Designing Robot Competitions that Promote AI Solutions: Lessons Learned Competing and Designing.

Abstract

Robotics competitions are an educational tool at the middle school, high school, and university levels. The layout, rules, and reward systems of these competitions galvanize students to a specific solution space. From our experiences competing-in and designing such competitions, open-loop, low feedback strategies tend to dominate the winner's circle. If we want competitions to emphasize solutions spaces that include AI-type robot control, contest designs need to favor closed-loop, high feedback strategies. Game elements that encourage such designs are discussed.