Robofest is an

autonomous robotics An autonomous robot is a robot that acts without recourse to human control. The first autonomous robots environment were known as Elmer and Elsie, which were constructed in the late 1940s by W. Grey Walter. They were the first robots in history th ...

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, ind ...

for 4th - 12th graders.Robofest homepage
/ref> It is similar to FIRST Lego League (FLL), but while FLL limits the student's robots to

Lego Mindstorms Lego Mindstorms is a hardware and software structure which develops programmable robots based on Lego building blocks. Each version includes computer Lego bricks, a set of modular sensors and motors, and Lego parts from the Technic line to ...

robots, Robofest allows the student to use any robotics system, parts, materials, or even custom electronics, in some of the events. Note that FLL students are required to use parts manufactured by

Lego Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlockin ...

only, preventing the use of such aids as string or glue. Another important difference is that Robofest games have UTF (Unknown Tasks and Factors) components. Students must solve the unveiled tasks and factors within 30 minutes work-time without external help. Lawrence Tech's Robofest was founded by Computer Science Professor Dr.

Chan-Jin Chung Chan-Jin Chung (정찬진) or popularly known as "CJ" Chung is a full professor of Computer Science at Lawrence Technological University(LTU) in Michigan, USA. He founded an international autonomous robotics competition called Robofest in the 1999 ...

(or popularly known as CJ Chung) in 1999-2000 academic year and is sponsored by Lawrence Technological University and other sponsors. LTU's Robofest is also held internationally, in countries including

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

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, China, Colombia,

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Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northe ...

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Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

, and UAE. Teams who win their regional event are welcome to participate at the worldwide tournament held at Lawrence Technological University in Michigan. ROBOFEST is a registered trademark of Lawrence Technological University in the US and other countries.

Mission statement

Robofest’s mission is (1) to generate excitement and interest among young people for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushr ...

), Art, and Computer Science; (2) to develop problem solving skills as well as teamwork, creative thinking, and communication skills; and (3) to prepare them to excel in higher education and technological careers. Evaluation and assessment results show that Robofest is achieving these missions.

Competition categories

There are a total of eight different competition categories in Robofest. * Game Competition - Students compete with two robots to work together autonomously to complete the given missions. The missions change per year, and an "unknown challenge" must be adapted to on the competition day. * Exhibition - Robotic contraptions to do the designers task. * Vision Centric Challenge (Vcc, formerly Mini Urban Challenge) - Robots drive along a realistic road, stopping at "traffic lights" drawn on the road. * RoboArts - (Formerly GRAF). Robotic Music, Fashion & Dance, Robotic Painting, and Interactive Kinetic Sculptures * UMC (Unknown Mission Challenge) - Mission tasks will be totally unknown until the day of competition * BottleSumo - Robots compete to either push a bottle or the other robot off of a table. * RoboParade - A parade of autonomous robotic floats * RoboMed - High School and College teams create intelligent and interactive medical robotics/device projects Retired competition categories include: * Robosumo - Competing robots attempt to push each other out of the ring. * VEX Pentathlon - VEX robots compete in five events. * RoboFashion and Dance Show - Costumed robots present themselves on a track. * VEX Bridge Battle - Two VEX robots compete on a bridge.

Competition age divisions

*Junior: (4th or) 5th-8th graders can compete with an easier unknown tasks and factors *Senior: 9th-12th graders can compete with a somewhat harder unknown tasks and factors *Collegiate: College students can compete in RoboMed Challenge.

TV and newspaper articles

PBS Detroit Public TV Robofest 2013 (27 minutes)

PBS WUCF Florida, SCITECH NOW: Robofest in Tampa, Florida, Aired Sep. 2, 2015 (7m 17s)

PBS WEDU QUEST: Robofest International, Aired June. 15 2017 (7m 44s)

CNN London - Teaching kids robotics in Ghana, Ghana Robotics Academy Foundation: Robofest Partner in Ghana, aired on Feb 1 ~ 4, 2020

ABC WXYZ-TV Detroit Channel 7: Robofest World Championship 2016

NBC Detroit Channel 4: Robofest 2016

USA Today, Apr 6, 2017, Robofest promotes STEM learning

Ebony, May 28, 2019, All-Girls Robotic Team From Ghana Wins World Robofest Championship

Detroit Free Press, May 13, 2017, Robofest at Lawrence Tech draws school-age engineers and their self-driving machines by JC Reindl

* ttps://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/05/08/robofest-world-championship-coming-to-lawrence-tech-may-19/ CBS Detroit, May 8, 2012, Robofest World Championship Coming To Lawrence Tech May 19

Directors

Christopher Cartwright
2021- *

, 1999-2020

Notable alumni

* Joshua E. Siegel
Sang Hun Oh

Other Robofests

The word RoboFest was used for a robot event by the Robot Group of Austin, Texas, at least as early as 1989. The Robot Group had a yearly RoboFest through the 1990s. There are various other Robofests not connected to Lawrence Tech's Robofest:
Russia

Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.robofest.net
Official Facebook page
Lego themes Robotics competitions