Schedule:
SICK assumes no liability for the vehicles used! Participants agree with these conditions by registering.
SICK Robot Day 2010 will be very similar to the respective event of 2009. Smaller changes are particularly hinted at in the text.
The event will take place in any weather. The discussion whether there will be an indoor variant for extreme weather conditions is currently not yet finished. Therefore there is at the time being no exact specification of the character of the ring fence, the fixation of the targets etc.. If necessary, this will be supplied later, but hopefully should not deviate too much from the outdoor variant described here.
The 2010 challenge will be some kind of „orienteering race“. The course is an arena, which has marked targets at its boundary. These targets have to be identified autonomously and approached in correct order.
At a time two vehicles are starting concurrently (into converse direction). This adds to the level of difficulty.
The arena (cf. attached exemplary draft) is about 30 x 40 m and convex, so that (provided enough range of the sensor system used) the individual targets (cf. under procedure) are visible from virtually every position (exception vide infra).
The arena is limited by a continuous ring fence about 50 cm high. It is unicoloured, but there will be advertisements attached.
The ground is approximately level. Some parts are bituminized. In other areas an originally gravelly ground will be covered by some plane material (wood or plastics). At crossovers there may be smaller edges or ramps (max. height difference 3 cm). It is possible, that parts of the terrain are slightly sloped. This should not be problematic for the vehicles’ drives, but must be considered for vision! On the ground there are no identification marks (besides the partial circles mentioned under procedure) suitable for visual orientation.
Inside this area there are a number of obstacles. The obstacles are minimally 20 cm and maximally 42 cm high and are arranged in a way that a minimal passage of 1,5 m is granted (though this can dynamically be narrowed by the second vehicle). Obstacles remain stationary during a single race, but are freshly arranged between races. Form and colour of obstacles are not specified further.
There is one exception to the maximal height of obstacles: within the course there are some (few) vertical (lamp) posts. These will be built into stationary obstacles of the form described below, but impede sight into the respective direction also in heights over 42 cm. The posts, however, will have a maximal width of 30 cm. (note: this issue will gain importance in the case of an indoor variant, because then there are to be expected columns with considerably broader transverse section.)
Note that obstacles may be grouped and might also directly adjoin the ring fence.
Since at any one time two vehicles are in the arena contemporaneously, it is absolutely necessary to comply with the stipulated dimensions: the vehicles‘ bodies must be at least 25 cm high, so that they can be reliably recognized as obstacles by other vehicles. For the same reason the vehicle’s bottom may not be farther than 15 cm from the ground. The maximum height of vehicles is not limited.
The width of a vehicle may be maximally 60 cm.
It must be relatively easy to parameterize the sequence of targets to be approached between „upward“ and „downward“ and to configure MAX (cf. procedure).
Moreover every vehicle must possess an easily accessible emergency stop button, and should provide a certain weather protection, since the competition will take place outdoor – independent of the weather.
Alongside the ring fence there are 10 positions marked by one-digit numbers. These numbers, called targets, are printed on boards. The numbers come from an interval from the set of natural numbers between 0 and a largest number MAX, where MAX can be up to 9.
The boards are DIN A1 sized (portrait). Font for the numbers is Arial, size about 37 x 58 cm, black lettering on white background, boards with black margins. It has to be taken into consideration that, depending on the weather, light reflections are possible.
The boards are fixed to white poles with a diameter of about 10 cm (the poles may well be square-cut), the bottom edge of the boards in 50 cm height.
The poles are positioned inside of the fence and directly attached to it. So they can be approached.
A (partial) circle drawn around the poles at a radius of 75 cm (for better recognition by spectators there is really a line drawn on the ground) defines the goal areas.
One vehicle starts at goal position 0, the other at position MAX.
After the race has been started by an acoustic signal (and the following start of the vehicles by hand or by radio communication) the vehicles approach the targets in ascending (1, 2, ... MAX) or descending (MAX,-1 MAX-2, ... 0) order respectively.
When the final goal (MAX or 0 resp.) is reached, the time is taken.
All the goal positions (including the final goal) have to be approached that close that at least 2 wheels must be within the marked circle (the circle is defined by the radius of 75 cm around the pole, therefore it is not necessary to detect the drawn circle) concurrently. If only 1 wheel passes the circle there is a penalty of 10% of the measured total time, for each violated target. If some goal position is not reached by at least one wheel, the vehicle is disqualified for the current round. This also applies if targets are completely left out.
If the two vehicles run across each other the one coming from right has got the right of way. In direct encounters collision avoidance shall always be performed to the right. Collisions with the opposing vehicle result in disqualifications for the current round.
Collisions with stationary obstacles are punished by an agio of 5% on the measured total time, per incident.
There are two rounds for each candidate. In the second round the vehicles exchange their starting positions. Thus each vehicle does both directions.
The positions of obstacles as well as the position of the targets are varied between the rounds.
Apart from the start signal and potentially a stop signal no wireless communication with the vehicles is permitted. After the start of a round no persons may linger inside the arena. This also holds for team members.
A round is finished when both robots have reached their goal, or the given maximal time of 10 minutes has passed.
On the day of the competition practice runs may be performed on the course. It should be noted, however, that the positions of obstacles and targets is changed afterwards.
Question: Are the targets positioned according to their numerical order?
Answer: No. The goal positions have indeed to be approached in a sequence corresponding to their numerical order. The targets itself, however, are positioned in an arbitrary order, which will change between rounds.
Question: What happens, if a vehicle „inadvertently“ passes a goal position not in accordance with the compulsory sequence (by driving through the associated circle)?
Answer: The action itself remains exempt from punishment. As a matter of course, the respective goal has to be approached in its correct order later, however.
Example: On its trip from 3 to 4 a robot passes the circle of goal 6, as this lies quasi „en route“ in the current race. After correctly meeting goal 4, goal 5 has to approached next, followed by 6 („again“), 7 and so on.
Question: May I run after my robot, so that I can react faster in emergency situations?
Answer: No. Stepping into the arena during a race is prohibited. This holds for participants as well. The only exception is a fast sprint in order to activate the emergency stop. But this will result in disqualification anyway.
Question: Are there numbers in big letters visible from the course that are similar to the ones used as targets (e.g. on company nameplates or SICK Robot Day posters)?
Answer: This should not be the case.
Question: Does a collision with an opposing vehicle lead to a disqualification, even if the own vehicle tried to give way?
Answer: If a clear culprit for the collision can be identified (according e.g. to the rule concerning right of way) of course only this one will be disqualified.
Question: May data gained from a sensor not located on board of the robot (e.g. a camera on a high tripod, rotary arm or ladder; a camera mounted on a balloon, blimp or helicopter) be used for building a map?
Answer: Definitively no.
Question: May marks that the robot can detect (e.g. RFID tags) be attached to targets and goals?
Answer: No.
Question: How exactly does the black margin on targets look like?
Answer: The targets‘ margin is not further specified.
Question: Are the poles, to which the targets are attached, moved between runs?
Answer: It is possible that also the position of poles is changed.