2021 RCJA National Championships Virtual Event Announcement

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Due to continually fluctuating travel restrictions, both at a State/Territory, Education Governing Body and School level, it has been determined it is most appropriate to run the 2021 RCJA National Championships virtually. This event will operate with altered Challenge Rules/Divisions, and with a combination of live and pre-recorded components for Teams to participate in.

Below is a summary of critical event information, and how each challenge will operate. Further detail will be made available by Monday 30th August.

General Information

Dates: All Teams must be available to compete during the weekend of 9th & 10th October 2021, with the awards ceremony being held virtually in the afternoon of 10th October. Where teams are required to submit components of their entry prior to the event weekend, these will be due by 9pm Tuesday 5th October. Exact day(s) and time(s) Teams will be required to be online during the event weekend will be communicated following close of registrations.
Virtual Platform: Microsoft Teams for live components, Registration System for submitted components.
Time Zone: Times are in AEDT.
Team Sizes: Teams may have a maximum of five members. There is no minimum Team size for 2021.
Mentors: Mentors and parents are encouraged to assist with Teams engaging with the virtual event (e.g. assisting with Teams collaborating online, joining event meetings/events, holding cameras/filming).
Event Spirit: We remind all mentors in keeping with the RoboCup Junior Mission Statement, all design, construction, building, programming, debugging and documentation must be the work of the Team members.
Qualification for RoboCup Junior International: Due to extenuating circumstances, nomination to represent Australia at RCJI will be done through a separate application process rather than based of the results of the RCJA National Event. However, Teams seeking to apply for nomination to represent Australia at RCJI are strongly encouraged to enter the 2021 RCJA National Event.
Entry Fees: The entry fee will be $20 per team.
Entry Requirements: All Mentors will be required to submit a Participation Deed for each Team Member. All Mentors will be required to submit a Mentor Declaration.
Entry Opens: By Monday 30th August.
Entry Deadline: 10pm, Friday 1st October.

OnStage

  • Novice and Experienced divisions available, operating principally under the regular rules. Specifics of rule changes will be made available by Monday 30th August.
  • Teams will participate in their interview via Video Conference on the event weekend. This is a private meeting between with the teams, their mentor(s), and the judges.
  • Teams will be required to submit a video of their performance, and their Technical Description Paper by 9pm Tuesday 5th October.
  • Teams will have the opportunity to participate in an (optional) live performance on the event weekend.
  • The best of either the live or recorded performance score will be awarded to the team.
  • Teams who participate in live performances may be eligible for additional awards.

Rescue Line

  • Primary, Primary Standard Design, Secondary, Secondary Standard Design and Open Rescue Line available.
  • Primary and Secondary teams have the option of entering with their own robot, or programming for a standard EV3 or Spike robot design (Standard Design divisions). Standard robot designs and allowable programming languages to be made available by Monday 30th August. Programming languages will include EV3 Lab (Original), EV3 Classroom, EV3 Dev, or Lego Spike.
  • Courses will not include ramps or elevation, and tiles will be printable on A3 paper. Files to print will be made available by Monday 30th August.
  • Rules will be principally the same with simplifications. Rules will be available by Monday 30th August.
  • Teams will participate in their interview via Video Conference on the event weekend. This is a private meeting between with the teams, their mentor(s) and the interviewers.
  • Teams will participate in six rounds. Three rounds will be required to be submitted as pre-recorded videos by 9pm Tuesday 5th October. Three rounds will be required to be completed live via Video Conference during the event weekend. In the event any teams were not able to participate in the live rounds, their mentor should contact the Challenge Coordinator.
  • For Teams participating in the Standard Design divisions, they will be required to submit their program approximately one week in advance of the event.

Rescue Maze

  • Rescue Maze Standard Design and Rescue Maze Virtual divisions will be available.
  • The Maze course will be constructable from A4 paper reams and boxes with coloured 50mm squares placed on the floor representing the victims. No heat detection, wall coloured patch sensor or camera is required.
  • Teams participating in the Rescue Maze Standard Design division will be required to submit their program and video of three pre-recorded rounds by 9pm Tuesday 5th October. Teams will be required to be available during the event weekend to complete their three live rounds via Video Conference. In the event any teams were not able to participate in the live rounds, their mentor should contact the Challenge Coordinator.
  • The Standard Design robot options will be a Lego EV3 robot, programmed in EV3 Lab (original), EV3 Classroom or EV3 Dev, or a Lego Spike robot programmed in Lego Spike. Teams will be required to submit their program by 9pm Tuesday 5th October.
  • The Standard Design and Rules for both divisions will be published by Monday 30th August.
  • Teams will participate in their interview via Video Conference on the event weekend. This is a private meeting between with the teams, their mentor(s) and the interviewers.

Soccer

  • Soccer Technical, Simulated SoccerSim, Simulated ev3sim and Standard Design divisions will be available.
  • Teams participating in Soccer Technical will be required to submit a video showing off their robots approximately a week prior to the event. The video should show how the team has worked over the year designing, developing, creating and coding their robots to work harmoniously together to get that ball into a goal. The video may be accompanied by written documentation. Robot programs must also be submitted. The video, (optional) documentation and program must be submitted by 9pm Tuesday 5th October.
  • Teams participating in Soccer Simulated SoccerSim will program online in Scratch-like Blocks or Javascript which runs on virtual robots straight in your browser at https://tools.robocupjunior.org.au/blockcode-soccer-sim/.  The program(s) must be submitted by 9pm Tuesday 5th October.
  • Teams participating in Soccer Simulated ev3sim will program using EV3 (original) or EV3 Dev, and then run these programs in the ev3sim simulator available from https://ev3sim.mhsrobotics.club/. The program(s) and robot template(s) must be submitted by 9pm Tuesday 5th October.
  • Teams participating in Soccer Standard Design will program their robots for a Standard Design EV3 based on the popular Tommobot. The Standard Design will be available by Monday 30th August. Teams will be required to submit their program by 9pm Tuesday 5th October. RCJA will then run these programs on the Standard Design in the conventional Soccer Tournament format. Acceptable programming languages include EV3 Lab (original) or EV3 Classroom.
  • Rules for all divisions will be available by Monday 30th August.
  • Teams will participate in their interview via Video Conference on the event weekend. This is a private meeting between with the teams, their mentor(s) and the interviewers.