Robotics Championships. September 2011 RULE BOOK. Contents: o General Information. o Dance Competition. o Rescue Competition. o HPV Race Competition

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1 Robotics Championships September 2011 RULE BOOK Contents: o General Information o Dance Competition o Rescue Competition o HPV Race Competition

2 General Information A cordial invitation is extended to schools to participate and enjoy our Robotic Challenge Competitions introduced for the first time in Our aim is to allow students to have Fun with Technology and ask schools to ensure their robots and their programs are the students own work. Please note that for all divisions, the competition is open to any platform you wish (LEGO, Fischer Technic, Picaxe programmable micro chips Elekit, etc). Divisions Primary Lower Secondary (8-9) Upper Secondary (10-12) Dance Competition Rescue Competition Robot Race Competition Note: Depending on the number of entries the in the secondary division there maybe only one open division rather then lower and upper. Competition Rules The Technology Challenge Robotics rules are based on the rules of the RoboCup Junior Australia competition, with some minor variations. Please make sure you are familiar with these rules. Awards/Results 1. Medals will be provided for winners in each category. 2. Certificates and gift certificates for first, second and third in each division. (depends on sponsorship) 3. Participation certificates will be distributed for all participating students. 4. Presentations will be made following each division competition. Results will continuously be updated during the competition and published on the Technology Challenge website ( Registration 1. Schools to register online ( by 3 pm Friday, 2 weeks prior to the event at the latest. 2. Upon arrival, students are to confirm their registration of their robot at the registration desk.

3 Privacy/Permission Media including Maryborough Chronicle, Courier Mail, Channel 7 News, Channel 10 are usually in attendance. All schools are asked to have parent/guardian permission for such publicity. Please notify the co-ordinator if such permission is not granted.

4 Dance Competition Challenge Design a single robot or a team of robots to dance to music for a minimum of one minute and not more than two minutes. Your task is to entertain, delight and thrill the audience. We expect your robot to be decorated and dressed to please. The challenge is intended to be as open ended as you choose to make it. Your robot(s) is/are to perform on an area of maximum size 3m x 3m. The surface provided will be a dark wood printed lino mat with the 3m x 3m boundary marked with 50mm white tape. You may supply your own surface marked or decorated in any way you choose. Team members may design a T-shirt that reflects the theme of their dance/team. This is not essential. The wearing of school uniforms is encouraged. Rules 1. The Robot/s 1.1 Robots can be of any size or number of motors, microprocessors or sensors. 2. The Performance 2.1 The performance will be longer than one minute but less than two minutes. The music will be stopped after two minutes. 2.2 The allowable floor area is 3m x 3m. This area will be marked with white masking tape (width 50mm) with the 3m being measured to the inside edge of the tape. 2.3 Robots whose performance extends beyond the allowable area will lose points in the programming/choreography section. 2.4 The team members may dance/interact either inside or outside the designated area. Any human interaction will be considered as props. 3. Lighting and Special Effects 3.1 This will only be permitted if the equipment is operated by a team member. 3.2 Equipment must have been constructed/developed by team members. 3.3 Scenery and props are permitted. 3.4 Set-up is not to take longer than 3 minutes.

5 4. The Costume 4.1 Costuming/decoration of the robots is encouraged. 4.2 Commercial elements such as dolls, soft toys, commercial costuming are permitted, however, higher marks will be allocated to teams whose robots feature student made/assembled elements. 4.3 Costumes are to be mainly the students own work. 5. Music 5.1 Music is to be supplied by the students. 5.2 Audio sources (CD) should be high quality and contain only the music for the performance on it. 5.3 Music must be labelled with the team name, school, performance title, track number and title of music. 5.4 Music must not be of a suggestive or offensive or violent nature as decided by the judges. 5.5 Teams are advised to start the music first, and then synchronise the robot start. 6. Mechanical Malfunction 6.1 Robots who lose parts, become stuck, fall over or mechanically malfunction may be righted/quickly repaired by a team member. (one point is lost for each malfunction). 6.2 Competitors are advised that the dance surface may not be perfectly flat and tail dragging type robots may incur some difficulties. Provision of your own dance surface is allowable however it is to be no larger than the allowable dance area as per rule Programming Computers 7.1 No remote control devices are permitted in the performance hall. 7.2 Competitors are advised to mask/shield their RCX infra-red window to prevent the program being corrupted (eg: black electricians tape). 7.3 Competitors are reminded that the LEGO RCX infra-red tower has a range of about 3m. It is the responsibility of the computer operator to ensure that the IR power is turned to low and the tower is shielded to reduce stray emissions. 7.4 In the case of a complete malfunction due to the program, the team leader indicates to the performance judge that the program has malfunctioned. The following team must be ready to take the stage while the malfunction is fixed. A penalty will be incurred for the team with the malfunction. 7.5 The team leader may take the robot to the teams laptop and download the program again. 7.6 It is the teams responsibility to have their laptop on and showing the correct program should this eventuate. The computer is not permitted on the dance floor area.

6 8. Re-Starts 8.1 If the robot experiences a mechanical or programming malfunction, the team leader must request a re-start immediately by signalling clearly to the judges. 8.2 Re-starts are at the discretion of the Robotics Director. 9. Scheduling 9.1 Every effort will be made to adhere to the pre advertised running schedule, however, due to late entries and un-foreseen circumstances, there may be some variation. Teams must be available for interview/performance up to 30 minutes prior to the advertised times. 9.2 It is expected that all teams will be in attendance on competition day to support all/some performances. 10. Programming and Practice Area 10.1 Teams must assemble in their designated area Parents/supporters are not permitted in the programming and practice area after the initial setup. 11. Performance/Judging 11.1 Students will be given 10 minutes During this time, a brief interview will be conducted where they have to demonstrate their robot is their own work: The full team must be present The robot must accompany the team The team must have their laptop ON displaying their program. If a team doesn t have a laptop, a print out of their program must be submitted. The interview will be a simple YES/NO in the categories indicted on the evaluation sheet on the following page During this same ten minutes, the students robot will perform and be marked out of 70 according to the evaluation sheet on the following page The winner of the competition will be the team with the highest number of points. In the event of a tie, the judges will conduct another interview with the tied teams to determine the competition winner. The dance interview score sheet (following page) will be used during this interview.

7 TEAM NAME: SCHOOL: Score Sheet DANCE PERFORMANCE DANCE /70 Manager:.... Team Members... Knowledge of Robot During interview, students: 1. Presented a copy of their program (printout or laptop) YES / NO 2. Discussed programming YES / NO 3. Worked as a team YES / NO 4. Demonstrated their robot and program(s) were their own work YES / NO Performance TOTALS Points Points Points Robot Construction and Costume The appearance and construction of the robot shows Variety of materials and colours used (student produced or not) /5 Additional robots/lights/moving parts /5 Robot was stable throughout performance /3 Costume stayed in place throughout performance /3 TOTAL /16 Choreography The dance performed by the robot showed that Movements and sequences were in time with the rhythm/beat of the /5 music or complimented the music Successfully included more difficult movements/sequences/students took /5 risks Additional robots, moving parts or line followers were used /5 The robot(s) made use of the dance space creatively to provide interest /5 It used a variety/combination of movements to complement changing /5 themes of the music Was inventive and original /5 Set up and performance was within the allotted time including restarts /3 No 0 points Yes 3 points Deduct 1 pt for each indiscretion for the following 3 criteria Stayed within the defined dance area /3 Performed without restarts (excluding music miscues) /3 Completed routine without human intervention /3 Entertainment The presentation and performance TOTAL /42 Was varied and non repetitive (held interest) /3 Props complimented robot s performance /3 Robot s appearance and performance was appealing /3 Robot s choreography was appropriate to theme/music /3 TOTAL /12 DANCE TOTAL /70 Deduct 2 pts overall for a complete malfunction (where robot needs repair or program download)

8 **This interview score sheet will only be used in the event of a tie** SCORE SHEET DANCE INTERVIEW TEAM NAME: SCHOOL: Manager:.... Team Members... Points Points Robot Design and Construction Student(s) must be able to describe their robot to the judges. Totals Student demonstrated understanding of gearing, linkages etc used in their design. / 3 Student demonstrated understanding of issues such as robot balance and / 3 structural soundness. TOTAL / 6 Programming and Preparation Through experience, research and teamwork, the team shows: They can explain, describe and demonstrate an understanding of their program. / 4 Included more difficult movements/sequences/students took risks / 4 They are able to explain connections between the program and the music selected. / 3 Was inventive and original / 3 TOTAL / 14 DANCE INTERVIEW TOTAL / 20

9 Rescue Competition Challenge Someone has sent a distress call asking for a rescue. There is a person trapped on a sinking water tank in a chemical spill. Your team s mission is to design, build and program a robot to rescue the person. The chemical spill can only be found by following the road. The robot should find the chemical spill, locate and push or drag the tank from the chemical spill to safety as quickly as possible. Design Brief Design and construct an autonomous robot to rescue the victim by travelling along the black road and rescuing the victim located in the chemical spill area. The robot must follow the line completely to enter the chemical spill. Competition rules Rescue The Maryborough Robotics Technology Challenge will be conducted under the rules of the RoboCup Junior Australia Rules with the following variations: The number of preliminary rounds will be at the discretion of the Robotics co-ordinator depending on the number of entries etc. 1. The Playing Field 1.1 The Floor o The field consists of a large vinyl white mat with a 15mm wide black line tracing out a path. The chemical spill area is coloured green. Note: a silver strip of aluminium foil will mark the entry into the chemical spill. The mat may or may not be cut into individual tiles, depending on the availability of the individual tiles. o The Chemical Spill Ramp Grey dot Only the tiles that follow the line to the right of the grey dot will be used in the challenge. The ramp tile will definitely be used in some rounds. For each round there will be either a different starting point on the mat or a different configuration of tiles. For each round the course will be progressively more complicated. For more details about individual tiles see the following link

10 o The RoboCup Junior Australia Official Rescue Field is printed and commercially available through Modern Teaching Aids. ( 1.2 Lighting o Teams must come prepared to calibrate their robots based on the lighting conditions available at the venue. o Every effort will be made to keep ambient light to a low level with infra-red (IR) sources from incandescent lights and natural lighting minimised. 2. Robots 2.1 Diameter o The robot must fit within a 180mm diameter cylinder. o The robot must be upright in its normal running position. 2.2 Height o The robot must be no more than 180mm in height. 2.3 Control o Robots must be controlled autonomously. o Robots must be started manually by humans. o The use of a remote control of any kind is forbidden. 2.4 Marking and/or Colouring o Competitors may mark or decorate their robots to identify them. Decorations must conform to the size restrictions. 2.5 Construction o Any robot kit or building blocks may be used, as long as the robot fits the above specifications and as long as the design and construction are primarily and substantially the original work of the student(s) o Construction from raw electronic and hardware components is also allowed, as long as the robot fits the above specifications and as long as the design and construction are primarily and substantially the original work of the student(s) 3. Victim o The victim is a standard 375ml aluminium can, wrapped in aluminium foil. o The can contains rice bringing its total weight to 60gms. o There is only one victim per rescue attempt.

11 4 Inspection 4.1 Schedule/Registration o The robot may be examined by a panel of referees before the start of the tournament to ensure that the robot meets the constraints described above. 4.2 Students o Team members may be interviewed in order to explain the operation of their robots in order to verify that the construction and the programming of the robot is their own work. Logbooks and/or design diaries may be provided to verify the students work. 4.3 Mentors It is highly unlikely that a team will be able to legally use a robot identical to another team s robot from previous years, or use a robot that is identical to another team s robot. o Mentors will not be allowed in the planning/preparation area after the initial setup time. If there is excessive mentor assistance or the work on the robots is not substantially original work of the students, the team will be ineligible to win but may participate at the co-ordinators discretion. 5. Game Play o Games will be organised into rounds, then a finals series if needed. o A time limit of 120 seconds will be imposed per game. (This maybe altered for a particular round by the event coordinator at their discretion) o The robot is placed at the starting position and checked by the referee. o At the instruction of the referee, the robot s handler is to start the program on the robot. o Points are scored by completing individual tiles, taking appropriate short cut markers and completing a rescue. 5.1 Restarts o A robot may re-start the run as many times as the handler(s) deem necessary within the 120 seconds game time. o The game clock will continue to run during all restarts. o A robot must restart if: the robot ceases to follow the line, the robot is touched by a human, the robot moves off the field. 5.2 Following the Line o The robot must follow the line completely to enter the chemical spill. o Some portion of the line segment the robot is following must be under the plan view (viewed from the top) of the robot at all times. Should the robot stray from the line, it will deemed to have ceased following the line and have to restart.

12 5.3 Scoring o Scoring is the same for all games including the finals. o Teams will be awarded 10 points for each tile successfully negotiated. o Each green short cut marker taken correctly is 2 points. o Points are not cumulative therefore for each restart, teams will start again on 0 points. The run that scores the most points will be the one that counts for that round. o A successful rescue (tank is pushed or dragged completely outside the chemical spill) - 20 points. o If the robot fails to rescue the victim in the allocated time, it will be given a time score of 120 seconds. 5.4 Preliminary Rounds o There will usually be four preliminary rounds. o Each team will play one game per round. o A round of games will commence on a central time clock (approx 30 mins between rounds). o A team s robot must remain at the field until it has completed its game. o The victim will be located in a new position in the chemical spill for each round. It will be in the same position for every game in that round. o The overall rankings will be determined by adding the points for each preliminary round. The team with the most points will be ranked first. If there is a tie on points the team with the lowest overall time for the preliminary rounds will be ranked first. 5.5 Semi-Finals (If needed) o The top four ranked teams will be in the semi-finals. o 1st ranked team vs 4th ranked team o 2nd ranked team vs 3rd ranked team o Semi-Finals shall be a head-to-head competition. o Teams in the semi-finals shall contest 2 games. (i.e. teams swap mats for the 2 nd game) o The position of the victim will be different to those in the preliminary rounds. o The team with the most points and best overall time for the two rounds will be the winner. 5.6 Grand Final (if needed) o The Grand Final shall consist of 2 games between the winners of the semi-finals. o The team with the most points and best overall time for the two games will be the winner. Note: The format of the final series may change due to the number of teams in the preliminary rounds i.e. only 4 or 5 teams would see 2 nd and 3 rd in the semi s and the winner would verse 1 st in the grand final. 6. Conflict Resolution o During game play, the referee s decisions will be final.

13 HPV Race Competition Design Challenge Design a single robot to race as fast as possible around a scaled HPV track. Specifications: 1. Robots 1.1 Diameter o The robot must fit within a 180mm diameter cylinder. o The robot must be upright in its normal running position. 1.2 Height ***NB Part of the track is only 75mm from a fixed object. *** o The robot must be no more than 180mm in height. 1.3 Control o Robots must be controlled autonomously. o Robots must be started manually by humans. o The use of a remote control of any kind is forbidden. 1.4 The design of the robot is open however it must incorporate a light that is off for the 1 st and 3 rd laps and is on for the 2 nd lap. 2. The Playing Field 2.1 The Track The track consists of a large vinyl white mat with a 15mm wide black line tracing out the path. A pedestrian overpass crosses the track and the black line splits into two paths at this point. The robot may take either path. A timber block representing a support for the overpass is placed between these two paths. The closest point of the track to the block is 75mm. The track will incorporate a green coloured strip at right angles to the black track line to indicate the start and finish line. This strip will extend 100mm either side of the track and be 15mm wide. The track will incorporate a silver strip at right angles to the black line to indicate where the light must come on and go off. This strip will extend 100mm either side of the track and be 15mm wide.

14 Silver strip Start line Game Play The length of the race will be 3 laps. A timed game play limit of 180 seconds per round will be allowed. (Penalties will be added to this time). The light on the robot must be illuminated for lap 2 only. (represents the night stage of the HPV race). There will be a minimum of two rounds and a maximum of four rounds. Timing The winner will be robot with the quickest time to complete the three laps. (There will be no final). A light beam connected to a programmed timing robot will be set up to record the time taken for each robot. The handler will start the competing robot just after the point where the split part of the track rejoins and timing will start when the beam at the green line is broken by the robot. The competing robot must break the beam 4 times to record a legitimate time. Penalties If the robot loses the line it is permitted to restart the race at the place of losing the line, however a time penalty of 10 seconds is applied each time a restart takes place. If the robot dislodges the timber block, it is permitted to restart the race at the place of dislodgement, however a time penalty of 10 seconds is applied each time a restart takes place. If the light on the robot is on for lap 1 and/or 3, a penalty of 10 seconds per lap is added to the race time. If the light on the robot doesn t come on for lap 2, a penalty of 10 seconds is added to the race time.