was so-so, but the 2004 DVD was excellent. If you can’t attend, or if you are interested in seeing what these events are all about, then the DVDs are a good approach. They might also be very useful to show in a classroom setting, or to convince “the powers that be” in your neighborhood that they should underwrite a similar event.

The Portland Area Robotics Society announces that this year's annual
contest-PDXbot'05 - will be held Sunday, May 1st this year. That's a bit earlier
than usual, so start getting your robots ready now! The Folks at PSU are
allowing us to use the Smith Center Ballroom again, and parking will again be free.

This year, we are offering several competitions.

SRS-RoboMagellan- We have decided to offer this great new outdoor navigation
contest as envisioned by the Seattle Robotics Society. Same rules as in
Seattle, with a twist of being in a somewhat more restraining environment on the
South Park blocks, right in back of the Smith Center. Get those object
sensors working! The exact time and date for this event hasn't been set due to
scheduling concerns (it could be Saturday or Sunday), so keep checking at the
PDXbot web site www.pdxbot.org for the latest updates.

Sumo- Contests will be held in five classes this year: Nano, Micro,
Beginner's Mini, advanced Mini, and 3kg classes. No hold down devices (vacuum or
magnets) will be allowed in any class.

Line following- We are offering Beginning and advanced versions of this
contest. If we have enough contestants, we'll have head-to-head racing!

Walker race- Last year's popular out and back race returns with some rules
clarifications.

Talent show- If you have a neat robot, bring it and show it off. If the
judges like your robot, you could walk off with a prize!

A note on rules- In an effort to make your robots able to compete in several
contests, we have been working with our friends in the Seattle Robotics
Society to unify the rules for most contests. You'll find that this year's
Robothon will use the same rules for most of these contests, so you won't have to
modify your robots to meet differing rules. Now you have no excuse to not
build that great new robot! We didn't get around to unifying the Sumo rules, but
they aren't that much different anyway. The same robots seem to do well at
both contests. All the rules are posted on the PDXbot site.

PDXbot.05 will include new and improved tech displays, vendor booths,
demonstrations, Items for purchase, food, a Kid's robotics zone, robot-related
raffles, and fun for the whole family. Admission is free! Plan your visit Now!

Visit the PDXbot web site www.pdxbot.org for information on rules, maps,
travel information, venue directions, and information on our sponsors and
vendors.

And, if you haven't been to a PDXbot event, you can see what one is like by
going to the PARTS web site ( www.portlandrobotics.org ) and clicking on the
merchandise link to get a copy of the PDXbot04 and '03 DVDs.