2011
DATE: 12th of July 2011.
VENUE: University of Otago – The Link
REGISTRATION FEE: $10 per team
COMPETITION GUIDELINES
Entry into the competition will be open to anyone
studying or working at the university. Entrants can
choose to work by themselves or alternatively, they can
work in groups of no more than four.
All participants build and operate robots at their own
risk. Combat robotics is inherently dangerous. There is
no amount of regulation that can encompass all the
dangers involved. Please take care to not hurt yourself
or others when building, testing and competing.
Competition is based on knock out rounds. Only the
winner of each battle gets through to the next round.
How to win a battle:
1.
2.
Make opponents robot immobile (destroyed or flipped etc)
Push opponent’s robot out of bounds
ARENA
Fighting arena will be approximately 5 metres in
diameter. There will be a safety ring which extends
one metre around that. Two pit bays will be set up for
contestants.
ROBOT LIMITATIONS
All robots are to be inspected prior to fighting to ensure
they are within regulation.
Robots are to be made from a remote control vehicle
and lego/plastic for weaponry/defence.
The robot size must be no larger than 500mm in length,
width and height.
It cannot weigh any more than 2kg
All components of the robot (apart from electronics)
can only be made out of Lego plastic, rubber ,tape
and glue. No wood, composite, glass or other metallic
components* can be used. This is due to safety and
fairness.
(*) metal components such as washers, bearings,
screws, bolts are permitted but only for purpose of
holding parts together and smooth movement.(not
for weapons or shielding) One exception, springs can
be metallic.
Motility allowed includes rolling, jumping/hopping,
walking, shuffling, hovering, static robot is also allowed.
No flying is allowed.
No suction tools i.e. Plungers.
Lifting, Flipping and Grabbing Weapons.
An
articulated “spatula”, parallel to the floor is allowed,
provided that:
- It is only the width of the robot
- It extends no more than 150mm from the front edge
of the robot.
ROBOT CONTROL REQUIREMENTS
Tele-operated robots can be radio controlled, tether
controlled or use an approved custom system.
This event does not require a separate power switch
for the radio, but it is encouraged.
This event has not reserved frequencies/channels for
testing and safety.
Autonomous/semiautonomous weapons are allowed
but there must be control over mobility of robot
Batteries and Power
The only permitted batteries are ones that cannot
spill or spray any of their contents when damaged or
inverted. This means that standard automotive and
motorcycle wet cell batteries are prohibited.
A maximum of 48 Volts is allowed.
All efforts must be made to protect battery terminals
from a direct short and causing a battery fire.
No
hydraulics/pneumatics/combustion
allowed (only electrical power)
SPRINGS
engines
- Safe operation and good engineering are always
required.
reason) contact humans.
Special weapon descriptions allowed at this event:
- Under no circumstances must a large spring be loaded
when the robot is out of the arena or testing area.
- Small springs like those used within switches or other
small internal operations are excepted from this rule.
-Tethered Projectiles are allowed at this event. Tethered
projectiles must have a tether or restraining device no
longer than 2 metres
- Heat and Fire are not allowed at this event
- Smoke Effects are not allowed at this event.
FORBIDDEN WEAPONS AND MATERIALS
The following weapons and materials are absolutely
forbidden from use:
Weapons designed to cause invisible damage to the
other robot. This includes but is not limited to:
- Crushing, stabbing , drilling weapons are allowed
- Rotational weapons or full body spinning robots are
allowed
- Electrical weapons
- Spinning/crushing/stabbing/drilling weapons can be a
maximum of 500mm in length.
- RF jamming equipment, etc.
- Use of permitted materials for shielding is allowed
- RF noise generated by an IC engine. (Please use
shielding around sparking components)
- Un-tethered Projectiles not allowed.
- EMF fields from permanent or electro-magnets that
affect another robot’s electronics.
It is expected that all builders will follow basic safety
practices during work on the robot at your pit station.
Please be alert and aware of your pit neighbours and
people passing by.
- Weapons or defenses that can reasonably be
expected to stop combat completely of both (or more)
robots
Failure to comply with rules will mean expulsion from the
tournament.
Weapons that require significant cleanup, or in some
way damages the arena to require repair for further
matches. This includes but is not limited to:
PRIZES
- Liquid weapons. Additionally a robot may not have
liquid that can spill out when the robot is superficially
damaged.
There is one prize for winning the competition. In addition
to this is a prize for “most original and aesthetically
pleasing” design.
The prizes are to be advised.
- Foams and liquefied gasses
Example robots:
- Powders, sand, ball bearings and other dry chaff
weapons
Heat and fire are forbidden as weapons. This includes,
but is not limited to the following:
- Flammable liquids or gases
- Explosives or flammable solids such as:
- Gunpowder / Cartridge Primers
- Military Explosives, etc.
- Light and smoke based weapons that impair the
viewing of robots by an Entrant, Judge, Official or
Viewer. (You are allowed to physically engulf your
opponent with your robot however.)
- Lights such as external lasers and bright strobe lights
which may blind the opponent.
- Hazardous or dangerous materials are forbidden from
use anywhere on a robot where they may contact
humans, or by way of the robot being damaged (within