LTU to host students from around the world in 25th Robofest World Championship

SOUTHFIELD-Lawrence Technological University will host hundreds of students from around the world during the 25thRobofest World Championship May 9-11.

Robofest, created at Lawrence Tech in 1999 by computer science professor C.J. Chung, is a series of robotics competitions for students in grades 5-8, called the Junior division, and grades 9-12, the Senior division. Robofest was recently added to the list of eligible providers on the Michigan Department of Education 99h Robotics Competition Grants for Public and Private Schools, making Michigan schools eligible for grants to fund participation in Robofest.

Robofest differs from other robotics competitions with low barriers to entry-the entry fee is just $75, and teams can use any robot platform, most of which can be purchased for less than $400. All Robofest competition categories feature robots controlled only by software, which is closer to how robots operate in real-world settings, as opposed to robots that are remote-controlled by people.

World Championship teams qualified for the event at regional competitions in 22 countries and 9 States held between November 2023 and April 2024. Each member of the top three Senior Division teams in multiple categories will receive an LTU Annual Scholarship certificate for up to $20,000 ($80,000 for four years) for any program of study.

The event categories are:

* The most popular event is the Gamecompetition, which changes every year. This year's Game is "Autonomous Taxi." The robot simulates a self-driving taxi that earns points as it picks up and delivers "people" and a "food order" (represented by different colored golf balls) to different "building locations" (six-by-eight-inch cardboard boxes) around a tabletop the game field, while obeying stop signs and avoiding "pedestrians." Some delivery locations are known to the players, while one is either unveiled 30 minutes prior to the run, or even determined on the fly by the robot reading a barcode on the field. In addition, the taxi can earn more points if it can deliver one of the "people" to a second floor in a building, and complete a math task, all within a two-minute run.

* Exhibition, an open-ended event in which competitors think up any problem, task or service that can be solved or performed by a robot, and then design, build and program a robot to accomplish it.

* RoboMed, in which students can dream up a healthcare service or biomedical device that can be performed by a robot-and then design, build, and program a robot to render that service. Among this year's RoboMed Judges are Yawen Li, Ph.D., chair of LTU Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Mary C. Schutten, Ph.D., founding dean of the new LTU College of Health Sciences.

* RoboArts, in which students design, build, and program a robot that makes an artistic performance, such as dance, music or storytelling.

* The RoboParade, in which robots are creatively designed to express a theme, and must follow a path along a tabletop "parade route." This year's theme is "On the Farm," inspired by the United Dairy Farmers of Michigan. The RoboParade will take place Friday, May 10 at 5:30 p.m. in Room A210 of LTU's Architecture Building.

* Bottle Sumo, in which robots climb a ramp and battle on a six-foot table to knock either their opponent or a water bottle off the table first.

* The Unknown Mission Challenge, in which competitors don't know what task they will have to program their robot to complete until the day of competition.

* The Vision Centric Challenge, returning after a four-year absence, thanks to a partnership with LSM Systems Engineering in WaterfordTownship, Mich., in which robots accomplish quality inspection challenges in a simulated manufacturing environment using advanced machine vision.

Events begin at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 9 with a welcome meeting for all, and continue through the Game, Exhibition, RoboArts and Vision Centric Challenge championships Saturday, May 11 from 9 a.m. to 2:40 p.m., with awards ceremonies to follow. The events will be held in LTU's Don Ridler Field House, Architecture Building, and Taubman Complex. For a full schedule, visit https://www.robofest.net/images/2324/WC2024Schedule.pdf. For a map of LTU's campus, visit www.ltu.edu/map.

Lawrence Technological Universityis one of only 13 private, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932 and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU as part of its growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation's top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation's top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report list it in the top tier of the best Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, "theory and practice" education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech's 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

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