2021 RCJA National Championships Virtual Event – OnStage Information

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Submission Details 

Teams are required to submit the following by 9pm AEDT 5/10/2021 

  • Signed mentor declaration 
  • Signed participation forms for all team members 
  • 1 x completed Technical Description paper 
  • 1 x video of the performance 

Instructions for uploading files are available here

Event Weekend Guidelines 

The first performance will be judged offline on the first day. However, should teams want to do a second performance, they can perform at their hub, home or school remotely by Microsoft Teams.  

If the live performance is occurring from school or home, a Team mentor or parent must be present at the live performance via Microsoft Teams (if a mentor or parent is not present, the Microsoft Teams call will be immediately ceased) 

Performance Video guidelines 

  • The camera must be stationary for the entire performance  
  • The framing of the shot should show the entire stage area and all team members must be seen within the frame for the duration of the performance (NB: No deductions will be taken for touching the robots) 
  • The horizontal edge of the camera should have the filming view of just over 2 metres. 
  • The maximum stage is to be 2.0m x 2.0 m in size 
  • The stage should be clearly marked using black tape on a flat surface (NB: No deductions will be taken for going outside the area) 
  • The recording must begin with a clear stage; when the recording starts the participants will start to set up their equipment on the stage  
  • Only participants can bring equipment on and off the stage  
  • Teams will be asked to start a live timer on their phone or laptop on stage during their performance to run for the entire 6 minutes 
  • The performance should be between 1-2 minutes in length  
  • The recording will end when all equipment and team members have left the stage  
  • The entire performance video should be a maximum of 6 minutes and be one continuous shot. No splicing or editing is allowed.  

Interview Guidelines 

  • The interview will be conducted via Microsoft Teams throughout the weekend with a Team mentor or parent present (if a mentor or parent is not present, the Microsoft Teams call will be immediately ceased) 
  • The interview will be judged by a National Panel from either the hub or home location 
  • Everyone in the team must speak at least once  
  • The team’s robot program must be shown during the interview and at least one piece of the code must be described  
  • The teams robots must be shown during the interview  
  • The interview should run for approximately fifteen minutes 
  • The following questions are some that teams may be asked in their interviews, so these may be used in preparation (NB: ensure that teams point out what they are talking about in their code or on their robots): 
  • What is the theme/idea of the performance?  
  • What was done to enhance difficult movement of the robots (e.g. moving smoothly, keeping balance, communication, avoiding objects, grasping objects etc.)? 
  • Which sensors are you using (e.g. touch, light, sounds, rotation, compass, proximity, ultrasonic, colour)? 
  • Are you using wireless communications (e.g. Infrared, Bluetooth)? 
  • What programming language/s are you using?  
  • What is the highlight of your performance? 
  • Is there any robot-robot interaction in your performance?  
  • What did your team find especially challenging and how did you overcome it?  
     

Challenge Rules 

OnStage will operate under the normal rules, with the below changes 

Stage Requirements 

  • The size of the performance stage area will be up to the discretion of the teams; however, the performance area must be visible in the camera’s field of view.  
  • The maximum size of the performance stage area will be a rectangular area of 2 x 2 meters (m) with robots facing the judges. The full horizontal distance (maximum 2 meters (m)) must be in the field of view. 
  • The judging camera must be set up as a static camera and should be placed in approximately the position of the judges table at an in-person competition. 
  • Teams are recommended to practice their performances on camera or online before presenting their performances at a virtual event. Teams should use the platform to check their audio and visual before presenting on stage. 

Interview 

  • Teams should ensure that they bring all their robots, copies of all their programs, CAD models and electrical drawings in a format that can be easily viewed on their own computer.  
  • Teams should expect to screen share these files to the judges. 

Technical Description Paper (TDP)

  • The Technical Description Paper must be submitted by the 5 October using the correct format which can be downloaded here
  • Technical Description Paper will be judged offline with marks added to the Technical Interview Score.

Registration

Registration is through our normal Event and Workshop Registration System, available from here.

Challenge Questions

If you have any questions relating to OnStage, please email [email protected].