財団法人ニューテクノロジー振興財団 NTF -New Technology Foundation-

Robotrace is a competition in which robots run in a specified oval course to determinewhich is the fastest. Robots that enter robotrace races are called "robotracers".

1. Rules for Robotracer
1-1. Robotracers must be self-sustained, and not externally operated, by wire or by radio,except at the time of starting.
1-2. No addition, removal, replacement or change shall be made to the hardware orsoftware of a robotracer by the operator during a contest. It is however permissible to make minor repairs.
1-3. A Robotracer shall not exceed 25 cm in overall length, 25 cm in overall width and 20cm in overall height.
1-4. A robotracer must not be provided with a suction mechanism for increasing the ground contact force.

2. Rules for the Course
2-1. The running surface of the course shall be black, and the course shall be a lap course indicated by a white line of 1.9 cm in width. The total length of the line shall be no more than 60 m.
2-2. The line shall consist of a combination of straight lines and arcs. The line may intersect itself.
2-3. The radius of curvature of the arcs constituting the line shall be at least 10 cm. Also, the distance between points where the curvature changes shall be at least 10 cm.
2-4. When the line intersects itself, the angle of intersection shall be 90±5 degrees (See Fig. 1). The parts of the line 25 cm before and after an intersection shall be straight.
2-5. The starting line and goal line shall be located at straight parts of the lap course. The goal line shall be located 1 m to the rear of the starting line. Starting and goal markers shall be affixed to the specified locations on the starting line and the goal line on the right side in the forward direction from the line (See Figs. 2 & 3).
2-6. The area extending 20 cm to the left and right from the center point between the starting line and the goal line is called the start-goal area. A starting gate and goal gate are placed on the starting line and the goal line, respectively. These gates shall be 40 cm in width and 25 cm in height on the inside.
2-7. The lines 25 cm before and after the starting line and the goal line shall be straight.
2-8. A corner marker shall be affixed to the specified position at the left seen in the forward direction, at a point where the curvature of the line changes (See Fig. 4).
2-9. The circuit surface of a course shall be level as a rule, however, portions inclinedat a maximum of 5 degree may be included.

3. Provision for Races
3-1. A robotracer shall run along a line such that the projection of the main body of therobotracer onto the floor surface is always on the line indicating the course. Thecondition in which the main body of a robotracer completely deviates from the linewhile it is running is deemed to constitute the robotracer having gone off the course.
3-2. Each robotracer shall be provided with three minutes, and may run three timeswithin this time limit.
3-3. Robotracers shall start within the defined start-goal area, and shall go in thespecified direction. However, a series of runs may be made without interruption.
3-4. Robotracers must automatically come to a stop within the start/goal area, andremain there for at least two seconds after completing a run.
3-5. The shortest time of the time required for a robotracer to run through each lap shall be recorded as the lap time for the robotracer.
3-6. To determine the lap time of a robotracer, the period from the time when the sensorat the starting line detects part of the body of the robotracer to the time when thesensor at the goal line detects part of the body of the same robotracer shall beclocked. However, no measured lap time shall be regarded as a record unless theentire body of the robotracer passes through the goal line.
3-7. A robotracer's run shall be deemed to end when the robotracer stops for more than 2seconds or goes off the course during its run.
3-8. After the course is disclosed, the operator is not to feed any information on thecourse into the robotracer. In addition, the operator is not to revise thecourse-related information or eliminate it partially by operating a switch, etc.,during the contest.
3-9. The operator shall not touch a running robotracer unless instructed to do so by thetournament committee chairperson, or unless intending to withdraw the robot fromthe race and authorized to do so by the chairperson. The tournament committeechairperson shall comply with a request to withdraw from the race only when therobotracer becomes unable to run.
3-10. The lighting, temperature and humidity of circuits shall be the same as those ofordinary indoor environments. No request to adjust the lighting shall be compliedwith.
3-11. The tournament committee chairperson may demand from operators such explanation concerning their robotracers as he / she deems necessary. The chairperson may direct operators to give up racing, disqualify them and take any other necessary measures at his/her discretion.
3-12. Prizes and evaluation criteria will be set forth individually for each competition.

[Appendices]
(1) Loading a program or changing a ROM during a tournament is not permitted. It is also prohibited to connect a robotracer to any newly developed device or console box, separate from the body, to give instructions related to the execution of programs.
(2)The contestant is permitted to remove dust and debris on the tires during a contest using adhesive tape, etc.; however, no solvents and the like may be used for the purpose of increasing friction.
(3) If a robotracer stops or goes off the course after a starting operation has been performed but before the robotracer reaches the starting line, the robotracer shall be deemed to have run one lap.
(4) Even if a robotracer completes each run and crosses the goal line, if it does not automatically stop within the start/goal area, its run will be deemed invalid.
(5) Robotracers may not be placed for adjustment or other purposes in any part of the course other than the start-goal area except for during an official run.
(6) A course may have arcs with different curvatures linked continuously.(See Fig.4)
(7) Differences in level of 1 mm or so may be formed in courses.
(8) The sensors at the start line and the goal line shall be of the penetrating infrared type, with the optical axis horizontal and positioned approx. 1cm above the circuit surface.
(9) Proposals concerning the grip of the road surface cannot be accepted.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

［Important Notice Concerning the Robotrace Contest］
1. About 30 robotracers among those that take part in the preliminary round will go on to the final round based on rankings. However, robotracers that completed the preliminary round, which in the opinion of the judge panel exhibit outstanding technological excellence, may be selected to enter the final round regardless of their preliminary rankings. Please note that, in the case an individual or group enters more than one robotracer with technological similarity in the preliminary round, only one robotracer will be eligible to enter the final round. Also, the number of robotracers an operator is permitted to operate will be limited to one (the creator must operate his/her robotracer in principle).
2. Number of robotracer permitted to register Only one robotracer by the same designer (operator) is permitted to be registered.
3. The surface of the course is wooden, painted matte black. White vinyl tape is used to mark the lines. The field will be made as level as possible. Complaints about these will not be accepted.
4. In the Robotrace Contest, The contestants will be prohibited from changing batteries during the contest.
5. Lighting conditions and the use of flashes for photography in the arena.
The basic aim of the foundation in sponsoring this competition is to encourage the development of robots that move in any given conditions where humans conduct their life to the maximum extent possible, rather than the development of robots that function only in controlled environments.
 (1)Lighting conditions
In line with the above spirit, the competitions will be held under regular lighting as provided by the arena.
(2)Flash photography
As in the past, there will be an announcement in the arena asking the audience to refrain from using flashes for all competitions. Please take note, however, that some video and camera equipment use infrared rays for their auto-focus function, and participants are expected to come up with measures to successfully cope with infrared rays.
6. Special Inspection concerning the Identity of Robotracers
All participating robotracers must be placed on a designated stand for a set period of time after registration, so that a stricter examination will be performed to check their identity and to determine their uniqueness and similarities.
7. For the final round, the secretariat will keep the robots at a designated location before the game begins and until the game is over. Before his/her turn, each operator must receive his/her own robot at the designated area, have the robot complete its runs, and return it to the same place after runs are completed.

Evaluation Criteria for the Microclipper Contest

Prizes
1^st Prize:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \100,000(JPY)
2^nd Prize:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \50,000(JPY)
3^rd Prize:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \30,000(JPY)
4^th Prize:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \10,000(JPY)
5^th Prize:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \10,000(JPY)
6^th Prize:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Certificate of award, trophy & research grant of \10,000(JPY)
New Technology Prize: 　                    Certificate of award & trophy
NAMCO BANDAI Prize:                       Certificate of award
Special Prize:                                   Certificate of award
High school students 1^st Prize:             Cup

* All award recipients will receive special souvenirs. All contestants will receive a prize for participation.