LUNACY is the challenge for the 2009 FIRST Robotics Competition.  The game is in honor of the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon.  In order to truly honor the lunar landing, they simulated what it would be like to drive on the moon without much gravity by having a slippery surface for the field combined with wheels with little traction.

The game is played on 54′ by 27′ low friction field, meant to simulate the low friction driving on the moon.  At the beginning of each match the robot is equipped with a payload trailer, and positioned at one of six different starting positions.  Two three-team alliances are located at either end of the field, and human players are located at the corners and the sides.  The game pieces for this year’s competition are called orbit balls.  There are three different types, moon rocks, empty cells, and super cells.

As shown in the video, the goal of the robot, as well as the human players located at the corners and sides, is to try to throw the orbit balls into the payload trailers attached to the robot.  Each ball scored in your opponent’s trailer is worth two points, unless an empty cell is exchanged for a super cell, where in the last 20 seconds the super cell can be played in the game, and if scored will be worth 15 points.  A single match lasts two minutes and fifteen seconds.  The first 15 seconds is the autonomous period where the robot does everything without an operator.  Then the remaining two minutes is the teleoperated period where the operators, or drivers, are allowed to step forward and take control of the robot.  The payload trailers start out empty.  The robots are allowed to start with up to seven balls, and the payload specialists, or the human players on the corners and sides, are allowed up to 20 balls, minus the in the robot.
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