Antimov Update

Bigger prizes and some rule clarifications for the Antimov Competition coming in October.

by CTaylor August 11, 2010 6:00 am UTC 18

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The Antimov competition is coming! On October 16th, SparkFun will turn into an arena of weird robots on literal suicide missions. We've had lots of questions and suggestions about the competition, and we've clarified a few rules, but before we get to that, let's talk about the most important change: CASH MONEY!

So you've built a robot, it's taken money and time, and its modus operandi is to destroy itself? Why would any sane person do this for a chance at a measly $300? That's a great question and one that was asked to us a few times. Since we couldn't think of an answer, we decided to sweeten the pot. The new prize structure is as follows:

Minimum $1000 cash prize for the winning live performance day of the competition. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! With each entry, we'll add $100 dollars to the pot, meaning if all 25 entries are claimed, the prize will be $3500.

We're also setting a minimum $500 cash prize for the winning video entry. With each video entry, we'll add $50 to the pot, with a cap of $2500 (40 entrants). After 40 entrants, videos will still be accepted but the prize will not grow any larger.

We've also had some questions about the rules, and it seems that some people are still thinking of this competition like a traditional robotics gathering. So we'd like to clarify some of the rules (or lack thereof).

• Your robot may use and react to props in the performance area, and you may place any props in the playing area that you like, given that they do not put spectators in danger.

For example:

- Bring a tall platform. Have your robot jump off of it.

- Suspend something heavy in the air. Have your robot stand under it when it falls.

- Bring a giant pot of water/oil/solder. Have your robot boil in it.

- Anything you can think of that is not dangerous to spectator is fair game. The more creative, the higher the score.

• Your robot may actually be multiple robots. We had a question about using multiple robots that react to each other as well as their environment. This is perfectly within the rules. As long as the performing device(s) are not directly controlled by a human and follow all of the rules, they are fair game. However, all the robots must destroy themselves to get top score, so keep that in mind.

• The performance of your robot may rely heavily on the environment itself, and react to anything that is not a human (i.e. it can't react to you, this is illegal control).

For example:

- The robot can be guided by infrared transmitters in the environment.

- If the robot must be suspended in the air, the robot doesn't necessarily have to climb a rope or ladder, the rope or ladder
could be attached to a device that pulls up at the necessary time.

The cardinal goal here is creativity. The weirder the better. Plenty of people have built battle robots and line followers. This is the chance to create something the likes of which have never been seen. Let's get strange.