AeROBOTics

Come to the aid of the Indian military forces .
Help them in their mission to move into an enemy territory unnoticed .
A trail has been secured by the  Special Operations Team and the path marked with a white line.The special Operations Team finds out that the path is an uneven terrain and with mines making it difficult for any true Land Transport difficult. The Military asks you for an automatic transport  to  traverse across without detonating the mines and as swift as possible.The system should be capable of operating during covert night strikes.

Design and build an electric-automated system satisfying the below said rules that traverses a given path marked by a line(white line on a dark background) and reaches the destination without taking contact support * from the ground.

Conditions:
**SYSTEM**

1. The system should start from rest at a specified point on ground and then land at the destination.
2. The system has to fit in a 40cmX40cmx40cm cuboid.
3. Only electric motors are allowed. IC-Engines are not to be used.
4. The battery power pack used to power the system should not exceed 12V  [or of that of a 3-cell LiPo (Lithium ion Polymer) battery or equivalent].
5. Maximum altitude of flying should be less than 2.5m.
6. The weight of the system should not exceed  4 kg.
7. It is necessary that, if the system moves away from the path and does not seem to return in some time, your motor should switch off automatically.

 
**ARENA**

1. The path could be in any reasonably curvy shape ( without sharp turns and without criss-cross ).
2. There would be a white line of 10cm thickness (on a black background).
3. The destination is marked by a White square of size  90cm X 90cm.
4. The arena could be a sunlit open space or a dimly lit hall .Electronics and controls should work in both the environments.

*Although the participant is not allowed to let the system rest on the ground, it's acceptable if the system hovers close to the ground or even grazes the ground without taking support from the ground. Participants are requested to contact the coordinators for further clarification in this regard.

A walk-through on the problem statement and possible solutions is attached below.

Attachment	Size
Aeroboticswalkthru.pdf	106.29 KB

RULES:

1. Ready to make or ready-made kits CAN be used.Readymade manually controlled base vehicles like RC heli,hovercraft,quad rotor etc can be used.Note that the base vehicle has to be a manually controlled one when bought.Implementation of the automatic control of the system has to be done by the participant.
2. The electronics and control should be implemented by the participants.Electronic sensor modules can be used.
3. The system has to be completely independent  and automated(no wired or wireless control allowed).Manual (wired or RC) control is not allowed.
4. All the processing should be on-board.
5. The participant should confirm, whether the chosen design is allowed or not, with the Co-ords before finalizing and working on the design. Any model brought to the event which varies from the submitted design is subject to disqualification.
6. A team can comprise of maximum 6 members.The members need not be from the same institution.
7. The rules and regulations can be modified at a later point of time .Kindly keep checking the site for updates.
8. Decision of Co-ords is final and is binding on the participants.

Maximum of 6 per team
Any number of teams from a college can register.
And a team can have members from different colleges.

Event duration :1 day of SHAASTRA

To register for the event, participants must register for team event in the user portal and
Upload the given registration form  with "Registration: Your  Team Name" as the the file name.The format for registration form can be downloaded from the link below.

The preliminary shortlisting will be based on the write up in the registration form .The write up must contain a schematic on the base vehicle design ,the electronics used and a brief explanation of the working.Note that the bot need not be complete before registering.The write-up should describe your idea for the solution

Preliminary event will be conducted on the same day of the main event where specifications are verified and participants are shortlisted for the main event.

Important Dates:

• Registration begins on: 25th August 2009
• Last Date of Registration (complete with portfolio) : 15th September 2009
• Declaration of Selected Participants : 17th September 2009

Attachment	Size
Aerobotics_regnform_your team name.doc	145.5 KB

SCORING FORMULA

General Rules:

All bots should conform to the size and weight restrictions to be allowed to participate.

The bot should stop if it goes out of the white line. (Due to issues of safety of the bot and the onlookers).

The scoring formula is designed to encourage finishing the task reliably rather than doing it fast.

The primary criteria for winning are finishing without committing violations and being able to stop at the Finish Area. Time of flight will be the deciding factor only in case of a tie.

The trick lies in optimising, the speed versus accuracy of the bot.

A slower bot with no violations may win over a fast one which does not complete tasks.

Each participant will be given a maximum of 3 min to complete each trial.

The best of three trials for each team is evaluated as the score of the team and the time taken for the best trial is also taken down.

The total points for the trial is calculated as

 Percentage of total length covered + halfway point bonus (50) - violation deductions (20 per violation) + stop bonus (30)

Where,

The % length covered by bot is calculated from the last known place of the bot in the track when the trial ends. 
Halfway point bonus will be awarded only if the bot crosses and continues to travel along the curve-path in the track

      Violation Rules:   A violation will be declared if the bot has exceeded the altitude limit or if the bot has taken contact support from the ground.             

Stop bonus:   Stop bonus will be awarded only if the bot lands/stops completely within the stop area. The bot should be on the ground after the stop.

Detailed scoring formula and Arena description can be found in the pdf whose link is given below:

The black track with white line could be laid on any flat surface like concrete,plywood, mud,grass etc..But the track and line assured to be reasonably flat without ups and downs.The Orange colour in the ARENA is only representative and that cant be assured.

Attachment	Size
Arena_scoringv1.1.pdf	155.68 KB

               For registering for this event kindly visit the userportal and register as a user.Form a team and then register for Aerobotics under the category "team events".The format of the registration form is given below.Upload the completed registration form in the user portal.

http://www.shaastra.org/2009/userportal

For accommodation, participants will need to register separately with hospitality.Though we would try our best to provide accomodation to all outstation participants who require accomodation,we cannot give any assurance in this regard.Hospitality link is

http://www.shaastra.org/2009/site/hospitality

The last date for registration is extended to 15th Sep,2009

Attachment	Size
Aerobotics_regnform_your team name_ext.doc	253 KB

FAQs:

1. Do i need to register for this event?
   Yes, Registration for AeROBOTics is mandatory.
   Details of Registration can be found in the Event Format Tab
   
2. Who can participate?
   Anyone who is a student of any college or university in India or from abroad can participate.
   
3. Will i get battery chargers at the venue?
   You shall be provide with 220-230 V a/c power supply at the venue. All charging equipments and electronics must be brought by the participants
   
4. Will RC control be allowed?
   No, RC equipment of any kind should be used. The Bots should be completely autonomous.
5. Will Computer access be available?
   No,Participants should bring their own laptops(if desired).
6. What readymade parts can be used?
   Ready made base vehicles like RC heli,hovercraft,quad rotor etc can be used.Also propellers, motors, batteries, actuators and small electronic modules can be used.(Pls. mention and confirm the electronic modules from us before using them.)
7. Are hovercrafts allowed to be used?
   Yes, hovercrafts can be a possible solution. Other solutions possible are quad rotors, helicopters or any other ground effect vehicles. You can use any system which conforms to the mentioned specifications. It is advised to inquire the coordinators about the system you plan to use and confirm its eligibility beforehand.Mail any queries to aerobotics@shaastra.org with query in the subject line.
8. Will the path be criss-crossed or loopy?
   There wont be any crossing of lines. It would be a simple curvy path(something like S shape) More details on the arena will be put up shortly
9. Will updates/minor changes in the problem statement be informed ?
   Participants are advised to check the site regularly for updates.The changes would be highlighted.
10. Will the terrain be uniform?
    Yes.As far as the terrain is concerned, it will be flat and plain,without much undulations (Either concrete,or asphalt-road or earthen track-field could be the terrain )..The lines will either be painted on the surface or be covered with PVC  sheets with lines drawn on them.

Contact:

And for our convenience, kindly send mails with details like  your name, college name,place,team members,branch and year of study .

The tentative List of Selected teams :

Sl.No.	TEAM NAME	COLLEGE NAME
AR01	acmebots	SBMJCE
AR02	aero_iitk	IIT-KANPUR
AR03	AEROBOTS	VELTECH ENGINEERING COLLEGE
AR04	AEROFIGHTERS	BITS PILANI
AR05	AEROKNIGHTS	MAHESHWARA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
AR06	AEROSTYLERS	KARUNYA UNIVERSITY
AR07	amateur	SVCE
AR08	Anomaly	Toc H Institute of Science & Technology
AR09	AURORA	KARUNYA UNIVERSITY
AR10	Aviator	Global Institute of technology
AR11	bot_boyz	MSRIT+east Point
AR12	DRAGON FLYER	VIT
AR13	Extreme Dreamers	Hindustan College Of Engineering And Technology
AR14	FALCON	multiple( vellamal+ nit-w + easwari)
AR15	FLOYD	Msrit
AR16	FUTURE-TECH	MSRIT
AR17	Garuda	BMS
AR18	graphite	KIT+HIT
AR19	hicet aero	Hindustan College Of Engineering And Technology
AR20	HINDUSTAN_HAWKS	Hindustan College of Engineering
AR21	Ihover	KARUNYA UNIVERSITY
AR22	incredible	PEC
AR23	KARUNYA	KARUNYA UNIVERSITY
AR24	LIGHTNINGS	MAHESHWARA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
AR25	magnus	SRM University
AR26	MASCHINEN-BAU	MSRIT
AR27	MAVERICK	PSG COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
AR28	Metallic Wolves	SRM University
AR29	MIT_AERONAUGHTIES	MAHESHWARA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
AR30	Northern Lions	Dr.M.G.R.Educational & Research Institute,Chennai.
AR31	ORION	KARUNYA UNIVERSITY
AR32	PRANAV	Meenakshi Sundararajan Engineering College
AR33	PURE ENERGY	SRM University
AR34	Robosapiens	SRM University
AR35	ROBOVEDICS	CVR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
AR36	roboz	CUCEK
AR37	rocket	NITK
AR38	royal rulerz	MANIT,bhopal
AR39	SANDSTORM	VIMAL JYOTHI ENGG. COLLEGE, KANNUR UNIVERSITY
AR40	sizzling guys	MNM
AR41	sparkles	IIT-M
AR42	TEAM_SAGA	Hindustan College Of Engineering,Chennai
AR43	TECH_INDS	multiple((RKM+REC+CEG+St.Joseph+sai ram+KCG)
AR44	Techknights	SRM University
AR45	UHU	SVCE,chennai
AR46	V-Fly	IITM
AR47	virus	KIT
AR48	ashoka	SRM university

  

Congratulations ! to all Selected teams.
We wish "all the very best"  for the selected teams.

For any discrepancies/queries please mail to aerobotics@shaastra.org with your team name in the subject.
Please refer to the Info for Participants tab for further details regarding the event.

The pdf containing the Schedule for Aerobotics is attached below:

Attachment	Size
Schedule.pdf	91.03 KB

There will be a Preliminary event preceding the main event.


AeROBOTics EVENT SCHEDULE:
Schedule details*:
Practice session: 9.00 PM,30th September till 6.00AM,1st October,2009.
Preliminary round: 7.00am to 12.00 noon ,1st October,2009.
Finals: 1.00 pm to 3.30pm ,1st October,2009.
*subject to change

DETAILS OF PRELIMS :
*A part of the main arena will be used for the Prelims.
*Each Team will be allowed one trial only.
*Duration of a trial is 2 mins.
*Same Scoring system will be followed for both Prelims and finals ,except that Prelims wont have any  halfway bonus points.
*Maximum of 15 teams will be selected to participate in finals.


CERTIFICATES & PRIZE-MONEY:
*All teams selected for finals will receive participation certificates.
*First three winning teams will receive cash prize and certificates.


Total prize money=Rs.30,000/-

IMPORTANT INFO:

*All participants are requested register their team with the co-ordinators in person, upon arrival to IIT-M for SHAASTRA-2009.
*All participants are advised to give proper shielding to sensors from external sunlight/other artificial light sources from affecting their line-sensing.


CONTACT INFO:
Co-ords:
Enbasekar - 9940255813
Satish - 9952093025        
The pdf containing the Schedule for Aerobotics is attached below:

Attachment	Size
Schedule.pdf	91.03 KB