Using Robot Competitions to Promote Intellectual Development

AI Magazine Volume 21 Number 1 (2000) (© AAAI) Articles Using Robot Competitions to Promote Intellectual Development Robin R. Murphy I This article discusses five years of experience using into the classwork of the Introduction to three international mobile robot competitions as Robotics and Computer Vision (junior-senior the foundation for educational projects in under- level), Advanced Robotics and Computer graduate and graduate computer science courses. Vision (graduate level), and Field Session (com- The three competitions—(1) AAAI Mobile Robot, puter science design practicum) courses offered (2) AUVS Unmanned Ground Robotics, and (3) by the Department of Mathematical and Com- IJCAI RoboCup—were used in different years for an introductory undergraduate robotics course, an puter Sciences. The intent of these efforts is to advanced graduate robotics course, and an under- improve students’ design competence and graduate practicum course. Based on these experi- intellectual maturity by taking advantage of ences, a strategy is presented for incorporating the opportunities afforded by robot competi- competitions into courses in such a way as to fos- tions. ter intellectual maturation as well as learn lessons This article reviews experiences associated in organizing courses and fielding teams. The arti- with these courses and their design teams over cle also provides a classification of the major robot a five-year period. The design teams met the competitions and discusses the relative merits of objectives of each course, earned 1 first-place each for educational projects, including the expected course level of computer science stu- and 4 third-place awards plus $5000 in prizes, dents, equipment needed, and costs. and produced 7 papers. Based on these positive experiences, I encourage others to integrate competitions into classes and offer recommen- esign competitions are becoming dations on how to facilitate the process. increasingly common, especially in the Although the focus of this article is specific to Dfield of mobile robots. The sponsorship classroom education, it is expected that these of such competitions ranges from local clubs of observations will also provide insight into the enthusiasts to large professional organizations, incorporation of design competitions into the such as the American Association for Artificial general educational experience. A competition Intelligence (AAAI), which sponsors the annual can reinforce key concepts of a course and AAAI Mobile Robot Competition and Exhibi- bring reality to an AI robotics project as well as tion as part of its annual conference. Awards produce a viable entry. Other teaching oppor- for competitions vary from certificates of merit tunities not covered in class, such as budgeting to significant prize money, such as the Associ- and improving communication skills, are not ation for Unmanned Ground Vehicle Systems discussed in this article. (AUVS) Annual Ground Robotics Competition The article begins by contrasting the ob- awards of $5000 to its first-place winner, $3000 jectives of competitions and educational expe- to the second place, and $2000 to the third. riences. The conclusion is that certain portions The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) has of competitions can be an important tool for been a leader in fostering the intellectual fostering intellectual maturity, as defined by development of its students through design ac- the Perry model (Pavelich and Moore 1996). tivities (Pavelich and Moore 1996). One out- Next, a classification of the major internation- come of this emphasis has been the incorpora- al robot competitions is presented. Back- tion of national design competitions directly ground information on the courses is present- Copyright © 2000, American Association for Artificial Intelligence. All rights reserved. 0738-4602-2000 / $2.00 SPRING 2000 77 Articles ed and how this information influenced the numbers of demonstrations of software agents matching of classes to a specific competition. playing competitive games. How the courses were organized to take advantage of the competition topics is discussed Competitions and the Perry Model next, with particular emphasis on grading and Although competitions clearly offer something class size, the spectrum of philosophies for to the research community, they also offer a managing competitions, and the difficulties more immediate payoff to the general educa- with cooperative learning. A section on field- tional development of the individual student. ing a team by integrating the class projects is A competition provides additional extrinsic also included. The article concludes with a syn- motivation for the students to mature, accord- thesis of the experiences at CSM into a general ing to the Perry model of intellectual develop- strategy for incorporating a competition into a ment (Culver, Woods, and Fitch 1990). robotics course. Perry’s model defines nine stages of increasing complex reasoning: Positions 1 and 2, dual- ism, reflect a student’s attitude that right and Competition versus Education wrong answers exist for all problems. At posi- Competitions The goals of a competition often have a surface tion 3, early multiplicity, students realize that intersection with the topics addressed by edu- knowledge includes methods for solving prob- focus on cation. However, competitions focus on win- lems and that there can be more than one right winning ning (although some define winning in terms of answer to a problem. Students reach position 4, (although design rather than performance), whereas edu- late multiplicity, when they begin to think and cation concentrates on teaching the methods analyze about the diversity of possible solu- some define that ultimately lead to success. Instructors use tions. At position 5, relativism, students evalu- winning in a variety of techniques in the classroom, most ate solutions from different contexts. At posi- notably laboratory exercises and projects, to tions 6 through 9, commitment within relativism, terms of ensure that each student has the opportunity the students are able to take into account that design to meet the learning objectives. The Perry the world is a changing place. model suggests that a competition can aid the A competition involves a clearly de- rather than intellectual maturity of students who are be- fined—but open-ended—problem to which performance), ginning to accept that there might be more there are many possible solutions. The students whereas than one correct answer to a problem. The pri- must be largely self-reliant to understand the mary issue for an instructor is how to identify problem and apply their knowledge and prob- education and integrate the appropriate aspects of a com- lem-solving methods; they must function at concentrates petition into the laboratory and project assign- the least at the early multiplicity position. ments. Working voluntarily with other students on teaching encourages the student to identify and evalu- the methods Competition Goals ate a variety of opinions stemming from the The sponsors of robot competitions generally scientific literature, the professors, and other that cite the following reasons for the competition: students, which should move the student to a ultimately to evaluate progress of the community in some late-multiplicity position. The typical team aspect of mobile robotics, for example, walking organization of an adviser plus student mem- lead to platforms; to encourage undergraduate stu- bers lends itself to a realization of relativism, success. dents to get more experience with mobile whereby the teacher serves as a consultant robotics, thereby improving both the quality of instead of an arbiter. The goals of the competi- students going into the work force and the tion, as opposed to other potential applications number of students willing to make a career in of robotics, serve to stress the contextual aspect robotics; to expose undergraduate students to of applying knowledge. faculty and research issues, thereby encourag- In addition to the general intellectual matu- ing them to consider graduate school; to ration of the student, a competition provides a encourage graduate students and their advisers forum in which to acquire and exercise specific to consider pressing but unsolved issues facing job-related skills. Mobile robot competitions, robotics; and to have fun. In effect, they are in particular, require sophisticated software, mini–grand challenges of a field to encourage interdisciplinary interactions, and teamwork. interdisciplinary interactions between academ- It is difficult for the students to make progress ic researchers in the hopes that such endeavors without applying good software-engineering will become commonplace. principles, especially testing and debugging The potential impact of these competitions strategies. The students will probably need to on research should not be underestimated. The collaborate with students from other disci- AAAI national conference hosts increasing plines; for example, the smooth control of a 78 AI MAGAZINE Articles mobile robot depends both on the power train and have a high potential for being completed. and on how fast the software can update what Shelter students from extraneous con- the next move should be. A good competition cerns. Competitions often involve many is designed so that it is virtually impossible for activities that would not be encountered in a a one-person team to succeed; so, interpersonal typical laboratory experience: acquiring-main- and project

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