Chapter 1: Competition Rules

1. Participating Teams and Robots

2. Each participating team should consist of no more than 6 members (5 team members and 1 coach). One team member should be designated as the "operator" responsible for coordinating the competition process with the referees. The participating robots must be capable of autonomously and intelligently (i.e., without human intervention) performing tasks such as upright walking (where the robot simulates human movement by using only the soles of its feet to touch the ground and support its body) and other actions in complex environments based on specific environmental conditions. The participating robots can either be provided by the competition organizers or brought by the teams as medium-sized bipedal robot platforms. The following conditions apply to self-provided medium-sized bipedal robot platforms:

· The robot's height should not exceed 80 cm.

· The robot must be a bipedal humanoid robot and not a wheeled or other type of robot.

· The robot needs to be registered and approved by the competition organizers before participating in the competition.

3. Competition Scenarios and Tasks

The current competition scenario is a simplified simulation of human activities. It involves starting from a designated point and autonomously completing multiple tasks along the way until reaching the endpoint. The objective is to emulate an expedition team overcoming various challenges encountered during the exploration and treasure-hunting process, ultimately discovering the treasure.

The robots are required to complete the tasks as quickly as possible within the competition's allocated time. A detailed description of the competition scenarios and tasks can be found in the attached document "Competition Scenarios."

4. The Finishing Conditions of Each Round and the Calculation of Points

The round of the competition ends when one of the following conditions is met:

· A participating team touches the robot without being prompted by the referee.

· The robot leaves the track during the competition.

· The timer reaches 8 minutes.

· The robot fails to complete the "maze navigation" task consecutively two times when entering the "turning zone" without completing the task. Note: After a robot makes a mistake, the referee will ask the team operator to place the robot back to the designated starting area of the maze, and the "operator" will restart the robot's program to retry the maze navigation challenge.

If the robot fails to complete the "maze navigation" task, the competition ends. Additionally, in the event of a mistake by the robot, the referee will instruct the team operator to place the robot back at the designated starting area of the maze. The "operator" will then restart the robot's program and resume the maze navigation challenge.

At the end of each round, completed tasks are referred to as "accomplished tasks." The scores and rankings are calculated based on two dimensions:

i. Primary Dimension: In the competition, participating robots earn points for completing each task (higher scores represent greater task difficulty). The robot with the highest total score (completing more difficult or more tasks) wins.

ii. Secondary Dimension: The total time taken by the participating robot from the start to the end is considered the completion time. In the case of multiple robots with the same total score, the robot with the shorter completion time (i.e., faster speed) wins.

If there is a tie in both dimensions, the teams are considered to be tied.

Chapter 2: Competition Arrangements

1. Competition Order

The organizing committee will conduct a draw one month before the competition to determine the competition order for the participating teams.

2. Preparations before the Competition

Each participating team is responsible for scheduling their own time and entering the preparation area before the start of the competition. They should complete robot debugging, confirm the designated "operator," and fulfil all necessary preparations. Once ready, the team should report to the referee stating "ready for competition."

Upon receiving the "ready for competition" report, the referee will inspect the participating team and their robot to ensure they are prepared. If any requirements are not met, the referee has the authority to request the team to make the necessary preparations again.

If a team cannot be confirmed as "ready for competition" by the referee within 10 minutes before the start of the match, they will be withdrawn from the current round of the competition.

3. Entry into the Competition

The "ready for competition" team, along with their robot, enters the competition area. The operator places the robot at the starting point and signals to the referee team that they are ready to begin. The referee announces "The competition starts" and simultaneously starts the timer. Only after the competition has been announced, the operator can start the robot. If the operator prematurely starts the robot, they will receive a warning from the referee. If they do it again, they will be disqualified from the competition.

4. During the Competition

From the beginning to the end of the competition, only the operator is allowed to enter the field and operate the robot according to the regulations. During the competition, no one other than the operator is permitted to manipulate the robot in any way. Any violation of this rule will result in disqualification from the competition.

The operator is responsible for ensuring that all of their actions comply with the competition rules. If any improper actions are discovered, the participating team will be disqualified.

5. Competition Conclusion

The referee declares the "end of the competition" according to the rules and stops the timing device. The timing device displays the total completion time.

After the competition, the referee is responsible for calculating the scores according to the rules and filling out the score sheets. The participating teams verify their score sheets, and then they leave the competition area with their robots.

6. Other Instructions

Any modifications to the competition rules will be promptly communicated to all participating teams by the organizing committee.

In the event of any disputes, the head referee will make the final decision.

The organizing committee reserves the right to interpret the rules.

Attachment - Competition Scene

1. Overview of the competition venue

· Competition venue size: 3.6 × 4.8 meters.

· Track surface: The main track surface is made of scraped cloth with a gray-white color. In order to simulate the robot's actual working environment, some parts of the track surface are covered with printed films. The printed patterns are 2D images representing grass, floor tiles, wooden flooring, and similar designs. Additionally, some sections of the track may have carpets or rubber mats.

· Surroundings: There is a circle of advertising barriers around the track, with the fence positioned approximately 50 centimeters away from the track boundaries. The barriers feature logos. In the center of the track, there are ground advertisements.

Coefficient of static friction for the robot's feet is approximately 0.1. Participating teams are allowed to apply anti-slip materials to the robot's feet as needed.

The track is divided into multiple task sections. Each task section has its own starting line and finishing line, with the starting line of the first task section being the starting line of the track. The finishing line of each task section serves as the starting line for the subsequent task, and the finishing line of the last task section is the finishing line of the track. "Placing the robot at the starting point" means positioning the robot's feet close to, but not touching or crossing, the starting line.

The starting line of each task section is designated for robot placement and score measurement, and the robot does not need to recognize this marking.

"Robot leaving the track" refers to the robot moving outside the track or crossing the designated area of a corresponding checkpoint.

Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic of the competition venue. In actual competitions, the sequence of tasks and the colors of the road surface and other objects within each task may differ from what is shown in the image.

Figure 1 - Three-dimensional schematic of the competition venue. 2. Task and Scoring 2.1 Maze Challenge Road conditions: An area measuring 120 * 120 centimeters, with four square regions of 21 centimeters on each side distributed within the area. The robot needs to navigate through the four square regions in the order of the numbers placed on the blocks (number cards are placed and fixed by the referee before the competition). See the top view in Figure 2.

If the robot fails to complete the "Maze Challenge" when entering the "Turning Corner" section, the referee will announce a temporary pause in the competition. The "Operator" will then reposition the robot to the starting area of the maze and resume the challenge from there. If the same mistake occurs again after the robot has been repositioned to the starting area, the referee will declare the end of the competition for that participating team.

Figure 2 - Top View of Maze Challenge

2. Requirements and Scoring

Successfully navigate through the maze and pass each square area in the correct sequence: 10 points.

Successfully navigate through the maze but step on the wrong square area during the process: 5 points.

Any other form of traversal or leaving the track: 0 points.

3. Curve Challenge

Road Conditions: The curve challenge consists of a straight line with a length of 150 centimeters. The track is bordered by two arcs with a radius of 35 centimeters each. Please refer to Figure 3 for a top view of the challenge.

Figure 3 - Top View of Curve Challenge

Requirements and Scoring:

Stable traversal without falling, leaving the track, or colliding with barriers: 10 points.

Traversal with falls or leaving the track during the challenge: 5 points.

If the robot completes the challenge in any other way or leaves the track, the referee will request a restart from the beginning of the track.

4. Energy Block Transport

Surface Conditions: There is a square area near the endpoint with dimensions of 100×100 cm. It is divided by the centerline of the field, separating the competition areas of the two teams. Six energy blocks, each measuring 20×20 cm, are arranged within this area. The platform for placing the energy blocks has dimensions of 120×50×31 cm. The robot is required to use its manipulator to transport the energy blocks to the designated red or blue area of its own team. A successful transport is determined when the energy block makes contact with the ground within the team's designated area and does not touch the boundary line. The objective of the competition is for a team to transport 3 energy blocks to their own area. Please refer to the top view in Figure 4.

Figure 4 - Energy Block Transport Area Diagram

Requirements and Scoring:

· The robot uses its robotic arm to transport 3 energy blocks to the designated area: 10 points.

· When placing the energy blocks, if they are stacked on top of each other, with each block placed on the previous one, an additional 10 points are awarded. If all three energy blocks are stacked consecutively, an additional 20 points are awarded.

· If the robot transports the energy blocks to the designated area using any other method, 0 points are awarded.