Frequently Asked Questions

  1. May we enter more than one team from our school?
  2. How many students may participate on a team?
  3. Can non-LEGO® items be used to decorate the car?
  4. How much time will each team have between receiving the assigned stops and the beginning of the 60 minutes time on the competition course?
  5. The rulebook states “no additional sensors” may be used. What does this mean?
  6. What do the speed limit signs along the road look like? How far away are the signs from the road?
  7. Are the buildings' parking lot sizes uniform?
  8. Is it possible to have a parking lot at the corner of 2 intersections?
  9. Are the intersections all of the same size (length/width)?
  10. Do you allow U-turns?
  11. Are there curved roads in the city? If there are, what are the speed limits on the curves?
  12. Can mentors or teachers be interacting with the team during the competition?
  13. How big is the city?
  14. How many controllers (RCX or NXT) may the robot have? For example may we link together 2 controllers?
  15. May the robot travel BELOW the speed limit?
  16. Are there any height restrictions on the robot?
  17. Our school includes both middle school and high school grade levels. Can the middle school students join our team?
  18. What is included in the LEGO® Mindstorms® kit given to each school?
  19. What kinds of NXT sensors does each school get?
  20. Can home-schooled students participate?
  21. What operating system may teams use on the Mindstorms brick?
  1. May we enter more than one team from our school?
    Yes, if your school has additional hardware to support more than one team. Multiple teams are encouraged to allow more students the opportunity to participate. Each team must use separate hardware and software. ION provides one LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education kit to your school the first year you participate in the competition. This kit should be reused for participation in subsequent years of the competition.
  2. How many students may participate on a team?
    Teams may consist of 3 to 10 students.
  3. Can non-LEGO® items be used to decorate the car?
    Decoration items such as stickers, paint, etc. are acceptable. Non-LEGO® items that provide structure/support/functionality may not be added to the car; the car should be able to operate without the decorations.
  4. How much time will each team have between receiving the assigned stops and the beginning of the 60 minutes time on the competition course?
    A map of the city is posted on the website and a paper copy will be provided when your team arrives for registration. Teams can inspect the city from a short distance prior to other teams competing. Your team will receive your assigned stops at the beginning of your one-hour calibration/prep time,
  5. The rulebook states “no additional sensors” may be used. What does this mean?
    No additional sensor types may be used. Extra sensors of the previously approved (and provided) types may be used. Procurement of extra sensors is up to individual teams. Only the following sensor types can be used in the Mini-Urban Challenge competition:
    1. Black and white light sensor
    2. Color light sensor
    3. Touch sensor
    4. Ultrasonic sensor
  6. What do the speed limit signs along the road look like? How far away are the signs from the road?
    The information for the speed limits is encoded by the colored line on the road bed. Any speed limit signs are for aesthetic purposes only.
  7. Are the buildings' parking lot sizes uniform?
    No. Some parking lots have more spaces than others. Each parking space is at least 20cm wide.
  8. Is it possible to have a parking lot at the corner of 2 intersections?
    Yes, but the parking lot can only be entered from the street containing the blue parking lot line as shown on the map.
  9. Are the intersections all of the same size (length/width)?
    Yes, the intersections are all the same size and correspond to the width of the roadways.
  10. Do you allow U-turns?
    No.
  11. Are there curved roads in the city? If there are, what are the speed limits on the curves?
    Yes, there are curved roads. The speed limit of the curves will be the same as that of the corresponding roadway.
  12. Can mentors or teachers be interacting with the team during the competition?
    Yes, but in an advisory role only. Once the team is granted access to the city only the students are allowed to touch the hardware, car, laptop, software, etc.
  13. How big is the city?
    The city is approximately 10'x42'.
  14. How many controllers (RCX or NXT) may the robot have? For example may we link together 2 controllers?
    Only 1 controller per robot may be used.
  15. May the robot travel BELOW the speed limit?
    You may go below the speed limit, but if you exceed it, you will be penalized.
  16. Are there any height restrictions on the robot?
    No, there are no height restrictions.
  17. Our school includes both middle school and high school grade levels. Can the middle school students join our team?
    Teams may only consist of high school students, defined as those enrolled in grades 9-12 as of the date the team's application is submitted. Middle school students are welcome to attend the competition as spectators.
  18. What is included in the LEGO® Mindstorms® kit given to each school?
    Each MindStorms® Educations Base Set contains:
    • 1 NXT Intelligent Brick
    • 1 Rechargeable lithium battery and charger
    • 3 servo motors
    • 1 each: light sensor, sound sensor, ultrasonic sensor
    • 2 touch sensors
    • 3 rotation sensors (built into the motors)
    • 3 converter cables (for using existing sensors and motors with the NXT brick)
    • 7 connector cables (one .2M , two .5M, four .35M)
    • 3 lamps
    • 1 USB cable
    • Hundreds of TECHNIC building elements
    • Plastic storage bin with sorting trays
    • 1 LEGO® color sensor
    • LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education NXT Software 2.1 (if requested)
    • LEGO® site license (if requested)

  19. What kinds of NXT sensors does each school get?
    • Light sensor: Enables robots to distinguish between light and dark, no color gray scale only.
    • Touch sensor: Detects press and release.
    • Sound sensor: Capable of detecting sound in two modes, dBA and dB.
    • Ultrasonic sensor: Capable of providing ranging information +/- 3 cm out to 255 cm, works best with hard objects.
    • Servo motor: Provides both motive power and rotational sensor feedback.
    • Color sensor: Capable of detecting all standard LEGO brick colors.
  20. Can home-schooled students participate?
    The Mini-Urban Challenge is funded by a grant that has been awarded to support efforts in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in accredited high schools. In order to participate in the Mini-Urban Challenge, home-schooled students will need to team up with a local high school to create a team. The majority of public schools have provisions that allow for home schooled students to participate in local school events.
  21. What operating system may teams use on the Mindstorms brick?
    Teams may use any operating system that they wish.

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