Mini Sumo Rules

Version 20210621 preliminary

1. Contest Entry

a. A robot may be entered into the contest by an individual or a team. In the case of a team, a team leader will be designated for handling the robot during matches while other team members will watch from the audience.

b. An individual or team may enter multiple robotic contestants. Each robot must be registered individually.

2. Rules for Competitions

a. The competition consists of a number of one-on-one matches.

b. A single elimination, double elimination, round robin, or other competition bracket may be employed to organize the series of matches and determine the ultimate winner. The event organizer will determine what type of bracket to use.

c. The Judge will determine the winner of each match. A Judge’s decision is final.

d. Definition of a Match

i. A match shall be fought by two robot contestants.

ii. One match shall consist of up to 3 rounds.

iii. The robot who wins two rounds shall win the match.

e. Conducting a Round

i. Each robot shall start behind the starting line, and may be positioned in any location and facing in any direction behind the line.

ii. To begin a round, the Judge will count down “3-2-1-go”. Upon saying “Go”, each Team Lead will press the start button on their robot and immediately clear the Outer Ring area. After 5 seconds, the robot may begin operating. Any motion of the robot within the 5 second delay period will result in the robot losing that round.

iii. The Judge may stop and repeat the round if both robots are locked and don’t move for 5 seconds or if both robots are in orbit and no clear progress has been made for 30 seconds.

iv. The round ends when the 90 second time limit is reached or any part of either robot touches the ground outside of the ring.

v. The round does not pause or stop if a robot is knocked over or otherwise disabled within the ring.

vi. The round may be paused or stopped early and the match winner may be declared if any violations, safety issues or damages occur.

f. Declaring a Winner

i. The robot that touches any area outside of the ring first loses the round.

1. This includes the ground outside of the ring or the side of the ring itself.

2. It does not matter whether the robot is pushed out or exits the ring on its own.

3. If both robots exit the ring, the robot that touches the ground first loses the round.

4. The Judge may decide to repeat the round if it is not clear which robot touched outside of the ring first.

ii. If a robot ceases movement for 10 seconds or more during the round the Judge may declare it the loser, even if it does not touch outside of the ring. If both robots stop, the robot that stopped first loses the round.

iii. If the time limit is reached before either robot wins a round, the Judge may decide to:

1. Extend the time limit for the round if there is clear progress, OR

2. Reset the robot contestants and repeat the round, OR

3. Declare a winner based solely on the Judge’s discretion.

3. Specifications for Robot

a. The robot must have a name for registration purposes.

b. The robot must pass a safety inspection that involves evaluation for sharp edges or pinch points. Judges have final say in regards to safety.

c. A robot must be of a size that can be contained in a square tube of 10 cm (width) x 10 cm (depth) x any (height). The robot can be any shape within this tube.

d. The robot's weight must be under 500 gm including all parts and attachments.

e. The robot must be autonomous and all processing must be on-board. Radio Control is not allowed.

f. The robot must have a manual start button and a 5 second delay prior to moving.

g. The robot must not separate into multiple pieces.

h. Jamming devices are not allowed, such as an IR LED intended to saturate an opponent’s IR sensor. Passive materials used for stealth, deception or camouflage are permitted.

i. While pushing and banging is expected, the robot must not use parts intended to damage an opposing robot or operator such as cutters, saws, heaters, etc.

j. The robot must not contain any powders, liquids, or gases intended to be thrown or otherwise directed at the opponent.

k. The robot must not contain any inflaming devices.

l. The robot must not throw objects at the opponent.

m. The robot may not be stuck to the ring with sucking devices or glue, including sticky tires, double sided tape, suction fans, or any device which would assist in adding downforce beyond the normal force of gravity.

i. To evaluate stickiness or suction, the Judge may place the robot on a 4x6 index card and then lift the robot into the air. The index card must fall away and not remain under the robot.

4. Specifications of the Ring

a. The ring diameter is 77cm and height is 2.5cm.

b. The ring outline is 2.5cm in width and is within the 77cm ring diameter.

c. The starting lines are two parallel lines spaced 10cm apart in the center of the ring. The starting lines are 1cm wide and 10cm long.

d. The ring material may be metal or wood.

e. The ring finish is spray painted and smooth.

f. The ring colors are:

i. Inside the ring = Black

ii. Starting Line = Dark Brown or Gray, <20% reflectivity

iii. Ring Outline = White

g. The Outer Ring is an area 50cm away from the edge of the ring in all directions. The outer ring may be any material, color, or texture appropriate for the robot to fall on when it exits the ring.

5. Violations

a. The contestant shall lose the match upon uttering any insulting words or causing the robot to utter insulting words or perform any insulting action.

b. The contestant shall lose the match upon performing any actions or deeds not in the spirit of fairness or that would otherwise disgrace the competition.

c. The contestant shall lose the round if the Outer Ring is entered at any point during the round or any object is placed in the outer ring during the round.

d. The contestant shall lose the round if the robot separates into multiple parts or drops more than 5g of parts onto the ring.

6. Safety and Damage

a. A contestant may request to stop the round or match if there is any injury or damage to the robot and cannot continue in the competition.

b. If a round or match cannot continue, the contestant who cannot continue will be declared the loser unless it is clear that the opponent intentionally caused damage or violated the rules or the spirit of the competition.

7. Declaring Objections

a. Any objections to the Judge’s ruling must be made immediately during or after a round or match is complete.

b. A contestant may present information to the Judge or reference the rules.

c. A Judge’s decision is final. Continued protest after a Judge’s decision has been made may result in forfeiture of the round or match, or disqualification from the contest.

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