>
>David,
>
>    I found alot of great info on your groups website, but Im still lost. I
>am looking for someone to design a prototype for me (consultant) I am not
>having much luck,any advice you could give me would be helpful. Perhaps
>someone from SFRSA might be interested?
>
>Thanks in advance
>
>Justin


-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.

Hey Ron:

I just wanted to thank you again fro coming all the way down here and showing
off Tortoise.  What  great 'bot!

Hope to see you again in the future.

Take care.


-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.

Mini Sumo Miss Upsets Big Bots at Robot Competition
San Francisco, Monday, October 1
By Jim Wright [JIMWIRE]

After a full afternoon of elimination matches, the slender,
intent girl from San Francisco faced her last opponent
in the final round of the popular Mini Sumo Robot Games
at the Exploratorium yesterday.

Battered and dented, her Sumo robot Sydney quietly sat
in the ring awaiting the onslaught of the much feared Western
Regional champion, a brutal heavyweight named Thunder.

Hot under the glare of the bright lights, every move scrutinized
by the live TV cameras. and surrounded by the crush of the
hushed crowd, Ariel Jew stood erect and tall - the top of her
head leveling with the belt buckle of her human rival.

Her unexpected successes had led to rumors that young
Ariel really had a PhD from MIT, charges on which she
modestly refused comment on camera  before the final match.
Now it was time for the culminating event of the day.  Youth
versus age, new blood against experience, beauty taking on the
establishment. Sydney facing Thunder.

The two combatants quietly bowed to each other, squatted
down, and tensely waited with their hands on the on switch
of their robots. "Five, four, three, two, ONE!".

Light and quick, popular favorite Sydney moves out first to
the cheers of the crowd.   Then the great Thunder follows,
ponderous and slow, sniffing like a big bull mastiff.  Thrust
and parry, attack and retreat, the bots circle each other probing
for the advantage.

Sydney dances like a butterfly and stings like a bee, repeatedly
threatening the big bot.  But, suddenly. Thunder catches  Sydney
head on and bulldozes her out of the ring, mighty servos grinding.

The crowd groans. Round one to Thunder.

Round two begins with onlookers tense and expectant. How can
newcomer Sydney survive against the powerful terminator bot?
Again Sydney moves out quickly, light footed and alert, looking for
the advantage.  At once an opening presents itself and Sydney
darts in for the kill, broadsiding the big bot and pushing it right
out of the ring.  Success!  Will this be the big upset of the Robot
Games?  They now stand one and one.

The crowd quiets down, intent and serious.  Ariel and her
opponent bow.  The countdown completes.  Both bots activate.

Alas, it is not meant to be. Round three goes to Thunder, which
pulls it's processors and controllers together in a final supreme
effort to best the surprising upstart from San Francisco.  Thunder
triumphs through brute force and advanced sensors, again reigning
supreme.

As gracious in defeat as she was in victory, Ariel modestly leaves
the ring to the cheering of her new found admirers.  Herman Jew,
her advisor and pit crew says, "We learned a lot with Sydney.
Weight Counts.  Sensors count.  Ariel and Sydney will be back."

We shall see.  In the meantime keep an eye on
http://www.exploratorium.edu/robots/index.html for the full webcast
of the event, to relive this moment in Mini Sumo history.

Bravo!

Great synopsis.  Any chance we can get you to do color for future events?

At 15:33 01-10-01 +0000, you wrote:
>Mini Sumo Miss Upsets Big Bots at Robot Competition
>San Francisco, Monday, October 1
>By Jim Wright [JIMWIRE]
>
>After a full afternoon of elimination matches, the slender,
>intent girl from San Francisco faced her last opponent
>in the final round of the popular Mini Sumo Robot Games
>at the Exploratorium yesterday.


-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.

----- Original Message -----

From: David Calkins - RSA

To: sfrsa@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 12:52 AM

Subject: Re: [sfrsa] Mini Sumo Miss Upsets Big Bots at Robot Competition

Bravo!

Great synopsis.  Any chance we can get you to do color for future events?

At 15:33 01-10-01 +0000, you wrote:
>Mini Sumo Miss Upsets Big Bots at Robot Competition
>San Francisco, Monday, October 1
>By Jim Wright [JIMWIRE]
>
>After a full afternoon of elimination matches, the slender,
>intent girl from San Francisco faced her last opponent
>in the final round of the popular Mini Sumo Robot Games
>at the Exploratorium yesterday.


-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.



Be sure to visit our web site at http://www.robots.org.

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Jim,

Although I agree your account is colorful, I am afraid it is not
accurate in the simplest sense. Sydney did not push Thunder out of
the ring and did not win a point in the match. I was operating
thunder for its owner, Joe Miller, and unless there was another match
after I left, Thunder defeated Sydney 2-0. This is not to take
anything away from Sydney who did very well - making it all the way
to the finals in her first competition.

Color is nice but it should add interest - not change history!

Regards,

Stan

>
> Round two begins with onlookers tense and expectant. How can
> newcomer Sydney survive against the powerful terminator bot?
> Again Sydney moves out quickly, light footed and alert, looking for
> the advantage.  At once an opening presents itself and Sydney
> darts in for the kill, broadsiding the big bot and pushing it right
> out of the ring.  Success!  Will this be the big upset of the Robot
> Games?  They now stand one and one.
>

Don't forget our first Wednesday meeting at the Exploratorium at 7:30 on
Wednesday, Oct 3rd.

If you've got a robot - Bring it!  Show it off and don't forget to ask for help
if you've got a problem.

See you then!

----- Original Message -----

From: sgcossette@...

Subject: [sfrsa] Re: Mini Sumo Miss Upsets Big Bots at Robot Competition

Jim,

Although I agree your account is colorful, I am afraid it is not
accurate in the simplest sense. Sydney did not push Thunder out of
the ring and did not win a point in the match

Hello all,

I won't be able to make the meeting tonite but want to forward a
couple of comments for discussion in this group or maybe at the
meeting:

1. What happened to prizes for the event winners?
I was not aware of prizes being given there nor at any other
competition. I've only been involved in a couple of previous events
but I believe there has been some prize of some sort. I had told my
daughters, who helped build a robot, that there would be a prize and
I know they would have been expecting one if we won. Was this
discussed at a previous meeting perhaps? I saw many raffle winners
which is nice but since the contests are what draw people to the
events, I think we should retain the prizes or at least make it clear
there are none up front. FYI - I didn't win anything so this is not
sour grapes.

2. There was no attempt to enforce the rules for the mini-sumo event.
There was no weigh-in or size check. Contestants were fiddling with
their robots after the match started, and many robots did not wait 5
seconds before starting. In my case, I lost my match getting pushed
out of the ring just as my robot was waking up (after waiting the
correct 5 seconds). This may be a result of not enough people helping
out (David DID ask for Judges) but the contestants themselves should
be aware of the rules as well as the people running the classes that
build the robots. The only fair contest is one that provides clear
rules so that contestants are forced to use design ingenuity to
compete. By not enforcing the rules, the contest will favor those who
did not follow them. Just in case you are wondering, I am NOT
implying that the overall winner, Thunder, did not comply. My guess
is that it did since it competed last year when the rules were better
enforced. Thunder is an example of a superior design that stayed
within the rules, even to the extent of not 'adding' its scoop until
after start so that it would comply with the size limits!

Anyway, there's my two cents!

Stan

Well, the Annual Fall Robot Games and Expo at the Exploratorium was a roaring
success.  More robots than anyone can remember.  And all those contestants!  I
was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who had never before competed
but brought their bots to compete or show.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came, but some people in
particular:

* Every single person who brought a 'bot.  These shows couldn't happen with out.
You guys are the best.
* Jon Nebenfuhr who got there early, made coffee and manned the booth for so
long.  he also made a very generous donation to the RSA.  Thanks Jon!
* Sam Coniglio, for all his great record keeping, now lost to time (but that's
another story.)
* Ken Mochel, who manned the booth and was instrumental in getting tables out
and exhibitors set-up
* All those guys from the Southern Oregon Robotics crew, who manned the booth,
and contributed so much to the games.
* Erin Wilson, Larry Shaw, and the other great staff members of the
Exploratorium, who showed up so early on Sunday, and put so much work in to the
show before hand, to make sure everything ran smoothly.

* Leo Laporte, our fantastic MC and host, who kept the crowd interested and me
in line.
* PNI corporation and Joe Miller, for their generous donation covering much of
the cost of the T-shirts.
* Robert Trent, Terry Grant, and Mark Sherman from NASA  for their amazing
Botball exhibit.  NASA does a lot to help out with robotics, and displays like
theirs really spread the word!
* Gavin Miller - who brought his marvelous snake robots, which due to a
communication error (my fault) didn't get their proper display and recognition. 
We did manage to do a demo at about 4:15.  I hope everyone saw it.
* Ron Nucci who came down from Seattle to show off his robot "Tortoise" who won
the AAAI hors d'oeuvres contest.
* Joe Miller for loaning us his cool Mars Rover.
* Roger Gilbertson and robotstore.com for their usual support and display.
* Mark Medonis and his super cool talking robot Maxwell - if only my robots
could be so cool!
* Cliff and Toni for their cool Aibo racing track.  What a great idea!
* Steven Jacinto from Sony Robotics, who drove all the way up from Los Angeles
to give Aibo navigator demonstrations, and generously donated prizes to our
raffle.
* Andrew Filo, who brought along the new iCybie and so many other cool bots.
* Matt Clayson, Richard Jacobsen, and Dave Friday for bringing Star Wars to the
Bay.  Richard was the Stormtrooper, Matt brought the hanger droid, and Dave was
R2's "keeper."
* Tom Henning and his NASA First team.  What a great couple of robots!
* Richard Halverson and Sam for their lego display.

I'll be sending out some photos and a recap very soon, but thanks again to all
who participated, and I look forward to seeing you again come spring!
-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.

Time restrictions and many of the winners wandering off into the four
winds did not allow an awards ceremony.


--- In sfrsa@y..., sgcossette@y... wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I won't be able to make the meeting tonite but want to forward a
> couple of comments for discussion in this group or maybe at the
> meeting:
>
> 1. What happened to prizes for the event winners?
> I was not aware of prizes being given there nor at any other
> competition. I've only been involved in a couple of previous events
> but I believe there has been some prize of some sort. I had told my
> daughters, who helped build a robot, that there would be a prize and
> I know they would have been expecting one if we won. Was this
> discussed at a previous meeting perhaps? I saw many raffle winners
> which is nice but since the contests are what draw people to the
> events, I think we should retain the prizes or at least make it clear
> there are none up front. FYI - I didn't win anything so this is not
> sour grapes.
>
> 2. There was no attempt to enforce the rules for the mini-sumo event.
> There was no weigh-in or size check. Contestants were fiddling with
> their robots after the match started, and many robots did not wait 5
> seconds before starting. In my case, I lost my match getting pushed
> out of the ring just as my robot was waking up (after waiting the
> correct 5 seconds). This may be a result of not enough people helping
> out (David DID ask for Judges) but the contestants themselves should
> be aware of the rules as well as the people running the classes that
> build the robots. The only fair contest is one that provides clear
> rules so that contestants are forced to use design ingenuity to
> compete. By not enforcing the rules, the contest will favor those who
> did not follow them. Just in case you are wondering, I am NOT
> implying that the overall winner, Thunder, did not comply. My guess
> is that it did since it competed last year when the rules were better
> enforced. Thunder is an example of a superior design that stayed
> within the rules, even to the extent of not 'adding' its scoop until
> after start so that it would comply with the size limits!
>
> Anyway, there's my two cents!
>
> Stan

Hi all,

I am new to the group and just wanted to make my
presence known.

I did catch the Robot Games and though it suffered
from a lack of compeditors, it was fun to watch the
games and see the different bots.

I work(?) mainly with Lego Mindstorms and am mostly
interested in designing and programming in that area.

I hope to make it to the meetings. Is there a charge
to get into the Exploratorium?

Luther

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
NEW from Yahoo! GeoCities - quick and easy web site hosting, just $8.95/month.
http://geocities.yahoo.com/ps/info1

NO - the first Wednesday (when we have our meetings) is free.

At 10:15 04-10-01 -0700, you wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>I am new to the group and just wanted to make my
>presence known.
>
>I did catch the Robot Games and though it suffered
>from a lack of compeditors, it was fun to watch the
>games and see the different bots.
>
>I work(?) mainly with Lego Mindstorms and am mostly
>interested in designing and programming in that area.
>
>I hope to make it to the meetings. Is there a charge
>to get into the Exploratorium?


-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.

--- In sfrsa@y..., "Jon Nebenfuhr" <phx1138@y...> wrote:
> Time restrictions and many of the winners wandering off into the
four
> winds did not allow an awards ceremony.
>
>

So there were prizes awarded, just no ceremony?

[sorry I didn't respond earier]

Here is the list of winners and their prizes.  Usually we have an awards
ceremony, but not all winners could be found at 4 PM when we were going to do
it.  Dollar figure prizes are gift certificates generously donated from
robotstore.com

Sumo 1st - $100 (Joe MIller)
Sumo 2nd - $50 (Herman Jew)
Sumo 3rd - Bio Bug (Jay Atkins)

Line Following - Lego Mindstorms

Hexapod - $75 (Nik Donaldson)

Open - $75 (Maynard Chen)

Also, there was a weigh in before the games.  Nut Case, in fact, weighed in at a
kg or so, and had to remove most bolts he had put on for weight.  I was timing
each match, and about 6 matches went the three minutes.

All in all, it was a lot of fun, and we gave away some good prizes.  I hope to
be able to offer more and bigger pries in future games.



-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.

I want to personally thank David Calkins for all the effort and time
he put into this event!  As the president of Southern Oregon Robotics
Club I am well aware of the countless hours of preperation that goes
into something of this magnitude. David did an extremely good job of
pulling together this event! I would like to encourage anyone who has
any squables about things lacking or left undone to jump in and offer
their assistance in those areas at the next Robot Games. So far from
what I can tell the only reward that David got for all his troubles is
his car broken into and several very expensive personal items stollen.
I for one say Bravo! David job well done!!!
  Maybe we can all pull together and try to help replace some of the
items that were stollen. It's the least we can do.

David,

> Dollar figure prizes are gift certificates generously donated from
> robotstore.com
>
> Sumo 1st - $100 (Joe MIller)
> Sumo 2nd - $50 (Herman Jew)

I'm very glad to hear the prizes were actually given out. As I said,
I think they add to the fun and motivation to the contests which are
a primary draw for the event. Since I was around until about 5pm and
did not see any prizes mentioned or given out I assumed there were
none. Also, when the other host asked about the prize for the mini-
sumo winner, all that was mentioned was an appearance on Tech TV.

> Also, there was a weigh in before the games.

I stand by my previous statements. Some of the robots may have been
weighed but it was not a requirement to compete. The other statements
I made can be verified by watching the webcast.

> All in all, it was a lot of fun, and we gave away some good
prizes.

You're right! Even though I was disappointed about the items
previously mentioned. It's great to see the excitement and interest
an event like this generates! What's done is done, I am only writing
in hopes that future events will address some of these issues.

Regards,

Stan

Some more comments:

First, let me say that my school had a great time at the robot
games.  It was fun seeing all the robots, and my students were
inspired to go back and try to build sumo bots and rope climbers.

With that said, I have a suggestion:

I had a very hard time finding rules for the games, and when I did
find rules, they were inaccurate (i.e. the line following rules from
the webcast page say there will be 'white lines on the black
exploratorium floor' and that there will be a data collection
component to the competition).  I sent several emails which were
unanswered, except by others with the same question.  I think
competitor turnout will be much higher if the complete rules are
posted well in advance.

Thank you, though, for your hard work.  It is clear that this is a
large scale project, and took many many hours to put together.  All
in all, it was a great event.

Eric Reed
De Anza High School

Portland is having their robotics meeting tomorrow afternoon.

Anyone wanna drive up there and geek out?



-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.

I will offer my mini van from Grants Pass on up.  By the way, it is
before noon, at 10:30am. Saturday morning.  I may be able to get the
Boys and Girls club gym for anyone that wants to overnight it, I
usually leave here aroung 6:30 to make it there in time.
-Dan
P.S. For the Guy who wants the Mini-Sumo MarkII's, Portland is the
group that has them... well, whats left anyway.



--- In sfrsa@y..., David Calkins - RSA <robots@t...> wrote:
> Portland is having their robotics meeting tomorrow afternoon.
>
> Anyone wanna drive up there and geek out?
>
>
>
> -David Calkins, President
> Robotics Society of America
> http://www.robots.org
>
> -----------------------------------------------
> Silicon shall replace Carbon.
> The revolution will be automated.

I have no way to get to Grants Pass.

Therein lies the problem.

I may grey-hound it.

At 18:01 05-10-01 +0000, you wrote:
>I will offer my mini van from Grants Pass on up.  By the way, it is
>before noon, at 10:30am. Saturday morning.  I may be able to get the
>Boys and Girls club gym for anyone that wants to overnight it, I
>usually leave here aroung 6:30 to make it there in time.
>-Dan
>P.S. For the Guy who wants the Mini-Sumo MarkII's, Portland is the
>group that has them... well, whats left anyway.

_____________________________________________________
There is no pain - you are receding.  A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.  Your lips move, but I can't hear what
you're saying.
When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look, but it was gone.  I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown - the dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb.

I'm looking for two types of speakers for the RSA:

1) A short speaker series for each 1st Wednesday.  This is intended to be a
specific lecture about 30 minutes (or less) on a topic of general interest. 
Examples might be how to modify a servo for continuous rotation, how to
use/program a speech recognition module, hexapod locomotion, etc.  It should
include a physical demo, but doesn't have to.  If you're discussing BASIC
programming or using an H-bridge, as an example, you don't necessarily need to
bring a display.  These lectures should be by normal RSA members.

2) Bigger name speakers for non-Wednesday lectures.  Such as we've done with
Takeshi Yazawa (Aibo), Mark Tilden (BEAM), Peter Menzel/Faith D'Aluisio
(RoboSapiens).  These lectures are for general public admission, and we will
probably charge an entrance fee.

Please contact me with ideas or thoughts.

Oh! OH! OH!

I want to go, but I need a ride from San Francisco. I'll chip in for
gas and buy the driver lunch.





--- In sfrsa@y..., David Calkins - RSA <robots@t...> wrote:
> Portland is having their robotics meeting tomorrow afternoon.
>
> Anyone wanna drive up there and geek out?
>
>
>
> -David Calkins, President
> Robotics Society of America
> http://www.robots.org
>
> -----------------------------------------------
> Silicon shall replace Carbon.
> The revolution will be automated.

Man  I wish I'd have brought this up sooner to Dave, it doesn't look
like there will be enough time for you guys to get it all together.



--- In sfrsa@y..., "Jon Nebenfuhr" <phx1138@y...> wrote:
> Oh! OH! OH!
>
> I want to go, but I need a ride from San Francisco. I'll chip in for
> gas and buy the driver lunch.
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In sfrsa@y..., David Calkins - RSA <robots@t...> wrote:
> > Portland is having their robotics meeting tomorrow afternoon.
> >
> > Anyone wanna drive up there and geek out?
> >
> >
> >
> > -David Calkins, President
> > Robotics Society of America
> > http://www.robots.org
> >
> > -----------------------------------------------
> > Silicon shall replace Carbon.
> > The revolution will be automated.

For anyone really bored:

http://events.exploratorium.edu/CAM2/index.html

It's alive camera atop the Exploratorium that YOU can control.

Dear Patricia:

Thank you so much for your kind letter.  It would be wonderful for your students
to participate in our games.  Since we have so much time in advance, I think
that we can probably find volunteers to house your students as well - to help
lessen the costs of coming.  How many students do you estimate would come?

Our next games will be in the spring - we have two each year, although we may
expand that to as many as four events per year.

All of the rules are currently being re-written, but I will be happy to forward
you the new set when they are finished later this month.  I will also try to
arrange for other activities for your students to enjoy when they come - since
this is San Francisco, there is of course lots to do.

Thank you again for your email, and I look forward to hearing more from you
soon.

At 09:30 26-09-01 +0200, you wrote:
>Dear Madam/Sir:
>
>I´m Patricia Picó Sánchez, from the Web Department of the Ciudad de las
>Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences), in Valencia, Spain.
>
>I wonder if it possible for students from Spain to participate in the 2002
>Robot Games, and in this case, when will the next competition take place. I
>suppose it will take place next year in september, so I´d like to get more
>information about the rules, the dead-line for building the robot etc. It is
>such a great idea from the Robotics Society of America!
>
>I am also interested in other activities and competitions in which spanish
>students could participate.
>Could you please tell me about this? Thank you so much in advance! ;-)
>
>Best regards,
>
>Patricia Picó Sánchez
>Departamento Web
>Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias
>www.cac.es
>Teléfono: +34 (96)197 44 50
>E-mail: ppico@... <mailto:ppico@...>


-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.

Hey guys,

I just wanted to mention that Cocamoes(sp?) (a club in Potrero Hill) had
some really neat "dancing" robots as part of a rave/performance art
thing tonight(Friday). They were pretty impressive - ~1/4 scale human
torsos with mobile arms, hands and fingers and 2dof head. Anyone know if
a local made these? I couldn't get any info on them.

Steve

Yea, he works for Omincircus at 550 Natoma (it's a cool place you should go
sometime.)  The bots normally reside there - or did as of a year ago.

The artist's name is Carl Pisaturo (There's a second guy he works for/with -
Frank Garvy, who makes other cool bots)

And yes, I really do know everyone.

At 01:57 06-10-01 -0700, you wrote:

>Hey guys,
>
>I just wanted to mention that Cocamoes(sp?) (a club in Potrero Hill) had
>some really neat "dancing" robots as part of a rave/performance art
>thing tonight(Friday). They were pretty impressive - ~1/4 scale human
>torsos with mobile arms, hands and fingers and 2dof head. Anyone know if
>a local made these? I couldn't get any info on them.


-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.

>Moonbase University - AI
>
>Thursday, October 11
>
>7.00pm-9.00pm
>
>$5 suggested donation
>
>----> Event Description <------------------------------------------------
>
>Following hard on the heels of our successful inaugural session on space
>exploration, the Moonbase University plunges into the intellectual jungle
>of artificial intelligence. What is it? Why is it hard? Will we know it
>when we see it? Will we make good pets? Join machine vision expert Dr Peter
>Cheeseman of NASA Ames and other guests to be announced to explore the
>state of the art in AI.
>
>----> Venue Info <-------------------------------------------------------
>
>Cellspace
>2050 Bryant Street (between 18th & 19th)
>San Francisco
>
>http://www.cellspace.org
>
>----> Additional Info <--------------------------------------------------
>
>rachel@...
>
>http://www.themoonbase.org
>
>


-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robots.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.