This is one of those competitions that I'm really excited about. Why? Because it really bridges the gap between the virtual world and reality. It's called RoboChamps and it's being spearheaded by Mr. Tafiti RoboChampion himself, Marc Mercuri.
Here's the concept: design a robot, program it to successfully negotiate a maze full of traps and surprises, win fame and glory! This is all accomplished by simulating your design in Microsoft Robotics Studio. As Mark explains, this contest is open to everyone, but he would love to see a student win it! You guys have a nice advantage with your access to DreamSpark software to get you rolling.
You will see in this video Marc's demo of the maze, the mars rover, and the web site with avatars and talking robot shows! Also, make sure to check out Channel 9 and Channel 10 for the developer and technology enthusiast perspecitves, respectively.