Robochamps
RoboChamps is a new robotics programming league based on simulation, which removes the barriers to entry of robot availability, cost, and deep hardware knowledge. RoboChamps is more specifically built on top of the simulation functionality provided in Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008, which means that participants can program their robots using the .NET languages they are already familiar with.
In addition, a simulated robotics competition provides the opportunity for participants to engage in rich simulation environments and use robots that are unattainable via other means. For example, RoboChamps participants have the opportunity to navigate a rescue robot in a city struck by disaster, program a car to drive autonomously in a traffic filled city and drive a rover on the surface of Mars – all scenarios that would be financially prohibitive for most individuals.
RoboChamps consist of a series of challenges. Each challenge comes with a 3-D simulation environment, a robot, a challenge scenario, and the rules for completing the scenario. From there, it’s up to your creativity and coding skills. Using .NET, code your robot to complete the challenge successfully, and submit an entry to the RoboChamps League. A referee service will be running to make sure the rules are being followed, determine your score and send it back to RoboChamps.com.
The infrastructure uses a fair amount of the latest Microsoft technologies – Silverlight 2.0, ASP.NET 3.5, WCF (REST and MTOM services), Linq, LiveID, Silverlight Streaming, .NET Framework 3.5, VS 2008, Expression Blend, IIS and Expression Encoder. The site also generates its own API keys so developers can compete and have their code tie into the site’s services, provides community with robocards - rich SL cards that are exposed to be readily consumable on blogs, websites or third-party networks like Facebook.
More information:
Website – www.RoboChamps.com
Channel 9 video – https://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=399952
.NET Rocks Podcast – https://perseus.franklins.net/dotnetrocks_0336_marc_mercuri.wma
On10.net video – https://www.on10.net/blogs/tina/Robo-Champs-My-robot-is-bigger-then-your-robot/