LOGO MOTION™

LOGO MOTION™ is the 2011 FIRST Robotics Competition game. Playing pieces are inner tubes shaped like the components of the FIRST logo. The primary objective of the game is to place them on racks to gain points. In the endgame, robots deploy smaller robots (“minibots”) to climb a tower. Minibots must be made from the FIRST Tech Challenge kit of parts. The game celebrates the 20th season of the FRC and is also meant to commemorate the artist Jack Kamen, who designed the original FIRST logo.

Official Game Summary[1]

In the 2011 game, LOGO MOTION™, two alliances of three teams compete on a 27-by-54-foot field with poles, attempting to earn points by hanging as many triangle, circle, and square logo pieces as possible. Bonus points are earned for each robot that can hang and assemble logo pieces to form the FIRST logo. Robots can also deploy Mini-Bots to climb vertical poles for a chance to earn additional points.

Rules

Match periods

A match is 135 seconds long.

• Autonomous - first 15 seconds. Code on the robots is remotely activated, and robots may react to sensor inputs and commands programmed into the robot’s onboard control system. The robot tries to score Ubertubes onto pegs on the scoring grid. Teleoperated - final 120 seconds. Humans using a console drive their robots around the field, trying to score points using any game piece.
• Endgame - final 10 seconds. Minibots may be deployed onto the towers to score extra points. They may only be deployed during this period.

Alliances

As per previous years’ competitions, three teams are on each alliance, red and blue. Each team may have one robot on the field. That robot may be remotely controlled by a driver after the autonomous period.

Field

As per previous years’ competitions, the playing field is 27-feet by 54-feet. The floor consists of gray carpet. On each end of the field, there are scoring grids, immediately in front of the alliance stations, where the robots are remotely controlled by drivers. Each alliance station is protected by a wall, known as the alliance wall. On each alliance wall, there are two scoring grids. Each scoring grid has 9 pegs arranged like a square. Each row is 37 inches above the next, except on the outside columns in each grid, where the bottom peg is only 30 inches above the ground. There are openings in the alliance wall, called feeding slots, in every corner, where an alliance member may enter playing pieces into play. However, to get from the scoring grid to your alliance’s feeding slot, you must transverse the field. There are towers in the middle of the field, with a cylindrical base. The towers are used in the endgame for alliances to earn up 30 points. To assist teams in driving and programming a robot through almost completely open field, there is colored tape on the floor to allow for sensor calibration and to create visual reference points. Furthermore, the tape delineates area where certain robots may or may not traverse.

Playing pieces

• Ubertube - a yellow, circular inner tube. It may only be used during the autonomous period.
• Minibot - an FTC robot

The following make up the FIRST Logo.

• Triangle - a red, triangular inner tube
• Circle - a white, circular inner tube
• Square - a blue, square inner tube

Scoring

The following is a scoring chart for the Ubertube as they are hung on the end field walls, during the autonomous period.

The following is a scoring chart for the game pieces as they are hung on the end field walls, during tele-operated mode (human remote controlled period). Any tube that is part of a non-Ubertube triangle-circle-square group (depicting the FIRST logo) is worth double of the listed points.

Based on the information above, the number of points an alliance may score is capped at 158, as game pieces may not be de-scored.

Robots

Robot rules are similar to other years with the exception of the minibot. A notable difference is that while a robot must start the match within 38”x28”x60”, it may expand to a 84” diameter cylinder with no height constraints.

Kickoff

The kickoff, the first event of the 2011 FRC season, was held at the Southern New Hampshire University and simulcast to numerous regional kickoffs throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Speakers included Walt Havenstein, Jon Dudas, Dean Kamen, Neal Bascomb, Amir Abo-Shaeer, Dave Lavery and Will.I.Am. It was broadcast live on NASA TV starting at 10:30 EST.

As per previous years’ competitions, Dave Lavery produced and narrated the official game animation video. New Hampshire businessman and FIRST official Blair Hundertmark assisted in the production of the video.