This year's challenge is named Rebound Rumble!

Like every year, this year's challenge pits two alliances against together, each with three teams, in a fast-paced competition. Each team has two members who drive the robot, one who acts as a "human player," and a drive coach to assist the members of the drive team.

There are four hoops positioned on both of the opposite sides of the field. Each alliance will attempt to score basketballs, which are spread across the field and also are placed on or around the robot at the start of the match, into these hoops. The single highest hoop is worth three points, two middle hoops are worth two points for sinking a shot, and one lower hoop is worth only one point for scoring. Each team can move back and forth across the field, collecting balls and then shooting them on the other side, but they must either pass over a bump in the middle field or traverse across one of three ramps that separates the two sides of the field.

Rebound Rumble, for the first time, also makes use of the Microsoft Kinect motion control hardware, which can be used in the new "hybrid" mode, where only the player using the Kinect and pre-programmed automatic movements are allowed. This new control method can also be used in the two-minute teleoperated period, but not for driving.

At the end of the match, players try to balance their robots on one of the three ramps in the middle of the field. The more robots balancing on a ramp, the more points that can be earned. Also, if two robots from opposite alliances manage to balance together on the middle ramp in the field, the teams earn valuable bonus points.


For the complete rules, visit the Rebound Rumble Information Page on the FIRST website, where you can find more information, download the full game manual with the complete rules, and view other media.

These are the competitions we are participating in this year:

BAE Granite State Regional
North Carolina Regional