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2012 Asia-Pacific Robotic Championship

BDS Robotics Engineering Challenge

“Square Battle” Competition Rules

BDS Robotics Engineering Challenge

The needs of the creators and producers are highlighted in today’s global economic

development. Clearly, we need today’s students become tomorrow’s scientists,

engineers and problem solving leaders.

Many organizations are planning new projects to attract and encourage youngers to

study science and technology. Many people think that ROBOT is the powerful

platform to attract and keep the attention of young people. In the age of intense

competition, the robot has great charm, it reflects in the brain storm of the

application of physics, mathematics, computer programming, digital prototyping and

design, problem solving, team work, and leadership. In the effort of schools,

voluntary organizations, companies and government, the potential of the student in

science, technology, engineering and mathematics will be excited, to help them to

find their own value.

BDS Robotics Engineering Challenge “Square Battle” is an exciting and animating

game, which can provide the participants a high tempo challenge. The time of each

game is 2 minutes and 20 seconds. Each game is divided into two different types of

competitions: programming autonomous game and manual game. The matches are

designed for two Alliances –one “red” and one “blue”- composed of two teams

each, compete in each Match. Teams will be in the same field, to take and carry the

balls, to put into the gate to make the game score. During the “Square Battle”, the

teams will develop many new skills to cope with all kinds of challenges and

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obstacles. Some of them can be solved by individual, but some can also be solved

with teammates and coaches together. All teams will make joint efforts to build a

BDS robot Alliance, where they can meet other teams, family and friends. Through

the Match, the students not only complete their match robot, but also enhance

their understanding of science and technology, and learn how to use them to

positively impact the world around. In addition, they can cultivate life skills, such as

planning, brainstorming, collaboration, teamwork, leadership, research and technical

skills.

Theme of the Competition

BDS Robotics Engineering Challenge – “Square Battle”

Field and environment

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1. Field as above figure 1；

2. Field Specifications and requirements；

1) The field is a 240cm x 240cm square , and around the field is equipped with

white fence board, high is 20cm refer to figure 1）.

2) The base of the field put on field paper, the background is white matte, and

divided into 36 squares grid by 2.5cm width black line, each grid size is 40cm x 40cm

(refer to figure 2). When the game start, robot is required part of its vertical

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projection is within the starting area .

3) A “Bridge Goal” is setting over the corner of the field, total four goal area: two

red goal areas and two blue areas, they are distributed symmetrically, the “bridge

goal” height is 38.5cm (refer to Figure 1 and below “Bridge Column-section

diagram”).

Figure 2( Field floor plan)

4) One red, and one blue rectangular at the field, which size is 80cmx 40cm, are

starting area of the Red Alliance and Blue Alliance (refer to Figure 2). When the

game start, robot is required part of its vertical projection is within the starting area

5）In the middle of the field, a 40cmx40cm, height 1.5cm square white deck base is

set up for scoring balls, and robot parking area at the end of Match.

6）The ball of the Match is made of sponge in yellow or black, the outer diameter is

5.0cm and weighs approximately 8+/-1g (refer to the picture on the right)

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7）There are 73 balls in the Match, 68 of them are basic balls, which are in yellow,

and 5 of them are bonus balls, which are in black. There are 9 ball areas: 4 fence ball

areas, are beside the middle of white fence board;1 central ball area is at the central

of the field(parking area); and 4 corner ball area, are at the corner of the field.

8）56 yellow balls put on the field. There are 13 yellow balls on each fence ball area,

and 4 yellow balls on central ball area. 12 yellow balls will be given to the teams

directly, 6 for red Alliance, 6 for blue. Before the game start, these 6 balls can be

put into the robot directly. Each robot can only carry 4 balls; after the game start,

the robots can directly put the balls into the goal. The balls which have not put into

the robot are considered to be abandoned balls, can no longer return to the field

and the ball areas.

9）5 black balls are bonus balls, one black bonus ball will be placed in the central ball

area on the top of the yellow balls to form a group (refer to Figure 1); The other 4

black bonus ball are placed at the four corner ball areas (refer to Figure 2).

3.The requirement of the Venue

The field is designed in cold light source, low illumination and non-magnetic

interference. However, due to the uncertainties of the arena environment such as

the uneven surface of the site, the change of the lighting condition etc. The

participants should consider a variety of solutions while designing the robot.

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Definitions

1.Driver control Robot-Refer to the robot that the participants using the

manual controller to complete the task.

2. Automatic Robot-The robot which finish the task through a pre-designed

process control.

3.Elimination Matches-Refer to the competition that the teams will from a

united randomly before the game. In the elimination round, participating robots

have to go to program control mode for 20 seconds then manual control for 2

minutes. Each united will be formed by different team participate in every game. All

participate will play the same number of matches. The ranking will be determined

according to the results of the game, basing on the ranking to form the new united

combination to participate in the Final game.

4、Final-Refer to the elimination of the united formed after the preliminaries, also

a match for the programming skills chanllenge and robot skills chanllenge.

5、Team & Alliance

� Team-Refer to the declaration of a single team to participate in this BDS

Robotics Engineering Challenge；

� Alliance - Refer to the alliance by the two teams in the elimination matches and

regardless of the home team and the vice team; But they are the home team

and the vice team in the final.

6. Home team & Vice team-After the elimination matches, the top take the

initiative to select and determine their united known as the Home team, the union

as the home team and participate in the final together with the home team known

as Vice team.

7. Alliance Selection-The process of choosing the permanent alliances for the

Elimination Matches.

Each team needs to choose a teammate (student) as the team representative.

These student representatives will arrive at the venue at the appointed time to

introduce his team.

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1）There will be eight alliances formed in the Alliance selection.

2）Ordered with the elimination, the team representative, who has the highest rank

and has not join a alliance yet, will first approach another team, as a alliance captain

invite to join in .

3 ） Optional team-a team has not yet joined a alliance, or did not refuse the

invitation of a alliance team.

a. If the team accepts the invitation, it will enter the alliance.

b. If a team refuse an invitation, it can no longer be invited to participate in the

other alliance, but when the opportunity comes, it still have the right to choose its

own alliance.

c. If a team refuses an invitation, the invitation team captain must continue to invite

another team to form his own alliance.

d. This process will continue, until all eight alliance captain identify and select a

united partner.

8. Alliance Station – The designated region where the Drivers and Coach must

remain during their Match.

The Match Requirement

1. The teams should use the BDS Educational Robot Package to design a robot that

can perform both manual remote operations and automatic operations. The robot

should start from the designated area of the game, completing tasks such as finding

the ball, taking the ball and putting the ball into the goal within a specified time.

2. For the teams that participate in the BDS Engineering Challenge – “Square

Battle” must take part in the “Technical Issues Debate”, “Engineering Display” and

“Engineering Exchange”, its content and requirements are as follows:

The procedure of the Technical Issues Debate：

� Before the team members take part in the Technical Issues Debate, they

should submit to the referee a “technical data file” of the match robot

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including the creative of the robot, the design features, list of the equipment

used in the robot production, photos of the creative structures, the complete

program of the robot is running (graphic program design is acceptable). The

above information will serve as the Organizing Committee the basis of the

score of the team entries creativity and technical review.

� Introducing to the jury the personality characteristics of the participating

robots, technology innovation and R&D process of the robot.

� Live demonstration of the robot entries and answer the relevant questions

raised by the referee.

� The team members should be able to interpret the program running on the

participating robot.

The procedure of the Engineering Display and Engineering Exchange：

� Preparing the exhibition display at the specified place.

� Each team should at least provide two X Exhibition which similar to POP (the

surface area of POP should be 1.6m x 0.6m), which can introduce the

environment and cultural situation of the participating schools, the design

features of the competition robot and the referral information, including

promoting the use of “green” robot and the spare parts. The team player

should have good presentation and communication skills.

� Before and after the match, the teams should participate in the exchange

activities, and will take diverse means of communication. Organizing

Committee will announce the information of the teams to promote each other

and improve together.

� Evaluation of the teams to see how they understand and implement the

technology used and the environmental protection.

� Advocating the teams to personalize the design of the participating robot,

such as adding special flag.

� Advocating the teams to personalize the design of the team clothing in order

to fully develop the player ability.

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Equipment requirements

The definition of the “Robot” is based on BDS intelligent educational robot

controller, the remote receiver, the BDS robot manual controller and the

corresponding BDS intelligent educational robot equipment. Any robot equipments

that do not belong to BDS robot are not available for the participating robot.

1. The robot (including the receiver section)must be smaller than 50cm *30cm *

35cm. When the game begins, the robot can extend beyond the initial size.

2.The teams must display the team number on the participating robot, the robot can

be personal decorated to enhance the expressiveness and to be easily identified on

the basis of not affecting the competition.

3. Each participating robot only allows the use of ONE BDS intelligent educational

robot controller. Driver controled robot can use not more than 2 BDS intelligent

educational robot receiver and 2 BDS education robot controllers. Up to 10 motors

or servers can be used (any combination ，up to 1O).Other electronic devices such

as: the BDS intelligent educational robot sensors, and other structural and build

parts, the number of use is unlimited.

In the game, any robot devices should be guaranteed in connection on the robot,

and the installation location cannot affect the other robots. Do not use the extra

parts. Both manual and automatic robot are required to use the VEX 9.6V dedicated

battery pack (up to 2); each remote control uses 4 AA batteries.

4.The design of the participating robot should be able to take the contest ball away

from any grabbing device after the game even there is no electric supply.

5.Any use of components that will damage or potentially damage to the venue,

interference with other teams’ robot, cause unnecessary entanglement or

hazardous in the match are disallowed.

Rules

1. General Rule

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1）. BDS Engineering Challenge – “Square Battle” has two stages: the eliminated

and the final. Each team play up to 2 players and 1 coach (can be teacher or

student).

2）. When the start of the automatic period of the game, the placement of the robot

is not particularly limited and part of the projection of the robot within the starting

area is only needed. After the blue side places their robots, the red side can

determine the placement of their own robots.

3). During the match, the robot can only controlled by the remote control or system

control program.

4). When the end of the match, the robot can be stopped in the parking area (deck).

The standard is, any parts of the robot do not contact the venue that is regarded as

the robot is parked in the parking area.

5.) The balls that are shot outside the venue will be picked up by the referee or staff,

and will be placed at the nearest ball placement area.

6). In the preliminaries and the final, if one team put the ball into the opponent’s

goal, is regarded as the “own goal”, “own goal” as the opponent’s score.

7). Within the specified time, if the two teams’ participating robots stop moving, the

game will be terminated.

8.) During the match, if the parts of the robot fall off, the referee shall be entitled to

immediately clear it and the match continues.

9.) The participating robots can be designed to remove the ball from the goal, that is,

removing the balls from the opponent’s goal is legal.

10.) The participating robots can seal or block their goal, but the blocking objects

cannot get off from the robot. The blocking time has no limit.

11). Pre-match checking

There is an eligibility check before the game; the referee will check the source of

equipments, robotic size, security, etc.

12.) If the team late for each one minute, penalty of 15 points will be lost. If the

team does not report within 3 minutes after the start, the referee will judge the

other team win.

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13.) The flow of the match will be the automatic robot game first, when time up,

calculates the outcome but not the score. After one minute of wiring adjustment,

the robot should be put back to the state of the end of the automatic game and

enter the Driver Controlled Period. There are NO place adjustment of the balls and

robot between the automatic game and the manual game. After the match,

calculate the score and determine the outcome. The parking mark of the automatic

robot is excluded.

14). Disqualified

� The action of robot is to destruct, damage, overturn, entanglement or stop the

opponent to work for the purpose, is regarded Disqualified.

� In the Driver Controlled Period, the robot should avoid deliberately malicious

collision or blocking the opponent’s robot. The contact time of the robot should

not more than 3 seconds. When the timeout and the robots have not separated,

the active side will be fined with the Disqualified.

� The robot Disqualified in 1) and 2) will be regarded as a serious foul and will be

penalized a yellow card. Receiving a yellow card will be fined 10 points. Serious

cases will be fined with red card to disqualify the game.

� Using any electronic devices to malicious interference the robot game is not

allowed, otherwise the team will be disqualified from the competition.

2. Specific Rules

1). Elimination match rules

� Time for automatic period is 20 seconds. During the game, the players cannot

call timeout.

� Time for Driver Controlled Period is 2 minutes. During the game, the players

cannot call timeout.

2).Score in Elimination match：

� After the end of each game, the alliance score under the following cumulative,

and determine the outcome by the score.

a. Every single basic ball (yellow ball) in the goal, 1 Point;

b. Every single bonus ball (black ball) in the goal, 1 Point;

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c. When the end of the game, the robot is stopped in the parking area will be

awarded 5 points;

d. Winning in the automatic period will be awarded 5 points.

� Eligibility points and scoring in the Elimination match:

Eligibility point is the primary criterion for ranking by the team. In a Elimination

match, the winning team will get 2 points; if draw, both team gain 1 point; the losing

side or disqualify team gain 0 point.

� Sorting points and scoring in the Elimination match:

Sorting point is the secondary criterion for ranking by the team. In a Elimination

match, the sorting point equal to the losing alliance score per game; if draw, both

team gain 1 point; If both teams of the united have been disqualified, both teams of

the winning united score the same number of sorting point.

� In the Elimination match, if the member of the united have not report before the

specified time, it will be regarded as “abstention”, no eligibility and sorting point

gained, the other united will gain 2 eligibility points and 10 sorting points. If the

participating team have only one team come to report, then the team have to

play match against the other united (1 on 2 game) to determine the points.

� The Elimination match final score is “the score of the robot competition”

3. Final Rule

1) Before the final, though the “home team select vice team” method, to form the

whole new alliance. This alliance is unchangeable till the end of the game. Their

schedule will be based on the following icon:

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2）Before the game, the alliance will get 1 hour of time to study the tactics, modify,

and debug the robot, as the preparing time.

3）Match time: Time for automatic robot game is 20 seconds. During the game, the

players cannot call timeout. Time for driver controled period is 2 minutes. During

the game, the player can call ONE timeout within 3 minutes before the next game

start.

4）All draw game will be replay in the final, until get 2 victory game (Best of 3),

victory team will be advance the next round.

5）Score in the Final

a. In the final, only victory, lose or draw.

b、In the final, there is no technical issues debate, engineering display and

engineering exchange.

6）First runner-up above the competition. Second runner-up will occur in between

the two united defeated in the 1/4 final, the first two victories of the united is the

Third

During the match, all Matters not addressed in the rules determined by the event

organizers.