The ICRA Robot Challenge

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, in association with the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, invites applications to participate in the 2010 NIST Mobile Microrobotics Challenge, in which microrobots on the order of the diameter of a human hair face off in tests of speed and agility.

REQUIREMENTS

All robots entered in the competition must be no bigger than 600 micrometers in their largest dimension and must be able to operate without the direct connection of wires (i.e. untethered operation.) The competition will consist of three events structured to test each microrobot’s speed, agility, and ability to manipulate small objects.

EVENTS

The Two-Millimeter Dash: Microrobots are required to sprint across a distance of two millimeters, beginning from a dead stop, and come to rest in a defined location.

Microassembly: Microrobots must insert pegs into designated holes in a planar assembly framework. Multiple cooperating microrobots will be allowed.

Freestyle Competition: Teams should highlight the strengths of their microrobot design by performing a task of their choice. The task should be chosen to emphasize one or more of: System reliability, level of autonomy, power management, and task complexity.

APPLICATION TO PARTICIPATE

To apply to the NIST Mobile Microrobotics Challenge, submit a proposal by December 31st, 2009. The proposal may be submitted by electronic mail to microrobotics2010@nist.gov, or by post to:

NIST Microrobotics Challenge, 2010
c/o Craig McGray National
Institute of Standards and Technology
100 Bureau Dr., MS 8120
Gaithersburg, MD 20899

The proposal must identify:
1. The individuals contributing to the team.
2. Contact information for exactly one individual who will serve as a Primary Contact.
3. The facilities available for fabrication, operation, andcharacterization of microrobots.
4. An overview of the microrobot design.
5. An overview of the intended capabilities of the microrobot.
6. An overview of the fabrication process to be used.

The purpose of the proposal is to convince the contest organizers that the team has a credible plan for bringing operational microrobots to the competition. Proposals will not be shared outside of the conference organizers before the competition without express permission of the Primary Contact.