R o b o f e s t eNewsletter, 9-7-07

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Contents:

(1) Robofest 2008 Schedule

(2) Lego NXT course for Teachers

(3) Thanksgiving RoboParade 2007

(4) Fall Mini Urban Challenge

(5) Looking for ARISE! coordinators

(6) Seeking Site Hosts for Robofest 2008

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(1) Robofest 2008 Schedule

December 2007: Rules will be announced on the web. Team registration begins.

Early March 2008: Warm-up competition at Lawrence Tech in Michigan

March ~ April 2008: Qualifying Competitions

World Robofest Championship will be held on Sat. April 26, 2008 at Lawrence Tech in Michigan

(2) LTU Teacher Education Course using Lego NXT

Lawrence Tech University in Southfield Michigan offers a 14 week course entitled Autonomous Robotics for Education. (Course number: MET 5263) This is a course of LTU’s MET (Master of Educational Technology) program. The course will introduce concepts involved in autonomous robotics and how to use robotics education technology to teach mathematics, physics, science, and computer science. It will provide hands-on experience in designing and programming Lego NXT. For additional information on this course, please visit the following URL: http://www.robofest.net/2007/met5263f07.htm

(3) Join Thanksgiving RoboParade, Saturday, November 17, 2007

Robofest veteran and rookie teams in Michigan are invited to join the second annualThanksgiving RoboParade on Saturday, November 17, 2007 at Lawrence Tech. The parade is an excellent opportunity for beginners to learn robotics. For additional details about the RoboParade, please visit the Robofest home page at www.robofest.net. Video of the last year’s parade can be found on the YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlGY2YSqT3c

We heard that Chicago would be starting the Thanksgiving RoboParade from this year. If you are interested in organizing RoboParade in your city, please let us know. We will share our experience and know-how with you and your group.

(4) Fall Mini Urban Challenge

Inspired by the DARPA urban challenge, Lawrence Tech offers this indoor autonomous robot competition solely based on an onboard CCD camera as a sensor. The contestants are to use a common robotic platform called L2Bot. Students must implement a vision guidance software system to allow the robot to maneuver a given course. The event will be held on Tuesday December 18th 6 p.m. at Lawrence Tech University, Southfield Michigan. For more details about the L2Bot, please visit http://www.robofest.net/l2bot. Challenge flyer (PDF) can be found at http://www.robofest.net/2008/MiniUC08.pdf

(5) Looking for ARISE! coordinators

Lawrence Tech has established ARISE! (Autonomous Robotics Institute for Students and Educators) and looking for part-time coordinators. If you are interested in this position, please contact Dr. Chung at chung@LTU.edu

(6) Robofest Seeking Site Hosts for 2008 Competition Season

Robofest is currently seeking site hosts for the 2008 Competition Season. Qualifying Competition Sites are needed in March and April of 2008. Top teams from each site will qualify to move on to compete at the World Robofest Championships, which will be held on the campus of LTU on Saturday, April 26, 2008. Interested individuals, organizations, or schools should contact Dr. CJ Chung at chung@LTU.edu.

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Lawrence Tech University / Robofest World Headquarters

CJ Chung, Associate Professor, Robofest Director

21000 W. Ten Mile, Southfield MI 48075

chung@LTU.edu www.robofest.net

(248) 204-3504 Fax: (248) 204-3518