What is Zero Robotics?
Zero Robotics is a programming competition in which middle and high school students program a squadron of miniature satellites inside the International Space Station. Students write code to control the speed, direction, and rotation of the satellites to solve a specific challenge. Teams face off in virtual trials to test their algorithms. The middle school program uses a dynamic graphic interface to help students learn to write code, while high school teams write straight C++ code.
Teams that make it through the virtual simulations to the finals compete in a live tournament where astronauts load student-developed code onto the satellites onboard the ISS. Astronauts serve as referees, and everything is streamed in real time to student viewers on Earth.
With NASA’s second-generation free-flying robotic system, Astrobee, now on station, Zero Robotics is transitioning the competition from using Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) to the new Astrobee satellites.
Zero Robotics was recognized for the transition to Astrobee by the American Astronautical Society and the ISS National Laboratory with the innovation award for stem engagement during the 2022 ISS R&D Conference
Visit the official Zero Robotics page for the most up-to-date information, including a list of active tournaments.
There are two types of Zero Robotics tournaments:
High School Tournament: Geared towards students in grades 9-12, the tournament takes place from September to December each year. This is an international event open to all teams from the US and member states of the European Space Agency.
Middle School Summer Program: This is a 5-week program in which younger students learn to program through a graphical interface. The program takes place at selected locations in the US. Last year's program took place in CA, FL, GA, ID, TX, AL, MD, OH and MA, and is expected to expand to other states in 2015.
All tournaments are free of charge. All you need to do to get started is (1) find a team of 5-20 students and a mentor, (2) create an account and (3) register your team for a tournament. The list of currently active tournaments is here.
Tournament Objectives
The Zero Robotics challenge is different every year. Whether it’s cleaning up space debris, establishing a GPS System for Mars, or drilling for microbial samples on Enceladus, one of Jupiter’s moons, students write code that reflects current research and work being conducted in space today.
Depending on the game premise, the students must program their satellites to complete game objectives (navigate obstacles, pick up virtual objects, etc.) while conserving resources (fuel, charge, etc.) and staying within specified time and code-size limits. The programs are "autonomous" - that is, the students cannot control the satellites during the test itself.
ten Zero Robotics teams watching two views of the ISS competition live from MIT.
Image courtesy of John Tylko from the Aurora Flight Science Corporation.
Zero Robotics is made possible by generous support from: The Northrop Grumman Foundation, NASA, Aurora Flight Sciences, The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The MIT Space Systems Laboratory, TopCoder, DARPA and The European Space Agency.
