Competition

Last Updated: Sep 02, 2026

There is also an optional, sim-only Event 0 to warm up on. It carries no points and needs no camera work, and it lets you write and debug competition code before your turn on a station. See Sim Competition.

The events and point values on this page are not final. The competition will be updated before the end of the term. Expect tasks, levels and scoring to change. Check back here before you start optimizing for a particular event.

It’s time to showcase your hard work and effort! The competition consists of several challenges that will test every component of your project, from camera calibration to inverse kinematics. Based on your performance on the competition tasks, you are eligible for points of extra credit that are added to your report grade. You must be able to demonstrate at least Event 1 level 1 during the competition to receive full marks.

Contents

Event 1: Sort ‘n stack! (300 points)

Task Setup

Based on your selected level, specific blocks (cubes) will be placed on the positive half-plane (in front of the robotic arm). Your team needs to sort small blocks to the left and large ones to the right of the arm in the negative half plane (negative y coordinates). Depending on the level, you may need to stack them as well.

Requirements:

  • Choose a level for the task.
  • For levels 2 and 3, the blocks must be stacked in rainbow order (red on bottom).
  • Complete the task within 180 seconds.

Level Setup

  • Level 1 - 3 large blocks (R G and B), not stacked
  • Level 2 - 6 blocks, 3 of each size, random colors (ROYGBV), not stacked
  • Level 3 - 6 blocks, 3 of each size, random colors (ROYGBV), possibly stacked two high, with additional “distractor” objects. Your objective for level 3 is to sort and stack the small and large blocks (cubes) as you did in level 2, but avoiding any other shaped block on the table.

Points

  • +30 points for each block picked and dropped correctly
  • +(10 * level) points for completing the task in the time allotted
  • +90 points for performance with distractors (level 3)
  • 50% deduction for using “click” for each pick-and-place instead of an autonomous approach

Event 2: Line ‘em up! (500 points)

Task Setup

Blocks will be placed in a specific configuration based on your selected level, and your team must arrange them in rainbow color order horizontally.

Requirements:

  • Choose a level for the task.
  • Complete the task within 600 seconds.
  • For Level 1, align only the large blocks in this sequence.
  • For Levels 2 and 3, arrange both large and small blocks in separate lines, each following the rainbow color order.
  • Block centers must be within 3 cm of a straight line.
  • Each line’s length must be < 30 cm.

Level Setup

  • Level 1 - only big blocks (6, ROYGBV)
  • Level 2 - big (6, ROYGBV) & small blocks (6, ROYGBV). Possibly stacked but no more than two blocks high.
  • Level 3 - 12 blocks (6 small, 6 large, ROYGBV), with additional “distractor” objects. Possibly stacked but no more than three blocks high. Your objective for level 3 is to line up the small and large blocks (cubes) as you did in level 2, but avoiding any other shaped block on the table.

Points

  • +30 points for each block in the correct place & order
  • +10 points if the block is out of order or the center is >3cm from the line but still clearly “lined up”
  • +20 bonus points for the neatness of each line (centers are perfectly aligned and/or spacing is minimal)
  • +100 points for performance with distractors (level 3)
  • 50% deduction for using “click” for each pick-and-place instead of an autonomous approach.

Event 3: Stack ‘em high! (500 points)

Task Setup

Blocks will be placed on the board in a specific configuration, some of them already stacked, no more than four high. Your team must rebuild them into tall stacks in rainbow color order, red on the bottom.

For levels 1 and 2 the large and small blocks form separate stacks. For level 3 they form two alternating towers, in which every block lands on one of the other size: the small block of a color sits on the large block of the same color, and the next color’s large block sits on that small block.

Requirements:

  • Choose a level for the task.
  • Complete the task within 600 seconds.
  • Stacks are built in rainbow color order (ROYGBV) with red at the bottom.
  • For level 2, the large blocks and the small blocks form two separate stacks.
  • For level 3, the twelve blocks form two alternating towers of six, one holding red through yellow and the other green through violet.

Level Setup

  • Level 1 - only big blocks (6, ROYGBV), one stack
  • Level 2 - big (6, ROYGBV) & small blocks (6, ROYGBV), two separate stacks
  • Level 3 - the same 12 blocks in two alternating towers of six R r O o Y y and G g B b V v, each read from the bottom up

Points

  • Blocks score by how high they sit: the nth block in a stack scores n × 5, so the bottom block is worth 5 and the sixth is worth 30. A completed six-block stack is worth 105 points.
  • At level 3 every block lands on one of a different size, which is a harder placement, so blocks there score n × 10 instead.
  • +40 points for each stack completed in the correct order
  • 50% deduction for using “click” for each pick-and-place instead of an autonomous approach

A perfect run scores 145 at level 1, 290 at level 2, and 500 at level 3.

Event 4: To the sky!

Task Setup

For this task, use only large blocks and stack them in any color order you choose. You have the freedom to add any number of blocks to the board, but they must not be pre-stacked. You can add blocks to the board as the arm is moving. Your goal is to stack them as high as possible, pushing the limit of how many blocks you can stack. The challenge is to see just how high your stack can reach!

You cannot use “click” to pick and place.

Requirements:

  • Complete the task within 600 seconds.

Level Setup

  • You place the blocks on the board.
  • The blocks you place must not be stacked.
  • Blocks can be placed while the arm is moving.

Points

  • Every block in the stack is worth 40 points
  • There is no cap
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
40 80 120 160 200 240 280 320 360 400 440 480 520 560 600

The table stops at 15 for width, not because the scoring does. Every block beyond it is another 40 points.

Score Calculation

Your overall score will be the sum of your best run on each event. Each event can be completed multiple times at different levels.

  • The 3 top scoring teams in each section will receive bonus points on the report: [+3, +2, +1] points.
  • The top score in each event will receive +1 bonus point on the report for the team.

Your score for each event is based on the final layout of the playing field. You have the full time-limit for each event, but do not have to use the full time. If you complete the task before the time-limit, or wish to “break” your code to stop the robot (e.g., to keep the arm safe, or to prevent it from knocking over blocks), you may do so, but will be judged at that final configuration.

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