CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

National Engineering Robotics Contest 2010

a. Introduction National Engineering Robotics Contest (NERC) is a joint project to promote research in robotics and its related fields in Pakistan. This contest provides a common environment for the integration and evaluation of various mechanical and electronics designs, control and path planning algorithms and agent architectures. The aim of this years contest is to build an autonomous robot which is capable of moving in a specified arena consisting of a non flat terrain and is able to place objects at predefined points in the arena. Over the years NERC has grown increasingly popular among students and university engineering departments across the country. We value the interest that our participants have shown and pledge to bring exciting new challenges every year for the advancement of robotics community at an increasingly wider scale. We welcome your participation in 6th National Engineering Robotics Competition (NERC 2010). Robotics is a buzz word at todays technology forefronts. Due to exponential advancements in fields like high performance computing, computer vision, computer networks, material sciences and power electronics, the growth experienced by robotics in past few years is unprecedented. Robotics is the only field which can add precision while replacing the slow manual labor in contemporary industrial world. Thus this field faces enormous pressure from industry to produce all purpose mobile manipulator robots which can perform simple tasks like grab, navigate and place objects at desired locations autonomously. This years contest like the last year aims at the same application of robotics but raises the bar by a little. The contestants are expected to come up with autonomous robots that can not only place objects with increased amount of precision and feedback control, but also negotiate a non flat terrain that consists of two ramps having a specified gradient. There are two leagues under which contestants will be evaluated; Indigenous Robot League and Modular Robot League. The purpose of this contest is to develop a sense of problem-solving, technical design and ingenuity among the contestants. b. Contest Categories The contest consists of two categories, each based on the focus of design and the level of technology used. We expect from the contestants of both categories to build an Autonomous Robot which should be able To move in a specified arena, comprising of a non flat terrain with two ramps of specified gradient, and insert wooden pegs into the peg-stands placed at pre-defined points in the arena. Both categories have separate prizes. There are some differences in the theme and rules for both the categories which are mentioned at

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

the end of this document. Contestants are free to compete in any category. The two categories are: a. Category 1- Indigenous Robots Indigenous robots are the ones that are constructed from scratch. Their mechanical structure, controls etc. are designed and fabricated by the teams themselves. However electronic control modules and sensors may be acquired non-indigenously. b. Category 2 Modular Robots Modular/Lego robots are ones in which ready-made kits are used, for example Lego or Vex Robotics kits.

Indigenous Robots
c. The Contest Arena Please review the Floor-plan before continuing

Ramp2

B Ramp1 A

a. The Contest Arena is made by joining two Blue Waterproof Floor Mat sheets of size 600 X 183 cm each. So that the total size of the arena becomes 600 X 366 cm. There could be slight variation in the exact shade of the aforementioned mat. Please see contest website for photograph of actual mat to be used. This kind of floor mat is commonly used in Toyota Hiace Vans b. Fixed Lines are marked on the arena. These Lines can assist the robot to find its path. The Lines are made from 3 cm wide White Reflector Tape

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

c. Four peg-stands are placed on the arena marked n, e, r & c. There are 9 pigeon holes in all the stands which are arranged in the form of 3 X 3 grids. The height of all the stands from ground to bottom-most row of pigeon holes is 21 cm. The peg stand will be made up of acrylic sheet of 3mm thickness. Please see the Floor-plan for detailed dimensions and preview. The position of all stands is fixed and these will be placed on the ground.

d. Wooden peg would be cuboid in shape with a square cross section of length of 4 cm. Depth of cuboid will be equal to 6 cm. The dimensions of the wooden pegs can be seen from the Floor-plan as well. e. The white line from point A to B on the Floor-plan is the Start Zone. The contestants will be asked to start from any point on this line. This means that the initial position of the robot will be variable. It is also MUST for the robot to enter the arena from point B. d. Robot Operation Once turned on, the robot must be self-controlled without any human intervention. Remote-control of any sort (wired or wireless) CANNOT be used. Contestants are NOT allowed to touch their robots or enter the Contest Arena after startup. The robot must find the peg-stand (by virtue of its position or any other sensing technique) and place the pegs into the pigeon holes. e. Loading Pegs a. Total 8 wooden pegs are to be inserted in all the stands b. All the pegs to be loaded in the robot before Start c. A maximum of 8 wooden pegs can be loaded in the robot at Start f. Peg Placement Technique The Robot must not use any destructive or dangerous methods to place the pegs. The Robot may touch the peg stand for sensing purposes. The peg stand will have adequate weight. Attempting to climb the peg stand can be dangerous and the peg stand may fall or break causing damage to the arena. Any team that damages the peg stand or the arena will be disqualified. Furthermore, if a team drops the peg stand, without damaging the arena, points shall be deducted. The robot must not use any harmful substances such as oil, petrol etc. in its operation that can damage the arena. The Robot CANNOT split after the start of the game, only one Robot is allowed to compete at a time. Any kind of support to the outlet / extension with the ground is NOT allowed. Furthermore, the robot is

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

not allowed to release anything other than the peg during its operation. A penalty shall be awarded if the robot releases anything other than the peg during operation.

g. Rules for Peg Placement The pigeon holes in all the peg-stands will be considered to be numbered from 1 to 9, as illustrated in the grid shown below. The numbers would not be marked physically on the pigeon holes but we would take them to be in that sequence for our understanding and for all practical purposes. The numbering sequence for all stands will be the same, all the top left holes will be taken as number 1, top centered one as number 2 and so on, as shown in figure below. See Floor-plan for picture.

1 4 7

2 5 8

3 6 9

The robot can place a maximum of three pegs in a single stand. The robot can not place more than one peg in the similar numbered pigeon-hole even on a different stand. For example if a peg is placed in pigeon-hole No. 1 on stand n, then the robot may not place another peg in the same numbered hole on any of the stands e, r or c. It means more than one peg placed into the same numbered hole even on a different stand will not be counted. Illustrations showing the two examples of peg placement configurations are given below.

Example 1

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

Example 2

A maximum of 2 placement outlets are allowed on the robot. By one placement outlet we mean, the outlet from which a peg is placed in the peg stands. Since a maximum of 2 outlets are allowed, therefore only two pegs can be placed at a time in a peg stand. h. Peg Placement Mechanism

It is to be noted that the maximum permissible height of the robot will be 60 cm. The teams are required to design a proper peg placement mechanism that does not employ gravity for releasing pegs. Violation of this rule will lead to disqualification, as adjudged by the judges. 9. Robot Size and Weight

The robot must fit within 1200 cm2 i.e. the area of the shadow of the robot if light is projected from top must not increase 1200 cm2. The robot must also fit within a box of 60 X 60 cm i.e. with the area of 1200 cm2 the linear dimension of any side must not increase 60 cm. If the area of the robot base is more than 1200 cm2 or the dimension of any side increases 60 cm, penalty shall entail, as detailed in section 15 below. The maximum permissible height of the robot is 60 cm. Any robot exceeding this limit will be disqualified. All robots will be carefully measured. All sensors mounted on the robot will be counted as part of the robots total dimensions. If contestants want to add a flag, hat or other purely decorative, non-functional items to the robot, they may do so. The decorations must also be within the size limit i.e. 1200 cm2 and 60 X 60 cm. The weight of robot including decorations must not exceed 14 kg. Penalties as detailed in Section 15 below will be levied if the robot does not fulfill the size and/or weight criteria.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

10.

Sensors

There is no restriction on the type of sensors that can be used. However, contestants are not allowed to place any markers, beacons or reflectors in the contest area to aid in the robots navigation.

11.

Power Supply

The robot must be battery-powered. The robot must not have any wired connections with its surroundings. Voltage of the machines electrical power source must not exceed 48 Volt DC. Power sources that are considered dangerous or unsuitable by the Contest Officials shall not be permitted. 12. Teams a. The Robots can be built by teams of currently registered students from Engineering Institutions, Polytechnic Institutions, schools etc. Each team can comprise of Maximum 6 members. b. If the students from two different Institutes/Universities join hands and form a team in collaboration then the name of the Institute/University with maximum number of students in such a team would be registered. 13. Duration of Match a. Each team will be given maximum 4 minutes to complete their task. However, team may be asked to stop the Robot earlier if the referees decide that the task cannot be completed due to mechanical problems or for safety reason b. Each team will be given 1 minute for setting up the Robot at the start point c. Robot can start at the instant when the start signal is given. Robot must be constructed so that it can be started in minimum possible operation(s) d. Once the Robot moves, team members will not be allowed to touch the Robot or enter in the Contest Arena f. The Robot timing shall start when any portion of the Robot cross point B g. After completion of peg placement task, the Robot is required to reach point B and travel toward point A. The finish time will be recorded when the last portion of the robot crosses point B, as the robot moves to point A.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

h. Bonus marks would be awarded if the Robot successfully overcomes each ramp (mountain paths) placed in the arena. Bonus marks would be awarded for overcoming a ramp for the first time only. Overcoming the same ramp more than once would not yield more points. 14. Retry

If the robot is strayed due to some reason, retries are allowed. Maximum THREE retries can be awarded by the match referee. Points will be deducted for each retry. After a Retry is called out by a team, they are allowed to pick the machine from the contest arena, reset and restart from the Start Zone. This can be done by any of the members of the team. If the team wants to reload pegs, they will be provided by the field staff. For retry there would be no "time out" and the global clock would be running. For each retry, robots must be started again from the Start Zone. After calling a retry the score will become zero. However each team will be judged on the basis of maximum scores in any individual try (not necessarily the last one). 15. Points a. Placing 1st peg into any stand b. Placing 2nd peg into any stand c. Placing 3rd peg into any stand d. Placing 4th (or more) peg into a single stand e. Placing more than one peg into a same numbered pigeon hole* f. Crossing point B g. Overcoming a ramp for first time (Bonus marks) h. Overcoming the same ramp for second or more time

25 points 20 points 10 points 0 points 0 points

30 points 20 points 0 points

*If a robot places a peg into any pigeon hole number x of one stand then it cannot place another peg into the same pigeon hole number x of any other stand. Targeting same pigeon whole x for the second time will be given 0 marks If two or more teams have same points then decision will be made on the basis of time, i.e. the team scoring maximum in minimum time would be the winner.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

The time taken by the Robot to cross point B will be taken as the final time for the completed task. If a robot does not complete the complete task (i.e. place all pegs and return to point B), the time for placing the last peg will be considered as the final time. Extreme minor details will be on the discretion of judges. If the team has committed retries then the best score for any individual try (not necessarily the last one) will be considered for judgment. Deduction of Points a. b. c. Retry 5 points Oversize Robot (Size between 1200 and 5 points 1500 cm2) Oversize Robot (Size exceeding 1500 Disqualified cm2) Oversize Robot (Robot does not fit in 60 X Disqualified 60 cm) Overweight Robot (Weight between 14 and 16 kg) Overweight Robot (Weight between 16 and 18 kg) Overweight Robot (Weight exceeding 18 kg) Dropping peg-stand Robot height exceeding limit (60 cm) Damage by Robot to arena or peg stand Violation of Gravity rule Releasing any object other than peg at any time Rules a. The Contest judges may stop any robot at any time if they feel that it is performing, or is about to perform, any action that is dangerous or hazardous to people or equipment b. In all matters of interpreting the rules before and during the Contest and in any issues not covered by these rules, the decisions of the Contest Judging Committee will be final c. Additional information regarding the contest rules and regulations may be found in the FAQs and will be considered as part of the theme and rules. New FAQs are uploaded frequently so keep watching the FAQ corner for new information 5 points 10 points Disqualified 5 points Disqualified Disqualified Disqualified 15 points

d.

e. f. g. h. j. k. l. m.

16.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

15. Disqualification The following behavior shall be considered for disqualification by the referee and the team could possibly be disqualified: a. Attempting to damage the game field b. Performing any act that fails to comply with the spirit of Fair Play 16. Test Run Contestants will be given time for trial run a day before the contest to calibrate their robot/sensors on the actual arena/game field.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

Modular/Lego Robots
17. Difference in Rules a. Only two peg- stands will be placed on the arena for the Lego robots b. Both the stands would be on the same side of "start zone" demarcation line as illustrated in the figure below c. Total 6 wooden pegs are to be inserted in the two peg stands d. The contestants from schools can use the kits for making up the complete robot. But for the university/institute participants, it is compulsory that at least 50% of the robot is indigenous e. Rest of the rules are same as for indigenous robots

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

Registration- Method & Deadline

Fill the registration form available on our website and send it to us with a non-refundable registration fee of Rs. 500 for each Robot entering into the Contest. Any individual or group can enter more than one Robot, but a registration fee must accompany each entry. The same physical Robot CANNOT be entered twice even if two entry fees are paid. Please make your Check/ Draft/ Pay-Order payable to: Dr. Javaid Iqbal, Head of Mechatronics Department Our postal address is: Department of Mechatronics Engineering, College of E&ME, Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan 46000 Ph: +92 51 927 8040 Please register as soon as possible so that you may be informed about all the updates on the competition via e-mail. Awards The prizes are: Winners 1st Runners-up 2nd Runners-up 3rd Runners-up 3 x Best Engineering Design Award* Winner NERC Lego Category 1st Runners-up NERC Lego Category 2nd Runners-up NERC Lego Category 5 x Participation & Performance Awards Youngest NERC Participant Awards** Rs. 80,000.00 Rs. 50,000.00 Rs. 40,000.00 Rs 35,000.00 Rs. 30,000.00 each Rs. 25,000.00 Rs. 15,000.00 Rs. 10,000.00 Rs. 15,000.00 each Rs. 5,000.00

Apart from these prizes, the certificate of participation will be awarded to the participating students representing their respective Institute/University during the competition. * The following will be checked for the Best Engineering Design Award
1- Mechanism for placing pegs 2- Mechanical design features such as stability of platform, ruggedness of mechanism. 3- Complexity vs. simplicity of Mechanical Fabrication as well as cost of material + fabrication 4- Electrical design features, e.g. modular design, use of PCB vs. vero/breadboard, placement of components on boards, placement/fixing of modules on the base, layout of cables and their routing, use of appropriate connectors for cable terminations on boards

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

NERC 2010

5- Artistic design of the robot

** The following will be taken into account while deciding for youngest NERC participant award:
1- The age of the younger participants 2- Detailed viva of the younger participants regarding the construction and functioning of robot

The Contest The Contest will be held in the College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Rawalpindi. The competition will be held in the first week of July 2009.

Contacts College of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechatronics Engineering Peshawar Road Rawalpindi, Pakistan Phone: Fax: E-Mail: Website: ++92- 51- 9278040 ++92- 51- 9278048 nerc@ceme.nust.edu.pk www.nust.ceme.edu.pk/nerc