THIS PAGE Summary Participants Dates Place Registration Prizes The track Rules

RoboCup 2005

Summary. The purpose of the competition is to show an example of an analysis and the solution to a practical engineering task as well as to contribute to the atmosphere at DTU by delivering good entertainment. We hope that the participants will experience interdisciplinary work while the construction of the vehicles leads them through the phases mechanical construction, analog and digital electronics, data processing, instrumentation and control. The competition was held for the first time in 1997 and was received so well that it is now an annual event. We hope to see participants with different backgrounds – also people who are not electrical engineering students. You may win prizes for other things than driving through the track.

Participants

The competition is open to everybody, also people outside DTU. Each person can only participate in one team, but a team may consist of one or more participants. Only one vehicle is allowed per team.

Dates

The competition takes place at the end of the spring term not too close to the examination period. The programme is as follows:

• Tuesday 12 April 2005 at 9.00. The area will be open for test drives, and the track will be set up during the morning.
• Wednesday 13 April 2005 at 13.00. Qualification round where the 15 best vehicles go through to the final.
• Thursday 14 April 2005 at 11.00. Final round and awarding of prizes.

The qualification round is mandatory, so you have to check in on 13 April by 12.00 noon at the latest.

Place

The competition takes place in the building named Oticonsalen behind building 101 at DTU.

It is expected that a table with access to 230 V will be made available (a pit place). Due to a lack of space not everybody can expect to get a table in the Oticonsalen. After the qualification round (and before the final) the number of preparation places will be reduced, so that only finalists have a pit up to the final.

Registration

If you plan to participate, you have to inform us at least three weeks before the competition (Thursday 17 March at 16.00). As we are very interested in getting a general idea of the number of participants, we encourage you to register as soon as possible through the registration page.

NOTE: If you don't have an old remote-controlled car you can rebuild or some LEGO, Bilo or Meccano, you may borrow a set of LEGO blocks from the organisers. We have a large amount of LEGO elements, so the first ten teams may borrow a set consisting of two motors, gear, wheels and various LEGO TECHNIC blocks against a deposit of DKK 500.

Prizes

You obtain "point money" for each point achieved in the better of the two rounds during the competition – DKK 100 per point. However, the total pool amounts to DKK 15,000. If (contrary to expectations) the participants have achieved more points than this amount can cover, the amount per point will be reduced correspondingly. The participants who do not go through to the final receive "point money" according to their best drive in the qualification round.

In addition, the prizes are as follows:

• 1st prize: DKK 4,000
• 2nd prize: DKK 2,000
• 3rd prize: DKK 1,000
• Best placed DTU-vehicle: DKK 1,000
• Special prize for design/effects: DKK 1,000
• Best fighter/the officials decision: DKK 1,000

Total prizes: DKK 25,000.

The fighter prize may be awarded to a team venturing into a field outside their normal scope.

Placing and appearance of the track

This year the track was placed in the Oticonsalen behind building 101. Consequently, the presentation was quite different from previous years even though you can recognise most obstacles. The track has been made a bit more difficult as last year a robot went through (and won) the competition with maximum points.

For a layout of the track see the figure below.

The track has been designed on the assumption that the vehicle can follow a black tape line on the floor. If you keep to the right on this line, you will reach the goal but you will only obtain relatively few points.

General view

• The first obstacle is a guillotine (1) blocking further driving if the average speed is too low (under 25 cm per second).
• The next obstacle is a "wall" (2) where the task is to go round the wall without having a line.
• Obstacle 3 is a detached gate which may be difficult to find for a blind robot.
• There is a tunnel with a door at each end (4) where the challenge is to open the door.
• A new feature is a racetrack where you are given points in accordance with your speed. A robot being able to steer and turn at high speed will be rewarded.
• Obstacle 6 is a gradient to a plateau of 55 cm. There is no "crash fence", so bad steering may be fatal.
• The descent (7) has two degrees of difficulty, the harsh stairs with five jumps or the easier but rather steep ramp.
• Ball game is a new event this year (8), you have to score a goal with a tennis ball.
• There are still two gates (9) before you reach the goal. One of them is red and you score negative points, the other one is yellow and you score positive points. The challenge is to drive round the red gate but through the yellow one.
• The tour is over when the robot activates the goal siren (10).

Figur 1. Bane til RoboCup.

Challenging features on the track:

• The flooring under the track consists of a light grey painted glass fibre material (white areas on the figure) and tiles of a slightly darker colour (marked with grey on the figure). The width of the tiles is approx 45 cm. The areas where two tile stripes cross each other will probably be impassable as the crosses will be covered by a metal plate (cable pit). See photo of the floor here.
• The line consists of tape – 38 mm broad black linen tape of the type Tesa-4651 (can be purchased from various building stores). The tape will be placed more or less as shown on the figure. No curve will be sharper than a circle with a radius of 50 cm. The black tape is visible both on the light floor and the tiles – see photo here.
• The gates are all 45 cm broad (+/-2 cm) with a free height of 47-50 cm – see photo of the yellow gate. The thickness of the gates is approx 16 mm. This is not applicable to the tunnel and the racetrack.
• The starting point is a plate (bottom left corner of the figure – see also photo. When the vehicle leaves the plate, the countdown to the closure of the guillotine gate (1) starts – see photo. The timing and distance to the guillotine are fixed, so that an average speed of 25 cm/s will be sufficient to pass. The passage of the gate gives one point.
• The wall (2) is a plate with a standard gate at each end. The length of the wall may be varied by up to 50 cm immediately after start. The thickness of the wall is between 2 and 5 cm. It is totally opaque. See photo of the wall. You receive one point for passing each of the two gates of the wall.
• The free gate (3) is placed straight ahead between the last gate in the wall and the tunnel and at a distance of 2.0 meter (+/- 2 cm) from the tape cross across the last gate of the wall. It is thus possible to pass through this gate on the way to the tunnel as an alternative to the tape. The passage of the free gate gives one point.
• The tunnel (4) is mounted with an outward opening door at each end as shown on this draft. The front door is the broadest door – so that it can be pushed open. You obtain one point for passing each of the doors. The doorways have the same dimensions as a gate, but they will not be yellow – see photo.
• The racetrack (5) starts and ends with an electronic gate. When a light ray is broken in the start gate, the time measurement starts, and it stops when a corresponding light ray is broken in the end gate. The light rays are placed approx 2.5 cm above the floor. A yellow gate is placed on the line between the start and end gates. This yellow gate has to be passed after the start gate and before the end gate to obtain points on the racetrack. The yellow gate gives one point. You may obtain further zero, one, two or three points for speed. The limits are not fixed, but you will probably receive two points for an average speed of approx 1 m/s (see photo).
• The ramp (6) leads to a plateau at a height of approx 55 cm. The ramp starts at least 3.5 m before the plateau (horizontal distance) and with the same gradient all the way. The width is 60 cm. A gate placed on the ramp gives one point. Just like the plateau, the stairs and the descending ramp are made of wood and painted in a light colour (see photo).
• There are two alternatives in connection with the descent (7) - a ramp and the stairs. The width of the descending ramp is 60 cm. The ramp ends at least 2 m from the plateau (horizontal distance). The stairs consist of four steps and thus five levels of approx 11 cm each. The length of each step is approx 40 cm and the width 60 cm (see photo). There is one gate on the ramp and two gates on the stairs and you receive one point for passing each gate.
• The playing field (8) consists of a yellow tennis ball placed on the tape (as shown on the figure) across a yellow gate. The ball has to be manoeuvred through the gate in an unspecified (not destructive) way. You receive one point for the robot and one point for leading the ball through the gate. Continuing the course with the ball is permitted.
• The red gate (9) is a normal gate which is painted red. If you pass the red gate, you are deducted one point (penalty point). If you pass the succeeding yellow gate, you get one point. The red gate is placed 1 m (+/- 2 cm) after the edge of the tile stripe and the distance between the red and the succeeding yellow gate is 1m (+/- 2 cm). See photo.
• The siren of the goal (10) is activitated by pressing the front plate (which activates a contact mechanically). The width of the front plate is approx 15 cm, the height 10 cm and it is lowered approx 1 cm in proportion to the frame. See photo. Reaching the goal you obtain two points (from the front side).
• Apart from the guillotine (1) and the goal (10) you may overcome the rest of the obstacles arbitrarily. It is not a demand that you overcome all obstacles.

Rules

§1 Autonomous robot

The robots have to be completely autonomous: After the start no communication between the surrounding world and the vehicle is allowed. A drive/test will be interrupted if a vehicle leaves the area marked by tape or if a participant touches the vehicle.

§2 Drive

If the vehicle does not reach the first gate with a certain speed (an average speed below 0.25 m/s) this gate will be closed and the drive interrupted. The drive may also be interrupted at other places on the track, if the vehicle does not progress satisfactorily within a certain time. To ensure a fast and effective drive the participants may also be disqualified if they are not ready for start at their turn.

Not all gates will be fixed, but it is allowed to touch the gates and obstacles – in a non-intentionally destructive way. If a gate is overturned before the passage, the official will determine if it has been passed. Furthermore, the official may abandon a drive, if it is considered intentionally destructive.

All teams drive through the track twice during the competition. If a drive is interrupted, the number of points achieved before the interruption will be applicable to the drive. Only the best of the two drives gives points.

The order of the finalists is determined by the number of points in the qualification round. The finalists with the lowest points start first. The organisers determine the order in the qualification round (at least one hour before the start).

§3 Restrictions

Neither the track nor the surroundings may be changed to facilitate the task for the robot. A vehicle may contain sensors, computers, operating systems, motors, energy sources and brakes. The size is not restricted. However, the vehicles have to be able to pass the gates. The vehicles must not contain internal combustion engines and must not be of danger to the audience.

§4 Points

Points are given for overcoming obstacles as described for the track. You will receive only one point for passing a gate even if you pass it several times. The passage has been fulfilled when the whole vehicle including sensors has passed the gate by at least 1 cm.

A drive ends when the vehicle has reached the goal or when the captain or the official says "stop".

Should multible teams obtain the same number of points, the teams in question have to drive again. This is only applicable to the 1^st – 3^rd places and finalists (15^th – 16^th places of the qualification round). If the 2^nd place is divided between three teams, they will compete for the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th places. If the teams obtain the same points, then time will be decisive. You do not obtain "point money" for points obtained during such a round. Any further drives will take place immediately after the last drive of the competition.

§5 Access to the track

Two hours before the competition the track will be closed and it cannot be used until the competition starts. During these two hours, gates and obstacles may be moved (but the track will still be in accordance with the above description). Encoding of the exact track will probably not be sufficient.

§6 Unique robot

No parts of any vehicle (including software) may be used on other vehicles participating in the competition, just as no persons may participate in other teams.

§7 Disputes

The organisers will interpret any disputes regarding the rules.

(In case of any discrepancies the Danish text shall be authoritative)