Are you ready for the 21st Robot Track Meet Season?
2025 RTMA Rules Live!
Update 01/07/2025
The 2025 Robot Track Meet Rules document is live! Find it in the Downloads Section
We are thrilled to run our Robot Track Meet competitions again this year, and we hope to see many of you return! We have had some major changes to the rules this year, so please pay attention while reviewing them! One addition this year is extra accommodations for robotics platforms that aren't within the LEGO or VEX spheres, so new teams may be able to find a spot at the track meets!
The 2025 Robot Track Meet Rules document is live! Find it in the Downloads Section
- We have the 2025 RTMA Rules and 2025 Team Member Guidebook published!
- Registration is active, but some forms are restricted - mail-in registrations will be accepted after locations are announced
- Dates & locations of regional meets will be published soon - keep an eye out!
We are thrilled to run our Robot Track Meet competitions again this year, and we hope to see many of you return! We have had some major changes to the rules this year, so please pay attention while reviewing them! One addition this year is extra accommodations for robotics platforms that aren't within the LEGO or VEX spheres, so new teams may be able to find a spot at the track meets!
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Update 4/5/2022: We often get asked "is this a leg or a wheel" for our walker robots. Here is my best answer (took many years, but finally came out in a way that we think is clear).
Imagine a "round" wheel as being an axle around which a hub rotates and has an infinite number of spokes attached. These spokes in essence create a wheel, even without a rim. Those spokes provide a smooth ride because the infinite spokes in affect create the rim. Now cut the number of spokes down to 1000 and you still have a "reasonably smooth" wheel because each degree of angle around the hub still has around 3 spokes. Now keep taking away the spokes until you only have 360, or 100, or 36. You haven't changed the principle, you've only changed the number of contact points with the ground as the hub rotates around the axle, with the spokes set so many degrees apart. And of course the ride gets bumpier. Now take it all the way down to just four or two spokes and you get a clomper or flopper. It is still getting all of its motion and power through a basic axle/hub/spokes setup. You can even take it down to a single spoke and the issue is the same. They are all still wheels, at least as far as the rules for the Robot Track Meet are concerned. Hope this helps. To be a leg, it needs to get it's power and motion in any OTHER way. Reciprocal motion is one of the most common. The power still comes from a motor, with an axle, but the power is TRANSFORMED. Usually into a linear or reciprocal motion that moves the robot. See Reciprocal motion |
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Update 2/8/2022: FYI, the foam padding that we use in the Steeplechase event is Duck brand EasyLiner Select Grip White. Which can be found online or at local stores for about $10 for a 12" x 20' roll. It is non-adhesive and we use spray adhesive to put it onto the wood surface. Hope that helps.
The Robot Track Meets:
Learning into the future!
Overcome Engineering Challenges
Events such as the Slope Climber have students building robots that can navigate up steep slopes! Would you believe the world record is 82.5 degrees!
TEAM REGISTRATION Now Available. For 2025 we will be taking online and PO payments and will hold all Invoicing until the fourth of April. |
Not everything is robotics
Some challenges are done without robots, including the Bridge competition. This bridge is holding 200 pounds of weight and it still didn't collapse!
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Download this years Rule Book
Download the 2025 Robot Track Meet Associations' Official Description and Rule Book now and get your team started!
You can also get it off the "Downloads" page. |
Maine Robotics is done in collaboration with the University of Southern Maine