General Guidelines

  1. A school team should comprise of 2 or 3 students and one teacher.
  2. Each school can send a maximum of 5 teams for each category.
  3. All rules and regulations are subject to change without any prior notice.


Competition Format

1. Regular Category

Category Date of Birth Event Action
Primary School After 1 Jan 1999 Guide Robot View Details
Lower Secondary 1 Jan 1996 - 31 Dec 1998 Stair Climber View Details
Upper Secondary 1 Jan 1992 - 31 Dec 1995 Robot Recycler View Details

*The events and format for the Final Competition may differ from the above. Information will be given to the finalists at a later date.

2. Open Category

Category Date of Birth Theme Action
Primary School After 1 Jan 1999 Robots for Life Improvement View Details
Lower Secondary 1 Jan 1996 - 31 Dec 1998
Upper Secondary 1 Jan 1992 - 31 Dec 1995

*The events and format for the Final Competition may differ from the above. Information will be given to the finalists at a later date.



General Rules – Regular Category

  1. The competition rules of the 2011 National Robotics Competition are constituted by the organizing committee of the National Robotics Competition (“the tournament” for short in the following paragraphs), and they apply to the tournament.
  2. Regulations on materials used:
    1. Except for special designations in competition rules, materials used by the teams to assemble their robots must be from LEGO® MINDSTORMTM RCX or LEGO® MINDSTORMTM Education NXT sets. The control program must be written using the ROBOLAB or LEGO® MINDSTORMSTM Education NXT software. Teams that use materials and control programs that are not certified by the tournament will be disqualified from the competition.
    2. Teams should prepare and bring all the equipment (software, portable computers, batteries, extension wires, etc.) that they need during the tournament. Teams should not use any flammable materials as part of their designs.
    3. Teams should bring enough spare parts. In the event of accidents or equipment malfunction, the organisers are not responsible for any maintenance and replacement of equipment. Mentors are not allowed to enter the quarantine area to give instructions or guidance to their teams.
    4. Batteries used during the competition can be 6 pieces of AA batteries or lithium batteries of LEGO® MINDSTORMSTM NXT. Other power supply devices which are not authorised by the organisers are not allowed to be used.
    5. All the parts for the robot should be in the initial states (not pre-built) when the assembling time starts. For example, a tire cannot be put on a wheel until the assembling time begins.
    6. Contestants may not refer to any instruction sheets either written, illustrated or pictorial. Page 3 of 20
    7. Teams are allowed to pre-program the robot or store the program in the laptop before the competition.
    8. No screws, glues or tapes are to be used to fasten any components of the robot. Non-compliance with this rule will result in disqualification from the competition.
    9. Modification of any original parts, for example, RCX Intelligent Brick, NXT Intelligent Brick, motors, sensors, etc. is not allowed. Violation of this rule will result in disqualification.
  3. Regulations concerning the robot:
    1. The maximum dimensions of the robot before it starts the “mission‟ must be within 250mm X 250mm X 250mm. After the robot starts, the dimensions of the robot are not restricted.
    2. Except for special designations in competition rules, the amount of motors and sensors used during the competition are not restricted.
    3. Teams are allowed only one controller (RCX or NXT).
    4. Except for special designations in competition rules, any action or movement deemed as interference or assistance to the team while the robot is functioning is disallowed. Violation of this rule will result in disqualification from the competition.
    5. Use of radio communication, remote control and wire control systems to control the robot is not allowed. Violation of this rule will result in the immediate disqualification of the team from the competition.
    6. If the robot uses the NXT Intelligent Brick as its controller, the BluetoothTM function must be switched off.
  4. Regulations on the competition event:
    1. Quarantine period: 90 minutes for 1st quarantine and 30 minutes for 2nd quarantine.
    2. Contestants can only start to assemble, program and test their robots after the announcement of the tournament. When the quarantine is over, all the robots must be put in the places designated by the tournament. The matches will begin after the quarantine verification conducted by the judges.
    3. The score calculation is done by the judges after each match. The contestants must sign the score sheet after each match if they have no fair complaints.
    4. Contestants should take good care of their robots to avoid malfunction. If programs cannot be downloaded to the robot due to ill-safekeeping, accidental bumping, falling or other causes, quarantine time will not be extended.
    5. If a violation is found at the inspection, the judge will give the team 3 minutes to correct the violation. If the violation is not corrected during the time given, teams will not be allowed to compete.
    6. When assembly time is over, neither modification (for example, downloading programs, changing batteries) of robot, nor request for time-out is allowed. In the case of a robot breaking down accidentally, the contestant may be given maintenance time by the judges but the contestant is not allowed to add any parts, nor download any program.
  5. Regulations on the playing field:
    1. Teams must assemble their robots in the area (each team has its own area) designated by the tournament. Only the contestants, NRC organising committee staff and special personnel are allowed to enter the competition area.
    2. All models and playing fields are according to the standard provided by the tournament on the competition day.
    3. As you build and program, keep in mind that our organizers make every effort to ensure that all fields are correct and identical, but you should always expect some variability, such as:
      1. Variety in lighting conditions
      2. Judge's shadow on the field
      3. Judges will walk around the field during judging
      4. Texture/bumps under the mat
      5. Waviness in the mat itself – at many tournaments, it is possible for the mats to be rolled out in time to lose their waviness. Location and severity of waviness varies. It is very important to consider this while designing.
  6. Regulations on behaviour:
    Behaviours listed below are prohibited and may result in disqualification:
    1. Causing damage to the competition playing fields, models or robots of other teams.
    2. Bringing a cellular phone or a medium of wired/wireless communication device in the court.
    3. Using dangerous items or displaying behaviours that disrupt the competition.
    4. Using inappropriate words or behaving inappropriately towards other teams, audience, judges or the tournament.
    5. Creating situations which judges deem unacceptable or interfering.
  7. The judges have the utmost authority during the tournament. Their decisions are final and shall not be changed. As such, they may not change their decision even after viewing the competition video.
  8. When a team is considered disqualified by any judge, the robot of the team concerned must quit the match immediately, and the team will get no score for the match.
  9. The tournament has the right to revoke the qualification of any team if the team violates the rules.
  10. Any communication devices and methods are strictly restricted while the competition is in progress. Anyone who is outside the competition area is prohibited from talking or communicating with the contestants in the competition area. Team(s) violating this rule will be disqualified and required to quit the competition immediately. However, under certain circumstances and with permission from the judges, an urgent message can be conveyed through a tournament staff.
  11. If the competition is delayed due to electricity breakdown, unavailability of Playing Fields/models or difficulty in determining the scores, the judges may hold a return game, and the contestants shall not raise any objection.
  12. The tournament has the right to photograph and videotape the event and the right to reproduce, modify and use the photographs and video tapes for various media.
  13. If there is any inadequacy or alteration in the rules, the final decision shall be announced by the judges at the tournament. The judges have the utmost authority to amend the rules and regulations.

NRC 2011 Eligible Motors and Sensors for the Regular Category:

NRC 2011 Eligible Motors and Sensors for the Regular Category