2008 Competition Award winners announced!
Thanks to sponsorship from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the dynamic competition offered a first place prize award of $15,000 and second and third place awards of $10,000 and $5,000 respectively. To be eligible for dynamic competition awards, teams must cut at least 50% of the grass.
2008 Competition Announced
The Institute of Navigation (ION) announces the Fifth Annual Robotic Lawnmower Competition sponsored by the ION’s Satellite Division and administered by the Dayton Section of the ION.
The purpose of the competition is for universities and colleges to design and operate a robotic unmanned lawnmower using the art and science of navigation to rapidly and accurately mow a field of grass.
The competition will be held near Dayton, Ohio. The competition will occur June 5-8, 2008. Team technical presentations will take place on Thursday, June 5. Inspection and qualifications will be performed on Friday, June 6. The main competition will take place on Saturday, June 7 (Rain date is June 8). Teams must present on Thursday and qualify on Friday to be eligible for competition on Saturday.
For further details, including the competition itinerary, view the 2008 Rulebook.
The 2008 competition will consist of the following two categories: Static Robotic Mowing Field and the Dynamic Robotic Mowing Field. The static course is similar to the competition in the past with two obstacles on a rectangular field. The dynamic course is new this year and includes an “L” shaped field with a moving obstacle. Teams are permitted to compete in either the static or the dynamic course, and schools may sponsor more than one team. In addition, a separate award will be awarded to the team which cuts the field with the “best cut.” Details on the best cut award are given in section 1.2.
Teams competing in the static and dynamic categories will be scored separately. The winning teams for both categories are based on the highest total score. Scoring details for each category in the mowing competition are provided in their respective sections. There will be cash awards presented to the top three teams in each category. In addition, special international recognition will be provided for all participating teams through ION publications and announcements at the 2007 ION Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) conference. The winning teams will also be given an invitation to display their lawnmowers during the ION GNSS, and given the opportunity to make a 20-minute presentation on their robotic lawnmower design. Finally, videotapes of the competition event will be distributed to sponsors, media, and the public.
Cash awards will be presented to the top three teams. Winning teams will also be given an invitation to display their lawnmowers during the Annual Meeting, and given the opportunity to make a 20-minute presentation on their robotic lawnmower design.
Travel Grants for Early Applicants
Travel assistance is available for the first five registered teams. Assistance is based on travel distance to the competition, up to $2000 per team.
Videotapes of the competition event will be distributed to sponsors, media, and the public.
