The 2015 MOONBOTS Challenge is an international on-line competition that challenges youth from 8 to 17 years old to form a team (2-4 members) to design, create and program their own robots.
The competition is divided into two phases. In Phase One, teams create a user account and submit a short video or written story about what inspires them about the Moon, from old tales to the potential of lunar exploration. Thirty teams will be selected by a panel experts to move onto the next stage: Phase Two. In Phase Two, teams will receive a robotics kit of their choice: LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3, VEX IQ Superkit or MECCANO Meccanoid G15 KS to create their own robot to rove on a simulated lunar landscape based on the story the team created in Phase One of the competition. Teams will also be asked to create and upload a video showing how they have demonstrated their MOONBOTS game to children and adults in their community.
Three Grand PRIZE winners will land a once-in-a-life time trip to Japan to meet with teams from all over the world competing in the Google Lunar XPRIZE. The MOONBOTS teams will learn how these Google Lunar XPRIZE teams are planning to reach the Moon with their innovative robotic technology.