FAQs

***Note: These rules are adaptations from the official JBC rules and apply only to the Leilehua Complex Scrimmage and the Hawaii Regional.***

Updated 20150424

All JBC Challenges (updated 20150421):

Q: Is there a limit of team members on a team?

A: There is no limit of team members on a team, but it is highly recommended to keep teams to about 3 students each to allow for more participation.

Q: Do the robots have to be small enough to fit in the starting block without going over the black borders?

A: The robot needs to be small enough so that all parts, hanging or otherwise, fit within the starting block.

Q: Is the robot allowed to go off the mat and then come back on to complete a task?

A: Yes, however, be aware that the floor surface might vary around the cafeteria.

Q: Do the wires count as part of the robot, in terms of fitting inside the Start Box?

A: Yes, the wires count as part of the robot. They cannot extend out over the starting block.

Q: Do the students need to use one type of robot the entire time, or can they use a LEGO robot for some challenges and a VEXIQ robot for the rest of the challenges.

A: I'd like to keep the teams clean with one robot each, so could you actually split those into two separate groups, one using the VEXIQ robot and one using the LEGO robot? The reason being is that for the May 16th competition, it is one robot per registered school.

Q: Will the maze be taped down? The VEXIQ uses a bumper and since it's metal and heavy, it moves the maze when it hits it and thereby changing the path.

A: You are welcome to tape down the maze to your liking as long as once the run starts, the students do not touch the maze at all.

Q: Is there a limit on the number of motors a robot can have?

A: No, there is no limit, but it is suggested to abide by the VEXIQ limit if possible.

Challenge #3 (updated 20150405):

Q: Does the robot have to be all the way in the garage past the dotted line? Mostly in? Touching inside?

A: The robot has to be completely within the garage, without any part touching the solid line or even the vertical projection of the solid line. This includes any wires or other pieces.

Q: Can the bot drive over the green garage to get to the blue garage?

A: Yes. The student team will tell the judge which color garage they are aiming for, and the judge will then only observe that garage color.

Challenge #4 (updated 20150424):

Q: After the robot navigates around the cans, circles around can 9, & "navigates" back to the start box" does it: a) navigate a straight line back to the start box or b) navigate back around the same cans on the way back to the start box?

A: The robot has to navigate between 2/6, 6/9, go around 9, 9/6, 6/2. In other words, it has to navigate back around the same cans on the way back, and not in a straight line.

Q: How much can the can be moved away from the circle when going around them? Meaning is it okay to bump it and it moves a bit off the circle?

A: Yes, the can can be touched, but it cannot completely leave the circle, nor can it be knocked down.

Challenge #5 (updated 20150311):

Q: Which can will be placed on the mat?

A: If a student team chooses to park the can in the Blue Garage, then the can will be placed only in front of the Blue Garage (Circle 9), and not in any other circle.

Q: Does the robot have to release the can? Can the robot still be touching the can?

A: The robot may be touching cans at the end of the round.

Challenge #6 (updated 20150421):

Q: Do you have to collect as many cans as you can in one trip out of the starting block? Or can you collect one can, return to the starting block, and then go get another can and so on?

A: Once the robot is turned on, neither the cans nor the robot can be touched until the end of the run. The final score is determined by how many upright cans are in the starting block at the end, so if one falls over it doesn't count anymore.

Q: Does the robot have to be in the "Start Box" at the end of the challenge, or as long as cans are upright in the start box, the cans are counted. (Not sure if there is enough room for the cans and the robot.)

A: Only the cans have to be in the box (upright) at the end of the run.