Sherri K. Harms, chair and professor, Computer Science and Information Systems, 308-865-8123
University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Computer Science and Information Systems class in “Artificial Intelligence” will hold a robotics competition, 12:30 p.m. April 4 in Otto Olsen room 224. The public is welcome.
In the competition, the robots are required to follow the Midwest Instructional Computing Symposium 2013 robotics competition specifications, in which the robots play a “capture the flag” game. CSIS student teams design, build and program robots that autonomously attempt to capture the opponent robot’s flag and return home. On each attempt, a robot will be allowed a maximum of 4 minutes to navigate the grid-maze world and achieve its mission. Navigation of the grid-world will be complicated by up to three obstacles that can be placed within the grid-world. The robot that successfully achieves its mission in the shortest combined time is the winner.
In the implementation of their autonomous robots, student teams use advanced programming techniques and design their robots to respond to various sensors, including compass, ultrasonic, tach, and light sensors. Students must develop the interplay between the physical design of their robot and the mental capacity they programmed into the robot in solving a problem.
Some of the students will be competing against university student robots from a seven-state area in the regional MICS robotics competition in La Cross, Wis., on April 19. This is UNK’s 11th annual robotics competition.
