Announcements:

  • Registration is now open for the Zero Robotics High School Tournament 2012!
    Read this page for more details about how Zero Robotics works, then visit the Tournaments page here to begin the registration process. The competition starts on Sept. 9, 2012, and registration is open until the first submission deadline on Sept. 21, 2012.

  • Looking for the Autonomous Space Capture Challenge?  Registration is still open, click here! Get up to speed by reading the competition documents here. Announcements for the rest of the tournament will be sent by e-mail.

What is Zero Robotics?

"Zero Robotics" is a robotics programming competition where the robots are SPHERES satellites inside the International Space Station. The competition starts online, on this website, where teams compete to solve an annual challenge guided by mentors. Participants can create, edit, share, save, simulate and submit code, all from a web browser. After several phases of virtual competition, finalists are selected to compete in a live championship aboard the ISS. An astronaut will conduct the championship competition in microgravity with a live broadcast!

There are three types of Zero Robotics tournaments:

  • High School Tournament: geared towards students in grades 9-12, the tournament takes place from Sep-Dec each Fall. This is a nationwide event open to any teams from the US.
  • Middle School Summer Program: for younger students, this is a 5-week program where students learn to program through a graphical interface. The program will take place at TBD locations (where the SPHERES team has a strong presence). The first open program is expected to start in the Summer of 2013.
  • Open Challenges: these are open to everyone from around the world, including professionals, educators, university students, etc. You can participate individually or as a team. These competitions usually involve working on complex algorithms that will help future spaceflight missions.

All tournaments are free of charge. All you need to participate is to create an account and register your team for an active tournament. Plus, High School and Middle School teams need a primary mentor.

Who Should Apply?

  • Students

    High school, middle school and college level students from the US and partnering EU countries. Each tournament is open for a different level of students. Check out the active tournaments to see if you are eligible. There are no restrictions on age, gender, nationality, etc. Students must be enrolled in a school or an equivalent accredited program or be home schooled to the level required by the tournament. Students from multiple regional schools can form a "district" team.

  • Primary mentor

    We encourage teams to find volunteers from their communities to help with programming and strategy.  We highly encourage teachers from affiliated schools or local colleges, as well as professionals (NASA employees, engineers, consultants) to participate.  A primary mentor should also have access to space for students to work on the challenge and be able to dedicate significant time to advising the students.  If you are a mentor looking for a team, please visit Looking for a Team.  If you have a team but still need a mentor, please visit Looking for a Mentor.

  • Volunteers

    Teams should look for 1-3 additional volunteers in addition to their primary mentor to assist during the season.  We recommend finding at least one mentor for the team with some programming experience.  Time commitment depends on team organization but from experience we recommend mentors dedicate upwards of 12 hours/week.

 

What is needed?

A team will need access to the following:

• A team composed of 5 or more students
• At least one mentor affiliated with the school or program to supervise the team
• At least one mentor with programming experience to guide the students
• At least two computers with internet access and the Adobe Flash plugin
• Available time to meet either during or after school, as organized by the primary mentor

No funding is required to join the program, but teams that qualify for the final championship must raise their own funds to travel to MIT for the live ISS event.

How to Apply

Visit our Active Tournaments page to review the tournaments you are eligible for and click on the 'Register' button to fill out an application form. You may use our Resources section to find a team or a mentor, since that information will be required in the application form. You may also participate in a tournament if a team that is already registered for that tournament invites you to join them, so use our forums and Resources to get in touch with teams!