How To Enter Instructables and RoboGames Robot Contest by Contest Robot
Featured
robogames_contest_300.gif
robogames_contest_large.gif
Robots are never going to take over the world if we don't get off the couch and make them ourselves!

That's why we've teamed up with the folks at RoboGames to bring you the Robot Contest!

Want to win a trip to RoboGames 2009? Tell us how you made your robot.

Good robot design is highly detailed, so we're asking you to document specific parts of your robot for this contest. Maybe you built the ultimate manipulator arm, designed a killer sensor array, reused some great trash, or just made a gorgeous housing - pick something you're proud of, and share how you made it.

Show us what you and your robots can do, and win a trip to go to RoboGames, flight and hotel room included! We're also giving away a RoboPhilo Walking Android kit, and lots of Robot-themed gear.


You're probably already working on some sort of robot - just be sure to document it carefully.
The more ideas we can share about making robots the more we'll be helping others learn how to make robots! The more people know about robots, the more awesome robots will be built all over the world!
Information wants to be free. Share your knowledge, inspire others, and win great prizes!

You can bring your robot to this year's RoboGames! There are 70 different events so robots of all types can find a suitable category. It's a great opportunity to test the machines you've been working on, or to give your FIRST robot an extracurricular challenge.

Since robots take time to build and document, we're giving you plenty of time to enter. You have until a couple weeks after the RoboGames in June to submit your robot Instructable. So get your camera ready and let's see what you've got!

Robots can be either remote controlled, semi-autonomous, or fully autonomous. Since an entry can be either a complete robot or a part of a robot it's possible to submit multiple entries from one robot, each discussing a different part of the process. Entries can also fall into multiple categories. For example, an autonomous beer-fetching bot may fall into the "brain" category for its autonomy, "sensors" for its ability to find the beer, and "manipulators" for its ability to grab the beer.


Prizes

Grand Prize (1): A trip to the June 2009 RoboGames in San Francisco, CA! Includes airfare
for one from anywhere within the continental US, 4 nights in a hotel near the event, and VIP access/enrty fees for the lucky winner. Also a Robot prize package including both Instructables Robot and RoboGames t-shirts, and a selection of robot-themed stickers.
Value: $2500

First Prize (1): RoboPhilo Walking Android kit! Plus the Robot prize package.
Value: $500

Second Prize (30): A Robot prize package including both Instructables Robot and RoboGames t-shirts, and a selection of robot-themed stickers. Five (5) prizes will be awarded for each category.
Value: $50


Categories

Sure, you've got a big awesome robot- but they're all built out of complex subunits. Tell us all about the design, build, and testing processes you went through to make them work.

Locomotion -- How does your robot move? Whether it walks, skitters, glides, or rolls, we want to know how you made it go.
Manipulators -- Arms, pinchers, rocket launchers, whirling blades of death. How does your robot modify the world around it?
Brain -- Even a robot has to make decisions. How did you design the control system?
Sensors -- How does your robot collect data? Tell us what you used and how you built & integrated the system.
Aesthetics -- Every good robot needs a futuristic housing. How did you choose and make yours? How does it add to the look and feel or function of your robot? Bonus points for artistic merit.
Reuse & Recycling -- What exciting reused/recycled/repurposed bits made their way onto your robot? Tell the story, and how you made it work. Creativity is a big plus here.

Open to enter: April 15, 2008 12:01 AM PST
Deadline for entries: July 13, 2008 11:59 PM PST

[/contest/robotcontest/ View Contest now!]
 
Remove these adsRemove these ads by Signing Up

Step 1: Official Rules

1. All federal, state, and local taxes on prize are the sole responsibility of the winner. No purchases are necessary; void where prohibited by law.

2. Participants agree to abide by all decisions of Instructables, contest co-sponsors, and judges, which shall be final and binding with respect to all issues relating to this contest.

3. Prize is not transferable and no cash alternative or prize substitution is available. Instructables and contest co-sponsors reserve the right to substitute a similar prize of equal or greater value if the prize listed is unavailable for any reason. All potential winners are subject to verification at the discretion of Instructables and contest co-sponsors.

4. Winner agrees that prizes are being provided "as is", and Instructables and contest co-sponsors make no warranty, representation or guarantee regarding the prize, including but not limited to its quality, condition, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

5. Instructables and contest co-sponsors are not responsible for problems including (but not limited to) damaged, incorrect, inaccurate, lost, delayed, or defective entries, or for injury or damage to any computer resulting from participation in this contest. Entries that have been tampered with or altered are void.

6. Instructables reserves the right to modify, cancel, postpone or end the contest at any time as necessary, at its sole discretion, or to disqualify any participant or winner, at its sole discretion, deemed to have cheated, destroyed, obstructed, or otherwise acted illegally or in bad faith in relation to this contest.

7. Instructables reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole discretion, to be in violation of the Terms of Service; to be acting in violation of these Official Rules; to be acting in a unethical or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person.

8. By submitting an entry and entering this contest, you represent and warrant that: you are over the age of 18, or entering with the knowledge and permission of your parent or guardian (subject to verification), and that the entry does not contain or incorporate the intellectual property and/or confidential information of any third party.

9. By submitting an entry and entering this contest, you hereby grant Instructables and RoboGames a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicenseable, worldwide, royalty free right to publish and distribute your entry for their promotional purposes.

10. Governing Law: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of the official rules, or the rights of entrants, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with, the substance laws of the State of California and any applicable laws and regulations of the United States.
1-40 of 82Next »
bensfolks says: Apr 25, 2010. 6:50 PM
 i went to robo games today!-bensfolks
ftking_83702 says: Aug 19, 2008. 10:55 PM
Congrats all!
ftking_83702 says: Aug 5, 2008. 12:05 PM
At the risk of repeating myself, all right! Tomorrow is the day! Very exciting.
ftking_83702 says: Jul 29, 2008. 7:47 AM
All right! Today is the day!
fungus amungus says: Jul 29, 2008. 9:59 AM
Sorry to say this, but it's been bumped back again. Technical difficulties and we apologize for the inconvenience.
Erobots says: Aug 1, 2008. 1:24 PM
will it be extended again, this time around? :P I have a feeling the technical difficulties is having to do with the eligibility of the international contestants to win prizes. Very excited to see the winners!
Erobots says: Jul 29, 2008. 1:56 PM
oh man ! another week! its cool , I can wait another week . :)
robomaniac says: Jul 29, 2008. 12:52 PM
1 week away! Don't give up!
Erobots says: Jul 23, 2008. 4:00 AM
When are winners announced?
ftking_83702 says: Jul 23, 2008. 1:16 PM
Huh. Just noticed that they bumped the "judging ends" date back to the 29th. There seems to have been a string of date revisions.
Erobots says: Jul 23, 2008. 3:00 PM
wow another week or so of waiting !
robomaniac says: Jul 23, 2008. 1:23 PM
I have just saw the modification. Waiting is going to be hard! Oh well... back to instructables editing :D
ftking_83702 says: Jul 23, 2008. 11:10 PM
Yep. Time to add another fischertechnik project. ;)
JellyWoo says: Jul 7, 2008. 6:54 AM
check out my robot http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Build-Your-Own-Instructables-Robot-Assistan/ don't forget to vote, comment, and rate! ;)
Erobots says: Jul 6, 2008. 3:22 PM
Check out my butler robot!

Please vote for me in the contest !
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Butler-Robot/
robomaniac says: Jun 28, 2008. 8:12 PM
why is the Deadline for entries: June 29, 2008 11:59 PM PST not edited?

I just don't want to get scewed over this contest!

I will post mine tomorrow just to be sure :P
fungus amungus says: Jun 29, 2008. 9:58 AM
That's been fixed. You won't get screwed! :)
robomaniac says: Jun 29, 2008. 10:50 AM
HAHAHA! Thank you!
Plasmana says: Jun 28, 2008. 2:22 PM
Yay! Thank you for extending the deadline! Now I can create, edit, and post some instructables!
GorillazMiko says: Jun 28, 2008. 1:46 PM
Thank you so much for extending the deadline! Mwuahaha!
bumpus says: Jun 21, 2008. 4:51 PM
I found a misspelling - "in a hotel near the event, and VIP access/enrty fees for the lucky winner."

entry

blue72 says: Jun 20, 2008. 5:16 AM
my robot ate my cat
Al1970 says: May 10, 2008. 11:12 PM
Is anyone having problems uploading photos. Everytime I try I get "Could not upload file 'full robot1.jpg'. Please try again as it may simply have been corrupted in transit." I have tried with photos as small as 19K. Any ideas?
coolz says: May 12, 2008. 4:34 PM
try deleting your avatar picture from your hard drive
=SMART= says: Jun 17, 2008. 12:31 PM
how the hell will that help??
4mem8 says: Jun 9, 2008. 11:29 AM
M'mmm enter more than one, I will have to enter another one.Nice
CameronSS says: Apr 15, 2008. 5:49 PM
I'm not sure I'm reading this correctly-so rather than documenting an entire robot, we document a part of the robot? As in an iBle about a fiberglass shell, or a claw, or legs?
jmicko says: May 29, 2008. 9:37 PM
lol. no, you can either enter an entire robot, or just a part
budsiskos says: Apr 18, 2008. 1:51 PM
can a lego mindstorms robot count?
jmicko says: May 29, 2008. 9:28 PM
Yes, but if you built it from instructions, nobody will vote for it. if that's what you were wondering.
fungus amungus says: Apr 19, 2008. 1:50 PM
If it's a robot, enter it.
gneedel says: May 20, 2008. 1:19 PM
I have some general tutorials that I have made for building robots. I also have many different machines and mechanisms. Would it be better to create a robotics "best tips and practices" instructable. Or make one by reverse engineering a specific sub assembly?
fungus amungus says: May 20, 2008. 2:33 PM
You can do both. You aren't limited to one entry.
Hello Kitty says: May 9, 2008. 9:38 AM
So the VOTING STARTS:Jun 30, 2008, and the VOTING ENDS:Jun 29, 2008! Wow! I didn't know that was possible!:-0
laminterious says: May 7, 2008. 5:56 AM
Can we add slideshows? Because I have pictures of a robot I made but I didnt take photos along the way... or can I use sketchup to show what I did?
fungus amungus says: May 7, 2008. 9:20 AM
This is for full Instructables only as others need to be able to follow along to help them in their making of their own robots. Making new images in Photoshop, Illustrator, SketchUp, or any other program is perfectly fine for detailing each step.
Patrik says: Apr 30, 2008. 2:55 PM
For reference, I posted a bunch of links to other cheap and easy robot projects on this forum, for inspiration:

WE NEED MORE ROBOTS

Remember - it doesn't have to be an ultra-sophisticated, self-guided - fully AI, heat-seeking-missile-equipped robot...
thecheatscalc says: Apr 27, 2008. 11:14 AM
this may sound dumb, but is there a winner for each category, or do all of those, or just one of those need to be included in the instructable to be considered a valid entry? I've got a complex project in the works, may be a year before it's totally done, but the current part I'm working on would make a great entry... it's just not a complete robot... Also, do processes to make robots count? I've got a few experimental processes for prototyping that would make great entries... but they don't fit well... hmm...
Brandon121233 says: Apr 20, 2008. 8:47 PM
I didn't see a rule in the guidelines that states that it had to be posted AFTER April 15, does that mean that previously written instructables are valid?
fungus amungus says: Apr 21, 2008. 8:01 AM
At the bottom you'll see that this is open for entries as of April 15. If you've already entered one robot, I imagine that you can get at least one more Instructable out of it where you can talk about a part in more detail.
1-40 of 82Next »
Pro

Get More Out of Instructables

Already have an Account?

close

PDF Downloads
As a Pro member, you will gain access to download any Instructable in the PDF format. You also have the ability to customize your PDF download.

Upgrade to Pro today!