EMERGENCY EXIT

Introduction
A major landslide has just occurred on the foothills of the Himalayas on one of
the national highways. An ambulance, hard pressed for time, needs to get past
the road block created as a consequence of the landslide. To assist it in its
work a bulldozer is rapidly clearing the road of all the rubble brought in by the
landslide. We gie you chance to get a feel for this yourself by building a bot
that can be applied to a real life situation. !n this problem you get to make
both the ambulance and the bulldozer and design them so that the ambulance
can clear the roadblock in minimal time. The catch" the ambulance must be
entirely autonomous. The bulldozer howeer can be manually controlled. The
following sections e#plain the problem statement in detail and lay down the
rules and regulations of the contest.
Structure of the document
$. Terms and their definitions" This section e#plains the arious terms
we shall be using throughout the document.
%. &roblem statement" This section clearly and objectiely defines the
problem statement.
'. Arena dimensions" This section gies specific details regarding all the
arena dimensions including their tolerances.
(. )obot constraints" This section defines what size constraints the two
bots in a team must follow.
*. &odium finish conditions" This defines clearly what constitutes a
podium finish and hence when a participant is eligible for a podium finish.
+. )egistration details
,. -ent format
.. /ther rules" )ules and regulations regarding the use of electronics and
or fabricated parts in the bot. !t also includes some other general rules.
0. 1aeat" 2isclaimers and other things that participants must note.
Terms and definitions
$. Ambulance" The autonomous bot whose purpose is to get from the
starting square to the finish square.
%. 3ulldozer" The manual bot whose purpose is to aid the autonomous bot
in its task.
'. 4tarting square" A *5 cm 6 *5 cm square7 including a ' cm boundary
that runs on two adjacent sides. The ambulance must be placed here
prior to the start of the game. The ambulance must be enclosed entirely
within the start square 8which includes the ' cm border9 before the
match starts. The starting square is distinguished by a flag as shown in
the diagram.
(. :inishing square" A *5 cm 6 *5 cm square7 including a ' cm boundary
that runs on two adjacent sides7 in this case the bottom and the left
sides. The ambulance must reach here8 it must be inside this bordered
square completely9 in order to complete its task of getting from start to
finish. The finishing square is diagonally opposite to the starting square
in the arena. !t is distinguished using a flag as shown in the diagram.
*. The arena" This is a grid of size '.(, m by '.(, m which is composed of
(0 squares identical to the start square. -ach of these squares is (, cm
by (, cm in dimension with a ' cm white border on two adjacent sides
8the upper side and the right hand side as seen from the top iew9. The
interior of the squares is black in order to aid the bot in line following.
The entire arena is surrounded on its perimeter by a wooden wall,
painted in brown. The wall is $ cm thick and $5 cm high. The starting
square is at the lower left hand corner of the arena, while the finishing
square is at the upper right hand corner of the grid.
+. 2ebris;/bstacles;3locks" These are cube shaped blocks that are placed
at the intersection of the ' cm white grid lines 8as detailed aboe9. The
obstacle format is different for the two rounds 8for eent format refer to
the section below9. !n the first round, the cubes are $5 cm on the side
and can be coloured in any of three colours" blue, red and green. The
block weight shall not e#ceed %55 gms and they are all non magnetic.
The blocks can be moed easily using the manual bot.
!n the second round, the cubes are $5 cm on the side and can be
coloured in one of two colours" black or white. The block weight shall not
e#ceed %55 gms and they are all non magnetic. The white blocks can<t
be moed from their locations 8they are not fi#ed to the arena, but as a
rule cant be moed9 while the black ones can be moed easily using the
manual bot. =oing a white block in the second round will result in a one
point penalty.
,. /rigin and coordinate system"The origin in this document refers to the
lower left hand corner of the starting square. All coordinates are with
reference to a right handed coordinate system centered at this point.
The coordinates are in units of number of square blocks. :or instance,
8$,$9 refers to the upper right hand corner of the starting square and
8,,,9 refers to the upper right hand corner of the finishing square.
A diagram of the block and the arena is shown here.
Problem statement
Teams do not play each other in this eent. They compete indiidually trying to
set the best times in the best of their trials. -ach team is allowed a team of
one autonomous and one manual bot as mentioned aboe. The ambulance
must be placed in the starting square prior to the commencement of the
game. The dimensions of the autonomous bot must be such that it fits entirely
within the starting square 8including the boundary of ' cm9 and can be
enclosed entirely by a cube of side *5 cm with one of its faces resting firmly
on the ground.
The auto>bot 8the ambulance9 starts the game in the starting square. Teams
hae a minute to set up both their ambulance and bull dozer bots in their
respectie starting squares. The starting position of the manual bot will be
defined shortly. /nce this time has elapsed the teams get e#actly $5 seconds
to start their ambulance bot.
The goal is to get the ambulance from the start square to the finish square as
quickly as possible7 while at the same time aoiding the debris in the path.
&oints are also awarded for collecting debris and placing it in the debris area
8only moable blocks can be collected7 read the section on blocks aboe9. !n
the first round all blocks 8debris9 are moable and there will be * of them in
total en route to the finish square. !n the second round there will be a total of '
immoable 8white in colour9 and ( moable 8black coloured9 blocks. ?ote
howeer that the manual bot can score points for collecting debris only so long
as the ambulance had not yet reached the finishing square. Any debris
collected by the manual bot later does not count. The grid lines are white in
color, on a black background 8ie the interior of the *5 cm squares is black in
color9.
The positions of these blocks;debris will be decided randomly by the coords
prior to the commencement of the game. Howeer blocks will be placed only
from the coordinates 8%,%9 onwards. !n other words there will be no blocks in
the intersections formed by the grid lines that make up the four squares
closest to the origin. All blocks will be uniform cubes of side $5 cm.
&oints will be awarded as follows" !f the time of completion 8ie getting from the
starting square to the finish square9 is t secs and n blocks8n @ *9 hae been
deposited during this time the team<s score is

%AnB %*55;8$55Bt9 Cd

&oints rounded off to two decimal places. Here n is the total number of
moable blocks collected. !n the first round all blocks are moable. Howeer,
in the second round as mentioned aboe certain blocks are immoable.
=oing these blocks7 either using the auto or manual bot will result in a one
point penalty 8deducted from the final score9. Here <moe< is taken to mean
an action in which isible moement of the block is seen. Here d is the closest
distance of the ambulance in its final position 8ie either after reaching the
finish square or after the time limit has e#pired 8see the ne#t sentence97
whicheer is earlier9 from the centre of the finish square 8in metres9. 4o if the
bot has reached the finish square its distance would be zero. !f t is too long7
8say greater than * minutes9 it will be taken to be infinity 7 and only the
number of blocks collected up to that point will be considered in the score
calculation. This time limit will be determined by the coordinators during the
eent7 with a iew to reduce the time for each match.
Teams hae a total of three trials to set their times. At the end of three rounds
the best score among all three rounds will be taken as the team<s score.
The manual bot starting zone
The manual bot starting zone is the square area *5 cm by *5 cm in size with
corners at the coordinates 8(,%9,8(,'9,8*,%9 and 8*,'9. This area is marked
separately by a separate flag.
rena dimensions
The arena will be a '.(,m by '.(, m square in the form of a grid with squares
of size *5 cm as mentioned aboe. There is a ' cm white border on the edge
of each of these squares8e#cept the squares on the sides of the grid adjacent
to the finishing square7 please refer to the diagram for details9. The starting,
finishing squares for the auto>bot and the starting square for the manual bot
are all distinguished from the other squares by using different color flags on
their periphery. The entire arena is surrounded on the outside by a $ cm thick
and $5 cm high wooden wall colored in brown. The grid lines are all white in
color and are ' cm thick. The finish on the paint will be a non reflectie, matte
finish in all cases. ?one of the colors will be reflectie;glossy.
!ebris zone
3y the side of the main arena are two rectangular areas *5 cm by $55 cm in
dimension. Two of the endpoints of one of these rectangles are at 8*,%.*9 and
8*,(.*9 and the rectangle e#tends out of the arena. This rectangular area is
also bounded by an identical wooden wall just like the rest of the arena. The
area is completely bounded by the wooden wall which means the manual bot
cannot directly enter this area. 4imilarly the other area for the debris is
symmetrically located with two of its endpoints at85,%.*9 and 85,(.*9. :or
further clarification, please look at the diagram of the arena.
Robot dimension constraints
The dimensions of the autonomous bot must be such that it fits entirely within
the starting square8including the boundary of ' cm9 and can be enclosed
entirely by a cube of side *5 cm with one of its faces resting firmly on the
ground. This requirement must be satisfied at the start of the game ie in the
starting state of the bot. The bot may e#tend itself using links during the
course of the game. All we require is that at the beginning of the game the bot
must satisfy the dimension constraints detailed aboe in its starting
state;position. The same 8all the aboe9 holds for the manual bot too,
e#cluding its control pole8mentioned below9.
The weight of each of the bots must not e#ceed * kg. The control wires for the
manual bot must come out from a pole at least $ m aboe the ground. This
holds een if wireless transmission is used. The control wires for the bot must
be sufficiently long so that the manual operator can control the bot anywhere
inside the arena since the manual operator will not be allowed inside the
arena. Also the wires should neer be taut at any point of time.

Podium finish conditions
A team is eligible for a podium finish and hence a cash prize if and only if the
auto bot is able to successfully naigate through the obstacles and reach the
final square starting from the initial square in a stipulated amount of time
8coordinator<s discretion9, at least once. Also the manual bot must
demonstrate the ability to pick up and place at least a single block in the
debris zone. /nly if the aboe two conditions are satisfied will the team be
eligible for a podium finish. !n other cases the coordinators may disburse the
prize money in a way they feel appropriate.
Registration details
)egistration details will be put up on the 4haastra website shortly. &lease
check back frequently.
E"ent format
The eent is open to all colleges in !ndia and abroad and there is no restriction
on the number of teams from any gien college. Teams must be prepared to
send a team description paper8 T2&s9 by 4eptember $
st
. Teams shall be
screened for the first round at 4haastra on the basis of their T2&s. /nly teams
satisfying a minimum criterion, as judged by the T2&, will be allowed to
participate in the first round at 4haastra. :or further details regarding the way
the eent is going to be conducted refer to the policy document.
2etails on the dates of uploading the T2& and the upload format will be
communicated shortly. 2etails of the 4haastra 4parsh competition will also be
uploaded shortly. &lease keep watching the help desk for further notification of
the same.
#ther Rules
Please note that rule $ has been modified%
$. /ut>sourcing of manufacturing& The design of the bot both electrical and
mechanical must be entirely yours. The =echanical manufacturing
1A??/T be outsourced since this is a design and build eent. The &13
design must be yours. &13 manufacturing =AD be outsourced. The
coordinators resere the right to ask for any of the design drawings in
case of any doubt regarding the authenticity of the design. &lease
presere any design drawings;schematics you may hae made. Dou are
e#pected to bring a copy of the same to the contest enue too. We also
resere the right to orally question you on the design if we doubt its
originality. !f you need any clarifications on this point please do not
%.
hesitate to mail us. 2/ ?/T A44E=- A?DTH!?F.
'. =arket aailable parts" The use of market aailable mechanical parts
suited for specific tasks is not allowed. :or instance, a pre>fabricated
mechanical arm for gripping objects if used in the manual bot would
lead to disqualification. Ese of sensor modules for object pro#imity
detection and;or line following is allowed. !f you need any clarifications
on this point please do not hesitate to mail us. 2/ ?/T A44E=-
A?DTH!?F.
(. 3atteries " ?o e#ternal power supply can be used. The power supply for
the bot must be a 21 oltage source. The ma#imum oltage between
any two points in circuit cannot e#ceed $% Golts. The power supply
should be on the bot and not on the remote. The weight of the bot will
be considered along with the batteries on board.
*. ?umber of team members"The ma#imum number of official team
members is :!G-.
+. 3ot 4eparation" The robots, both the autonomous and manual one must
remain as one single body throughout the game7 no detachment or
separation into distinct bodies is allowed.
,. Arena damage" The robots in the course of the game, must not damage
the arena in any way. This includes, but is not restricted to, denting the
surface, or isibly scratching the surface or leaing marks on it.
.. 1ertificates" :or any details on this refer to the certificate policy
document.
Ca"eat
All dimensions are subject to tolerances of * H of the mentioned alue. We
shall try and make them as accurate as possible. The same holds for the bot
constraints too "9 . !n case of any clarification of any nature please do not
hesitate to use the help desk proided for the purpose. We ask you not to
assume anything without consulting the coordinators. !f you find the any of the
rules unreasonable or inconsistent7 please get back to us or post on the help
desk or send a mail to roboticsIshaastra.org.