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CALL FOR PARTICIPATION NERC 2011

National Engineering Robotics Contest 2011

1. Introduction

National Engineering Robotics Contest (NERC) is a joint project to promoteresearch in robotics and its related fields in Pakistan. This contest provides acommon environment for the integration and evaluation of various mechanicaland electronics designs, control and path planning algorithms and agentarchitectures. The aim of this years contest is to Build an autonomous robotwhich is capable of picking colored blocks and place them in slots of theirrespective color. Over the years NERC has grown increasingly popular amongstudents and university engineering departments across the country. We value

the interest that our participants have shown and pledge to bring exciting newchallenges every year for the advancement of robotics community at anincreasingly wider scale. We welcome your participation in 7th NationalEngineering Robotics Competition (NERC 2011).

Robotics is a buzz word at todays technology forefronts. Due to exponentialadvancements in fields like high performance computing, computer vision,computer networks, material sciences and power electronics, the growthexperienced by robotics in past few years is unprecedented. Robotics is the onlyfield which can add precision while replacing the slow manual labor incontemporary industrial world. Thus this field faces enormous pressure fromindustry to produce all purpose mobile manipulator robots which can performsimple tasks like grab, navigate and place objects at desired locationsautonomously. This years contest theme has been revamped where thecontestants are expected to come up with autonomous robots that are capable ofpicking up colored boxes which are placed randomly and then place them in theirrespective color slots. There are two leagues under which contestants will beevaluated; Indigenous Robot League and Modular Robot League. The purposeof this contest is to develop a sense of problem-solving, technical design andingenuity among the contestants.

2.

Contest CategoriesThe contest consists of two categories, each based on the focus of design

and the level of technology used. We expect from the contestants of bothcategories to build anAutonomous Robotwhich should be able Pick coloredblocks and place them in slots of their respective color. Both categorieshave separate prizes. There are some differences in the theme and rules for both

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the categories which are mentioned at the end of this document. Contestants arefree to compete in any category. The two categories are:

a. Category 1- Indigenous Robots

Indigenous robots are the ones that are constructed from scratch. Theirmechanical structure, controls etc. are designed and fabricated by the teamsthemselves. However electronic control modules and sensors may beacquired non-indigenously.

b. Category 2 Modular Robots

Modular/Lego robots are ones in which ready-made kits are used, forexample Lego or Vex Robotics kits.

Indigenous Robots

1. The Contest Arena

Please review the Floor-plan before continuing

FIGURE OF NEW FLOOR PLAN
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i. The Contest Arena is made by joining two Blue Waterproof

Floor Mat sheets of size 600 X 183 cm each. So that the total sizeof the arena becomes 600 X 366 cm.There could be slightvariation in the exact shade of the aforementioned mat. Please seecontest website for photograph of actual mat to be used.

ii. Fixed Lines are marked on the arena. These Lines can

assist the robot to find its path. The Lines are made from 3 cm wideWhite Reflector Tape

iii. Colored boxes are made of card-board and of the size 18 X

18 cm each. There will also be hole in the center of the box forpicking up the box.

iv. Slots /Stands for boxes indicate the position where the

colored boxes are to be placed. There is a three- sided wall aroundthe slot and the colored box needs to be placed within that area.The area for the slot is 30 X 30 cm each.

v. The white line from point A, on the Floor-planis the Start

Zone. The contestants will be asked to start from any point on thisline. 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 A

2. Robot Operation

Once turned on, the robot must be self-controlled without any humanintervention. Remote-control of any sort (wired or wireless) CANNOT be used.Contestants are NOT allowed to touch their robots or enter the Contest Arenaafter startup. The robot must find a particular colored slot (by virtue of its positionor any other sensing technique) and place the colored block into that respectiveslot.

3. Picking up the colored box

a. The robot can pick minimum or maximum number of colored boxes

(depending on its strategy)b. The box can be picked up using the following three ways:

i. Grab/load the box
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ii. Insert rod in the hole at the center of the box to pick it upiii. Lift the box

c. Robot should not drag the box on the arenad. Robot should not damage the box during the pick and place

operation

4. Box Placement Technique

The Robot must not use any destructive or dangerous methods to place thebox. The Robot may touch the box slot for sensing purposes, as long as it doesnot move or damage the slot. Only one box is to be picked at a time. Any teamthat damages the box or the arena will be disqualified. Furthermore, if a teamdrops the box, without damaging the arena, points shall be deducted.

The robot must not use any harmful substances such as oil, petrol etc. in itsoperation that can damage the arena. The Robot CANNOT split after the start ofthe 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 isnot allowed to pick up anything other than the box during its operation. A penaltyshall be awarded if the robot picks up anything other than the box duringoperation.

The task is completed when three of the four box stands are occupied byboxes of appropriate color (NEEDS Confirmation)

5. Rules for Placing the Colored box

After picking up a colored box, the robot should move towards the right sideof the arena and reach junction C (to be labeled on floor plan) without disturbing

or damaging the obstacles. From here on, the robot should select the path whichhas a color pad matching the picked colored box and place the box on the boxstand at the end of that line. For example, if the robot has picked up a green box,it should follow the line with the green pad on it for placing the box on the boxstand. The details about the size and material of the color pads and box standcan be found at (link to NERC site). Any robot that drops a box will be penalized.

The order of placement of the boxes and colored pads on the arena for eachrobot will be done randomly. Following figures show two examples of correctplacement of boxes in the stands as indicated by the color pads:

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Example 1 (correct placement): Boxes placed according to colored pads

Example 2 (correct placement)

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Example 3 (wrong placement): Box color does not match the color of the pad on the sameline for three boxes (penalty x 3)

The robot can place only one box on each box stand. Placing of more thanone box on the same box stand will not earn the robot any points. The task iscompleted when any three of the four box stands are occupied by boxes ofappropriate color.

6. Box Placement Mechanism

It is to be noted that the maximum permissible height of the robot will be lessthan the height of the peg stand. The teams are required to design a properplacement mechanism that does not employ gravity for placing boxes. Violationof this rule will lead to disqualification.

The rules for box placement have been mentioned. If the contestants want toplace the box by inserting rod in the hole at the center of the box, they can do soby using support on three sides.

7. 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 fitwithin a box of 60 X 60 cm i.e. with the area of 1200 cm2 the linear dimension ofany side must not increase 60 cm. If the area of the robot base is more than

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1200 cm2 or the dimension of any side increases 60 cm points will be deducted.The maximum permissible height of the robot is 60 cm. Any robot exceeding thislimit will be disqualified. All robots will be carefully measured. All sensorsmounted on the robot will be counted as part of the robots total dimensions. Ifcontestants 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 sizelimit i.e. 1200 cm2 and 60 X 60 cm. The weight of robot including decorationsmust not exceed 14 kg. Penalties as detailed in Section 15 below will be levied ifthe robot does not fulfill the size and/or weight criteria.

8. 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 thecontest area to aid in the robots navigation.

9. Power Supply

The robot must be battery-powered. The robot must not have any wired

connections with its surroundings. Voltage of the machines electrical powersource must not exceed 48 Volt DC. Power sources that are considereddangerous or unsuitable by the Contest Officials shall not be permitted.

10. Teams

a. The Robots can be built by teams of currently registered students from

Engineering Institutions, Polytechnic Institutions, schools etc. Each teamcan comprise ofMaximum 6 members.

b. If the students from two different Institutes/Universities join hands andform a team in collaboration then the name of the Institute/University withmaximum number of students in such a team would be registered.

11. 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 refereesdecide that the task cannot be completed due to mechanical problems orfor safety reason

b. Each team will be given 1 minute for setting up the Robot at the start point

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c. Robot can start at the instant when the start signal is given. Robot must beconstructed so that it can be started in minimum possible operation(s)

d. Once the Robot moves, team members will not be allowed to touch theRobot 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 box placement task, the Robot is required to againcross point B. However, the finish time will be recorded when the lastportion of the robot crosses point B.

12. Retry

If the robot is strayed due to some reason, retries are allowed. MaximumTHREEretries 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 themachine from the contest arena, reset and restart from the Start Zone. This canbe done by any of the members of the team. If the team wants to reload theboxes, they will be provided by the field staff. For retry there would be no "timeout" and the global clock would be running. For each retry, robots must bestarted again from the Start Zone. After calling a retry the score will becomezero. However each team will be judged on the basis of maximum scores in anyindividual try (not necessarily the last one).

13. Points

a. Placing colored box in the correct slot 20 pointsb. Placing colored box in the wrong slot 20 pointsc. Detecting the correct colored slot 20 pointsd. Crossing the check-point while holding the box

(10 points per box)40 points

If two or more teams have same points then decision will be made on the basisof time, i.e. the team scoring maximum in minimum time would be the winner.The time taken by the Robot to cross point B will be taken as the final time forthe completed task. If a robot does not complete the complete task (i.e. place allboxes 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 (notnecessarily the last one) will be considered for judgment.

14. Deduction of Points

a. Retry(2nd and 3rd) 5 points

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b. Oversize Robot (Size between 1200 and 1500 cm2) 5 pointsc. Oversize Robot (Size exceeding 1500 cm2) Disqualifiedd. Oversize Robot (Robot does not fit in 60 X 60 cm) Disqualifiede. Overweight Robot (Weight between 14 and 16 kg) 5 pointsf. Overweight Robot (Weight between 16 and 18 kg) 10 points

g. Overweight Robot (Weight exceeding 18 kg) Disqualifiedh. Damaging the arena/wall/box Disqualifiedj. Bumping into the wall 5 points

k. Robot height exceeding limit (60 cm) Disqualified

(Note: There will be no deduction of points for the 1st retry)

15.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 orhazardous to people or equipment

b. All Electronic Circuitry must be designed and fabricated by the Contestantsthemselves. No Off-the-Shelf Boards will be allowed

c. Total cost incurred on Robot must not exceed Rs. 70,000 /-

d. Maximum effort in the design and fabrication of the robot should begenerated by contestants themselves

e. 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 ContestJudging Committee will be final

f. 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 fornew information

16. Disqualification

The following behavior shall be considered for disqualification by the refereeand 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

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17. 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.

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Modular/Lego Robots

18.Difference in Rules

a. Only two colored boxes need to be placed on the slots for the Legorobots

b. The robot will have the colored boxes pre-loaded on them andneeds to perform color sensing for placing the Robot in the right coloredslots

c. The start point for the Robot is from the circumference of the outermost circle marked as point B

d. The contestants from schools can use the kits for making up thecomplete robot. But for the university/institute participants, it is compulsorythat at least 50% of the robot is indigenous

e. Rest of the rules are same as for indigenous robots

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Registration- Method & Deadline

Fill the registration form available on our website and send it to us with anon-refundable registration fee of Rs. 1000 for each Robot entering into theContest. Any individual or group can enter more than one Robot, but a

registration fee must accompany each entry. The same physical Robot CANNOTbe entered twice even if two entry fees are paid

Please make your Draft/ Pay-Order payable to:Dr. Javaid Iqbal, Head Mechatronics DepartmentOur postal address is:Department of Mechatronics Engineering,College of E&ME, Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan 46000Ph: +92 51 927 8044

Please register as soon as possible so that you may be informed about all theupdates on the competition via e-mail.

Awards

The prizes are:

Winners Rs. 80,000.001st Runners-up Rs. 50,000.002nd Runners-up Rs. 40,000.003rd Runners-up Rs 35,000.00

3 x Best Engineering Design Award* Rs. 30,000.00 eachWinner NERC Lego Category Rs. 25,000.001st Runners-up NERC Lego Category2nd Runners-up NERC Lego Category

Rs. 15,000.00Rs. 10,000.00

5 x Participation & Performance Awards Rs. 15,000.00 eachYoungest NERC Participant Awards** Rs. 5,000.00

Apart from these prizes, the certificate of participation will be awarded to theparticipating students representing their respective Institute/University during thecompetition.

*The following will be checked for the Best Engineering Design Award

1- Mechanism for placing boxes

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 +

fabrication4- 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 ofcables and their routing, use of appropriate connectors for cable terminations on boards

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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 MechanicalEngineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Rawalpindi. Thecompetition will be held in the first week of July 2011.

Contacts

College of Electrical & Mechanical EngineeringDepartment of Mechatronics EngineeringPeshawar RoadRawalpindi, Pakistan

Phone: ++92- 51- 9278044Fax: ++92- 51- 9278048E-Mail: [email protected]: www.ceme.edu.pk/nerc
mailto:[email protected]://www.ceme.edu.pk/nercmailto:[email protected]://www.ceme.edu.pk/nerc

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