The robot must be a two legged walking humanoid biped that must shift its center of gravity to maintain its balance when walking.
The Humanoid robots must be within the 3 kg weight limit. The robot should fit in a square with the side length of 20 cm (200 mm), maximum height for the robot 50 cm. The humanoid robot must be fully autonomous on the Challenge Area. There is no age limit for Humanoid Challenge.
1.General information
The purpose of this category is to appreciate the best robot which completes in the following missions:
Stair navigation. Robots are judged by the speed of climbing a staircase without losing balance or falling.
Obstacle navigation. Robots are judged by the speed they are capable of traveling an obstacle track without collision, losing balance or falling.
Each attempt is performed with one team at a time, when prompted by the referee, each team having one or more members. During the attempt only two team members from each team may approach the mission area; The operator and the assistant will enter the game area, the other team members must watch from the audience.
The attempt starts at the referee's command. The attempt is over when the referee announces it. The referee determines the final time and if there are any penalties applied. After the attempt the operator and the assistant will go to the area designated for the preparation and wait for the next game.
2. Team
2.1. A “team” is composed of one to five participants who have built a robot for this event.
2.2. The humanoid robot must be an autonomous robot constructed by themselves prior to the competition to the specifications below. This robot category is not a workshop where you may build robots after arrival. There will be limited time for adjustments and changes to the robots and their programming during the event.
2.3. Each team/robot will be assigned a number on check-in and should have a unique name or identity to be easily recognized by spectators and officials when on the field and when scoring.
2.4. Teams will participate by attempts and will be timed by the referee.
2.5. One person can be the operator for a maximum of 2 robots.
3. Robot Construction
3.1. A robot must fit within a square with the side lengths of 20 cm (200 mm). Maximum height for the robot is 50 cm (500 mm).
3.2. The total mass of a robot at the start of a match must be under 3kg (3000g).
3.3. The robot must be a two legged walking humanoid biped that must shift its center of gravity to maintain its balance when walking.
3.4. There will be limited time and space for last minute design improvements and adjustments, however, the robots should be completed at the time of registration, and once check-in takes place, the robot or its programming may no longer be modified. Robot battery should also be sufficiently charged once the robot is checked in.
3.5. Any type of electronics are permitted, there is no limitation to kits, module brand or home made components as long as they do not present safety risks.
3.6. All robots must be autonomous. Any control mechanisms can be employed, as long as all components are contained within the robot and the mechanism does not interact with an external control system (human, machine, or otherwise). The only exception being the start/stop command.
3.7. Any robot design is allowed, if not subject to the limitations of section 2.2.
4. Robot limitations
4.1. The robot can be started from a remote or from a button placed on the robot.
4.2. The robot must have 2 arms. Each arm extended length shall not exceed the extended leg length.
4.3. The robot must have a head.
4.4. When walking, one foot must lift off the floor, while the other foot is balancing the robot.
4.5. When walking, the foot that balances the robot must have a knee-joint angle greater than 90 degrees. At any point if this is not the case, the robot will not be considered walking.
4.6. The feet can be of any shape and form as long as all of the following are maintained:
A. The robot’s foot is defined as the part of the robot that is contacting the surface of the arena (ground).
B. The maximum length (size) of the foot must be less than 50% of the length of the extended robot’s leg. The leg length is defined as the distance between where the robot's foot touches the ground and the axis that connects the leg to the upper body of the robot.
C. The maximum length of the foot must be less than 20 cm (200 mm).
4.7. When a robot is standing or walking, a rectangular outline around the left and right foot shall not overlap.
4.8. The startup robot may expand. It is not allowed to separate the robot into 2 or more pieces. The robot must remain a single centralized robot. Accidentally detached components with a mass of less than 5 grams will not result in loss of the attempt.
4.9. It is forbidden to use devices that can store liquid, dust, gas or other substances to be thrown to the opponent.
4.10. Sticky substances to improve traction are not allowed. Feet and other components of the robot that are in contact with the playing area should not be able to lift and hold a standard A4 (80mg / m²) sheet for more than 2 seconds. Robots will be screened at the approval stage and may be rechecked at the referee's request at any time during the competition.
4.11. Surface pressure-enhancing devices such as vacuum pumps or magnets / electromagnets are NOT allowed.
4.12. It is forbidden to use devices for jamming opponents, such as radiation sources to saturate sensors, ultrasound transmitters, or other devices with similar effect, are strictly forbidden.
4.13. Components of the robot that can destroy the playing area are not allowed .
4.14. Any devices that throw flames are not allowed.
4.15. Robots who will not follow these rules will be disqualified.
5. Programming
5.1. The robot must be autonomous.
5.2. The autonomous robot movements will have to resolve the tasks of the mission: climb stairs and navigate an obstacle track. If there are doubts as to the robot's autonomy, the referee has the right to inspect the logical control of the robot.
6. Technical inspection
This step will take place before the beginning of the competition. Each team will have to pass the technical inspection stage (homologation) in order to be able to participate with the robot in the competition. After approval, all teams will necessarily remain in the competition room.
The stages of the technical approval process are:
6.1. Verify the size of the robot by placing a 20.3 cm x 20.3 cm (203mm x 203mm) bottomless box/frame over the robot. The height of the robot will be measured maximum 50.3 cm (503 mm)
6.2. Weigh the robot on a digital scale. The maximum value of the scales shall be 3005 g.
6.3. Check the operation of the 5 second delay when starting.
6.4. The feet of the robot and other parts that are in contact with the playing area must NOT be able to pick up and hold a standard paper A4 (80g/cm2) for more than 2 seconds.
6.5. It will be checked if the number exists on the outer casing of the robot.
6.6. The robot will no longer be retained after approval.
6.7. After approval the first 4 teams will remain in the waiting area, near the game area. The rest of the teams will return to the area assigned for them.
7. Conduct of the contest
7.1. During the contest a team is entitled to 2 interruptions for reprogramming during attempts, 5 minutes each (2 interruptions in the contest).
7.2. Other breaks are only allowed for mechanical problems and only with the referee's agreement of maximum 5 minutes each. This rule is applied only when a match is taking place. Besides matches, changes and reprogramming are allowed. Teams are required to appear at the start within 1 minute of receipt of the request, otherwise they will lose the match.
7.3. After approval all teams remain in the competition area. Teams can only leave the room for repairs. If a team leaves the competition room, it must return within the specified time by the referee. If the robot does not appear on the first call, it loses the attempt.
7.4. The order of the robots in the groups will be made random, it will be made after the official opening of the competition, and will be available on the website for all the participants.
7.5. After the technical inspection the teams, which will follow at the start, will remain at the competition area, in the waiting area. The teams will leave this area only if the referee agrees, or only for repairs and they must return in the time set by the referee. If the team doesn’t return at the first call, they will lose the attempt.
7.6. Each team has the responsibility to follow the starting grid (schedule), displayed on the website and on the projector.
7.7. If a team is called to play and does not arrive in 5 minutes the robot is disqualified.
8. Missions
8.1. Stair navigation mission
A. Mission objective
The robots compete one after each other. Each robot must reach the top of the staircase as fast as possible climbing one stair at a time, using his legs. Touching the staircase with other parts is not permitted.
B. Course time
Time is measured from the start signal until the robot reaches the top of the staircase. The robot is deemed to have finished the mission when both its feet are in contact with the end of the staircase. The maximum time admitted to complete this mission is 5 minutes, at this time the robot position shall be noticed for scoring.
C. Timekeeping
Time must be measured with an electronic gate system or by a judge with a stopwatch , based on the availability of equipment. In either case the recorded time shall be final.
D. Autonomous control
Once the start signal has been given the robot must remain fully autonomous or it will be disqualified. The robot must be disconnected from any network during the mission to prevent outside intervention.
E. Interruptions
- If a robot falls off the staircase it gets a second chance to complete the attempt. The robot will be placed at the first step.
- If a robot falls off the staircase or gets stuck because of various reasons (low battery, hot motor, script error, etc.) it gets a second chance to complete the attempt. A time interval up to 10 minute shall be granted to solve the problem before the retry. The robot will be placed at the first step when the restart will occur. In case of restart, the best attempt shall be considered for scoring.
- If a team refuses the second chance or the robot cannot be fixed in the given interval, the first attempt shall be considered for scoring.
8.2. Obstacle navigation mission
The robots will compete one after the other. The aim of the game is that a robot who walks on two legs must complete a course with obstacles in the shortest time.
A. The time in which the robots are allowed to finish the course is 5 minutes.
B. Each robot has in total 3 attempts. The attempts are distributed in 3 different time slots, each slot has a 5 minutes time limit. In each slot a robot has the right to make only one attempt to finish the course.
C. If one robot will not come to make his attempt in one slot, he loses the right to do it. Two attempts in one slot are not allowed.
D. Depending on the number of competitors the time can be extended or reduced.
E. One attempt has a time limit of 5 minutes to be completed. If the robot gets stuck, one restart is allowed. The robot will have to restart from the start position.
F. If the robot doesn’t finish the course in 5 minutes it will be stopped and the distance covered will be recorded.
G. The final classification will be made taking in consideration the best time for each robot.
H. No objections shall be declared against the judges' decisions. If there are any objections the team can be disqualified from that match.
I. Each team has the responsibility to follow the starting grid (schedule), displayed on the website and in the teams area.
9. Playing the trial
9.1. The Robot’s initial position. At the instructions of the referees, the team approaches the track to place the robot on the track surface.
9.2. The Start, Stop, Interruption or Continuation of the trial is announced by the referee.
9.4. The start is ordered by the referee in each round. After the start is announced the robot must start immediately without delay.
9.5. If the participant can’t start within 5 counts from the referee's signal, it will be declared as ‘Miss Start’ and they have two more chances to restart for this missed start.
9.6. If the participant starts the robot before the referee’s signal, it is declared as ‘False start’ and they have only one more chance to restart.
9.7. Each team has the right for two restarts in total per attempt.
9.8. A trial will be played for a maximum of 5 minutes. It will begin at the referee's command. Robots that couldn’t complete the missions within minutes, will have all points earned within 5 minutes aggregated as the final score for that attempt.
9.9. If the participant completes the mission within the time limit, the attempt will be finished and the time and points will be registered.
9.10. If the robot doesn’t move, the referee will count 10 seconds and if the robot still can not move, will call it a stop and count the points participants earned until the robot stopped.
9.11. During the trial, the referee can declare a TKO (Technical knockout) without 10 counts when the referee judges that the robot can’t drive properly anymore. (Ex. robot had been stopped over the structure and obstacle, robot drive settled zone repeatedly)
10. The score
10.1 A participant scores points according to the number of successes. The points per each mission will be announced on the competition day via the mission specification paper.
10.2. Ranking is done taking into account factors such as Mission points, time record, penalties and so on.
10.3. Time record is based on the measuring instruments or referee’s timer. (If you are declared as TKO or Robot stop by the referee, the time record will not be accepted as the final score.)
10.4. The final score considered will be the best score out of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd attempt.
10.5. The standard of the scoring system is based on quantitative standards: timekeeping and distance record.
10.6. Order of priority according to attempts If the result is the same, the winner will be decided after comparing the result of other attempts.
10.7. For the stair-climbing mission the robot who will reach the end of the staircase in the allowed time, will receive 10 points. The rest of the robots will be ranked depending on which step they arrive on the staircase. If more robots stop on the same step they will be ordered using the time when the robot is considered stopped by the referee. The minimum amount of points obtained in this challenge shall be no lower than 1 point.
10.8 For the obstacle navigation mission the robot that will finish the course and will have the best time, will receive 10 points. The rest of the robots will be ranked using the time and the position on the course. If more robots stop in the same place they will be ordered using the time when the robot is considered stopped by the referee.
The minimum amount of points obtained in this challenge shall be no lower than 1 point.
10.9. The final ranking is made by summing the points from all challenges for each robot. The robot with the biggest number of points wins the competition.
11. Repairs, modifications, unexpected interrupts
11.1. If a robot fails during a match, the Referee will allocate a 1-minute repair interval. This interval can be extended up to 5 minutes with the organizers' agreement. Repairs will be supervised by an assistant referee to avoid changing the robot modules with other non-approved ones.
11.2. If a robot can not be repaired within the specified interval, the attempt is lost. The defective robot team can continue the repairs until the next attempt in which they participate. During this time the team is supervised by a referee / member of the organizing committee.
11.3. Replacement of defective parts can be performed and batteries can be charged during the competition, if necessary.
11.4. A competitor may ask to stop the attempt when he / she is injured or the robot has suffered damage and the game can not continue.
11.5. If there are any modifications made to the robot after technical inspection, the robot must again pass the technical inspection stage.
12. Player Restrictions
12.1. When teams are called to the mission area for their robot, teams present to the field promptly.
12.2. Players have to behave in a respectful manner, and are not permitted to use profanity or insulting words or actions, or to have their robot use such words or actions. Unsportsmanlike behavior will not be tolerated. Such behavior will result in a violation or disqualification at the judge’s discretion.
12.3. Two team members may enter the mission area to place and take the robot.
12.4. The competitors are forbidden to enter the ring during the mission, unless the referee stops the attempt.
12.5. The competitors are forbidden from demanding to stop the attempt without appropriate reasons.
13. Judging
13.1. No objections shall be declared against the referees / judges' decisions.
13.2. The lead person of a team can present objections to the organizing committee, before the attempt is over, if there are any doubts in the exercising of these rules. If there are no Committee members present, the objection can be presented to the judge before the attempt is over.
13.3. The decisions of the referee must be unanimous and are final; questioning these decisions leads to disqualification.
14. The Winner
The Champion will be the robot with the most points achieved throughout the missions.
14.1 Obstacle Course, consists of the participating autonomous humanoid robots navigating through the course and the obstacles set up on it, the robots that finish the course entirely receive 10 points, in the other cases in which the robots do not finish the course, their progress will be evaluated based on their position and in case of a draw their time plus the 1 point for participation.
Fig. 1. Obstacle navigation mission
14.2 Stair navigation mission, consists of the participating autonomous humanoid robots reaching the end of the stair set up by the organizers, the robots which finish the course will receive 10 points, in the other cases in which the robots do not finish the course, their progress will be evaluated based on their position and in case of a draw their time plus the 1 point for participation.
Length…………...30cm
Width……………..25cm
Height …………...3cm
Additional information: The staircase has 4 steps up and 4 steps down.
Fig. 2 Stair navigation mission.
15. Flexibility of Rules
As long as the concept and fundamentals of the rules are observed, these rules shall be flexible enough to encompass the changes in the number of players and of the contents of matches. Modifications or abolition of the rules can be made by the local event organizers as long as they are published prior to the event, and are consistently maintained throughout the event.
16. Liability
16.1. Participating teams are always responsible for the safety of their robots and are liable for any accidents caused by their team members or their robots.
16.2. The Robotics Championship organization and the organizing team members will never be held responsible nor liable for any incidents and / or accidents caused by participating teams or their equipment.
