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Rules

Important Dates:

Kickoff Event:

When: Thursday, November 4th, 2004
Time: 1600-1700
Where: WPI Campus - Salisbury Labs 115

Competition Event:

When: Sunday, December 5th, 2004
Time: 1000-1600
Where: WPI Campus - Salisbury Labs 115

1. Objective

To design and build a radio-controlled robot that will defeat your opponent in competition.

The winner is the team that wins the finals at the end of the tournament.

2. The Game

View the detailed drawing [PDF]

• 2.1 Field Description
  • 2.1.1 The field is roughly 8' x 12'. The outer boundaries of the playing area and walled scoring areas are formed by a wooden frame that is approximately 3" in height and ¾" in thickness. The surface of the playing area is gray, “high-traffic" carpet.
  • 2.1.2 Robots will begin the match in one of the two colored starting areas which are 18" by 18" in size, and located in opposing corners of the field. Teams will be designated as either “Red" or “Blue" on a match-by-match basis as noted on the Match List. The starting areas will be marked by colored tape.
  • 2.1.3 Three types of scoring objects are located throughout the playing field:
    • 2.1.3.1 Tubes: There will be 20 regular tubes on the playing field at the start of the match as shown in the Field Drawing. One end of each tube is painted red and the other end is painted blue. Tubes will start the match standing on end, with ten of each color up as shown in the Field Drawing.
      • 2.1.3.1.1 Tube Dimensions: approximately 1-5/8 I.D. PVC tubing cut to 3" length. On each end of the tube there is a 3/16" thick lip which is ½" in length. Each team will be supplied with a standard tube for practice.
    • 2.1.3.2 Tennis Balls: Four standard tennis balls will be located in the playing field at the start of the match. Two will be located on the floor and two will be sitting on top of upright tubes as designated in the Field Drawing.
    • 2.1.3.3 Über-tuber: One tube will be made similar to the regular tubes but will have an extra gold ring painted around the center of the tube designating it as the über-tuber. It will begin each match laying on its side in the center of the playing field.
      • 2.1.3.3.1 Über-tuber Dimensions: The über-tuber is the same size as the regular tube. It is different only in an extra band of gold paint in the center.
  • 2.1.4 All field dimensions should be considered to be +/- .5"
• 2.2 There are two scoring areas of each color located on the field:
  • 2.2.1 Field Scoring Area (FSA): There is one FSA each for Red and Blue located on the field as shown in the Field Drawing. FSAs are 18" x 18" in size and the outer borders of the scoring areas are marked by Red or Blue colored duct tape. For purposes of differentiating these areas from the robot starting areas, FSAs will have a colored X through center made with duct tape.
  • 2.2.2 Walled Scoring Area (WSA): There is one WSA each for Red and Blue located on the field as shown in the Field Drawing. WSAs are 9" x 18" in size and bounded by the same wooden boards that form the outer border of the field.
• 2.3 Match Scoring
  • 2.3.1 All scoring will occur at the end of each two-minute match, after all robots and scoring objects have come to rest.
  • 2.3.2 A tube is considered to be in a scoring position if any part of the tube is contained within a scoring area and is supported by only the floor of the playing area, the borders of the WSA, and/or other scoring objects considered being in scoring position.
  • 2.3.3 A tennis ball is considered to be in scoring position if supported only by a tube standing on end.
  • 2.3.4 If a team's robot is in contact with any of their scoring objects, either tennis balls or tubes, those objects will not be counted. Opposing robots in contact with the other team's scoring objects will not negate points for either team except if it is in violation of Section 2.3.2 and the scoring object is supported by the robot.
  • 2.3.5 At the end of the match, when all scoring objects and robots have come to a full and complete stop, each team will receive points based on the following criteria:
    • 2.3.5.1 One point for each tube standing upright anywhere in the field with your color up.
      • 2.3.5.1.1 A tube is considered "upright" if the complete lip on one side is completely in contact with the carpet.
    • 2.3.5.2 One point for each tube, irrelevant of orientation, in a scoring area.
    • 2.3.5.3 Seven points for each tennis ball sitting on the end of a standing tube. The points for the tennis ball will be given to the team whose color is up on the tube. It does not matter which team places the ball on top of the tube or where the tube is located in the playing area.
  • 2.3.6 Multipliers
    • 2.3.6.1 The point value for any objects in the Walled Scoring Area will be doubled.
    • 2.3.6.2 The point value for any objects in the same scoring area as the über-tuber will be doubled. The über-tuber also counts as a regular tube for scoring purposes.
    • 2.3.6.3 The Real-Time Varying Multiplier (RTVM): There will be two color-coded buttons located on the field as noted in the Field Drawing.
      • 2.3.6.3.1 Once one of the buttons is hit, it locks in a multiplier for the team whose button is hit. It does not matter which team hits the button.
      • 2.3.6.3.2 The buttons are only active during autonomous mode.
      • 2.3.6.3.3 If a button is activated during the first half of autonomous mode, it will lock in a multiplier of 2. If it is activated during the last half of the autonomous mode, it will lock in a multiplier of 1.5.
      • 2.3.6.3.4 The RTVM multiplies any and all points scored during the match.
    • 2.3.6.4 Teams may score and compound more than one multiplier during any given match.

  • 2.3.7 Tie Breakers
    In the event of a tie, the winner of the match will be determined by the following criteria, in this order:

    • Most tubes of your color upright
    • Most objects in the Walled Scoring Area
    • Über-tuber upright with your color up
    • Flip of a coin, where Red is assigned heads and Blue is assigned tails
• 2.4 Match Schedule & Ranking
  • 2.4.1 The competition will consist of Qualifying Matches followed by Elimination Matches.
  • 2.4.2 Qualifying Matches
    • 2.4.2.1 All teams will play in the same number of Qualifying Matches. The number of qualifying matches at each event will be determined by the length of the event and the number of teams competing.
    • 2.4.2.2 Teams will be given their schedule of qualification matches no later than the start of the first match of that day's event. The qualification match schedule will show the match number, the two teams competing in each match, and the color they are assigned for that match.
    • 2.4.2.3 At the end of each qualifying match, the total number of points scored by each team will be considered their Qualification Points.

  • 2.4.3 Ranking:
    At the end of the qualifying matches, teams will be ranked from 1 to N (N being the total number of teams present) based on the following:

    • Total number of Qualification Points first, then
    • Most wins, then
    • Most matches with the Über-tuber counting towards your score, then
    • Most matches with a tennis ball counting towards your score, then if all else fails
    • Flip of a coin, heads and tails to be determined by the head referee.
  • 2.4.4 Elimination Matches
    • 2.4.4.1 The number of teams participating in elimination matches will be no less than four, but may be increased prior to the start of the event based on the number of teams participating.
    • 2.4.4.2 During elimination matches, the #1 ranked team will play the lowest ranked team entering the elimination matches (i.e. if there are 4 teams in the elimination matches, #1 will play #4). The #2 ranked team will play the second to lowest ranked team and so on.
    • 2.4.4.3 Elimination matches will be a best 2-of-3 format.
    • 2.4.4.4 Tie breakers to determine match winners will be the same as listed in Section 2.3.7.
• 2.5 Driver Rotation
  • 2.5.1 During each match, teams will be required to switch their drivers halfway through the driver control period as indicated in Section 2.6. There will be a ten second period during which the drivers must complete the switch or power will be shut off for the duration of the match and the team will receive a score of zero Qualification Points.
  • 2.5.2 Teams may choose to have another student operating other functions of the robot during the match who is not required to switch their position through the match.
  • 2.5.3 The ordered list of drivers must be submitted by a team mentor prior to the start of the first match of the competition. Team members must drive according to this list.
  • 2.5.4 Teams must have at least seven different students to rotate through the driver position. In the event that a student team member does not show up for the event, teams must still place that student in the ordered list and forfeit their driving time during a match.
  • 2.5.5 All seven student participants of the team must drive the robot within the first four official matches in which the teams place a robot on the field. Once all team members have driven the robot, teams may choose to continue switching drivers or choose certain people to drive for the remainder of the competition.

• 2.6 Match Sequence
  Each match is two minutes long

  • 0-15 seconds - Robots enabled under Autonomous Control
  • 15-65 seconds - Robot under first Driver Control
  • 65-75 seconds - Driver switch period
  • 75-120 seconds - Robot under second Driver Control
  • 120 seconds - Match ends, robots disabled

• 2.7. General Rules
  All referee decisions regarding rules of play and scoring are final.

  • 2.7.0 Definitions
    • 2.7.1.1 Disqualification: Robots may be disqualified based on their actions which violate the rules of the game. If a referee calls for a disqualification during a match, power will be shut off to the offending robot and they will receive a score of zero for the match. If disqualification is not determined until the completion of the match, the offending robot will receive a score of zero for the match. In both situations the opposing team will receive a score based on the points they earned.
    • 2.7.1.2 Pinning: When the opposing robot is held against an obstacle and cannot move, either forward or backward, because of your robot's presence. Pinning will be visibly counted out by the closest referee.
  • 2.7.1 Robot's may not intentionally flip the opposing team's robot. The flipping robot will be disqualified from the match if in the referee's decision they initiated a lifting action which results in flipping. In incidents where the flipped robot initiates action or both robots are in motion, disqualification may not occur and will be at the discretion of the referees.
  • 2.7.2 At the start of the match, teams may place their robot anywhere inside the designated robot start area corresponding to their team color. The starting area is defined by the outer boundary of the tape.
  • 2.7.3 Any scoring object which leaves the playing area during a match will not be returned to the field and is ineligible to be scored.
  • 2.7.4 Referees will disqualify any robot they deem to be a safety hazard.
  • 2.7.5 Team members may interact with their robot during a match only through the normal operation of the Operator Interface control system. Only designated Drivers or Operators may be in contact with the controls during the match.
  • 2.7.6 Damage of the playing field, the scoring objects, or the control system may result in disqualification at the discretion of the referees.
  • 2.7.7 Referees may request that teams alter any portion of their robots that are considered safety hazards or damaging to the playing field or scoring objects at any point during the competition. It is the right of the referees to prevent teams from playing in matches until such changes are made to the robot.
  • 2.7.8 Strategies aimed solely at the destruction of or damage to an opponent's robot or the field are not in the spirit of the competition and will not be allowed.
  • 2.7.9 If a team is being pinned for 5 seconds, the team doing the pinning must back off at least 12 inches before they can resume. Failure to do so will result in the disqualification.
  • 2.7.10 All parts of the robot must remain attached to the robot for the duration of the match and must not cause any hazard of entanglement to the other robot, or else teams run the risk of disqualification. Minor pieces which unintentionally become detached from the robot, do not affect the outcome of the match, or are not the result of improper design/construction will not cause a disqualification.
  • 2.7.11 Teams are allowed to modify their robots in between matches as long as the robot remains compliant with all specifications and rules after the modification. Any modification should be brought to the attention of the referees or head inspector prior to the start of the team's next match. Teams may be subject to re-inspection at the discretion of the referees/head inspector.
  • 2.7.12 Teams must have their team name clearly marked on their robot such that it is visible from 15ft away.
  • 2.7.13 All questions or requests for rules clarifications will should be submitted via the webform located on the event website. Questions and answers will be publicly posted on the event website.

3. The Robot

• 3.1 Size Restriction
  • 3.1.1 At the start of each match, every part of the robot must fit, unconstrained, in a stable position, within a box 2.0374603 x 10^-12 astronomical units cubed. The robot must be fully self-supported, in contact only with the horizontal, carpeted (or taped) surface of the playing field when started.
• 3.2 Weight Restriction
  • 3.2.1 Each robot's weight must not exceed 2.18527908 x 10²⁷ atomic mass units.
• 3.3 Controls
  • 3.3.1 Teams will each bring and provide their own controls to the competition on a frequency designated to them prior to the event.
• 3.4 Construction Rules
  • 3.4.1 A robot must be designed to operate by reacting only against features within the confines of the playing field boundaries and may not interact with anything outside the boundaries of the playing field.
  • 3.4.2 Gaining traction by use of adhesives or by abrading or breaking the surface of the playing field is not allowed and will be considered to be damaging the playing field and subject to disqualification.
  • 3.4.3 A robot may not intentionally contaminate the playing field or an opponent's robot with lubricants or other debris.
• 3.5 Building Constraints
  • 3.5.1 Each team will be expected to use parts only from the Innovation FIRST Robovation Kit unless specified on the additional materials list below.
  • 3.5.2 Modifications are permitted to the mechanical parts of the kit. Team may opt to buy their own replacement or spare parts from Innovation FIRST, but no more than one kit's worth of parts may be on the robot. Teams may NOT intentionally modify any of the kit electronics or motors. Modification of items on the additional materials list is permitted.
  • 3.5.3 The complete parts list from the Innovation FIRST Robovation Kits can be found at www.innovationfirst.com/FIRSTRobotics/edu-kits.htm
  • 3.5.4 Teams may use any 7.2V NiCad battery, but only one battery may be used on the robot at a time.
• 3.6 Materials
  • 3.6.1 Unless otherwise specified, an unlimited quantity of the materials in the Additional Materials List will be allowed in addition to parts in the Robovation Kit.
  • 3.6.2 Additional Materials List
    • 3.6.2.1 Polycarbonate or acrylic sheet, up to one-quarter inch nominal thickness
    • 3.6.2.2 Aluminum sheet, up to one-eighth inch thickness
    • 3.6.2.3 Any metal or plastic round shaft or tubing up to one-half inch diameter
    • 3.6.2.4 Any bearings
    • 3.6.2.5 Plywood or wood up to one-half inch thickness
    • 3.6.2.6 Cardboard or foam-board
    • 3.6.2.7 String or twine
    • 3.6.2.8 Any strings or elastic bands (must be designed to release energy no faster than it was input)
    • 3.6.2.9 Fasteners, washers, and adhesives (used as such). You may not use adhesive tape (duct tape, electrical tape, etc) as a fastener
    • 3.6.2.10 Lubricants used to reduce friction within parts of your robot
    • 3.6.2.11 Non-functional decorations
    • 3.6.2.12 Paper, saran-wrap, aluminum foil, fabric or any paper or cloth-like material
    • 3.6.2.13 Up to 2 standard hobby servos in additional to Robovation kit motors
    • 3.6.2.14 Any sensors. The total cost of all sensors used on the robot must not exceed $50.
    • 3.6.2.15 Any other materials requested from and approved by the Savage Soccer staff by submitting a question via the webform located on the event website provided it is readily available or accessible by other teams.
• 3.7 Energy Sources
  • 3.7.1 The energy used by the devices in the competition must come solely from:
    • 3.7.1.1 A change in altitude of the center of gravity of the device
    • 3.7.1.2 Energy stored by deformation of any springs on the additional materials list
    • 3.7.1.3 Electrical energy delivered by the battery to the electronics and motors provided with the kit.
• 3.8 Electronics - Autonomous Receiver
  • 3.8.1 Each team must allot space on their robot to mount the Autonomous Receiver. The Autonomous Receiver box is 2" by 1" in size and must be mounted within 3" of digital inputs numbers 13 and 14 on the Robot Controller to which it will be connected.
  • 3.8.2 The Autonomous Receiver box will have the hook side (hard side) of a 1"x1" piece of Velcro on it and teams will be required to mount the Receiver using the loop side (soft side) of a piece of Velcro on their robot.
  • 3.8.3 Teams will be adding and removing the Autonomous Receiver before and after each match and therefore it should be easily accessible and removable.
  • 3.8.4 The autonomous receiver will be required for your robot to be allowed to play in the matches. Further specifications will be available on the event website.

Maintained by savage@wpi.edu
Last modified: Sep 26, 2005, 23:02 EDT