To design a Legged Robot to travel on a designated track by either walking, running or hopping.

2.1 The robot must have at least one leg. There is no limit to maximum number of legs used. The maximum length and maximum width of the robot is restricted to a 1m x 1m square area in the starting zone. There is no height restriction on the robot. There is no restriction on the dimension and geometry of the robot once it started each race attempt (ie: once any part of the robot crosses the starting line.)

2.2 The robots must be completely autonomous. It should contain both the controller and power units. The robot must not weigh more than 10 kg.

2.3 Radio-frequency (RF) control is strictly prohibited in the robot design except for start/stop operation of the robot (i.e., remote push button to start and stop the operation of the robot.)

2.4 Each leg of the robot must consist of minimum two limb segments and demonstrate relative motion between the limbs to realise a walking motion.

2.5 The limbs of the robot must include some means of controlled motion to realise the walking, running, and/or hopping action for the robot. The following are some examples NOT considered as a legged robot:

- Rotating wheel with spokes or any other structure sticking out radially to represent 'feet'.

- Traction belt with studs or roller chain with ‘feet’ mounted in any orientation.

- Robot, with feet or any floor contact point, mounted with motion-assisted roller wheel(s) is strictly prohibited

2.6 Locus for every feet of the robot cannot be higher than its associated pivoting joint.

3.1 The race-track is a raised platform of a fixed width of 1m and a maximum length of approximately 10m (not inclusive of starting zone and finishing zone.) It comprises of straight and circular sections connected together to make up the entire length. The circular section consists of a one-eight circular path (45-degree sector) with radius of 1m (with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the path). The straight segment consists of 1 m straight paths. There will be a 1-meter Starting Zone and a 1-meter Finishing Zone at the start and the end of the race-track.

3.2 The track is constructed with 1/4-inch plywood with circular and/or straight sections raised about at either 50 mm or 100 mm off the ground. It will be lined with 3 mm thick black rubber mat. It is designed to support a robot with a maximum weight of 10 kg. Each section of the track is not expected to be perfectly level and it may be uneven. Track sections at the same elevation are joined with a maximum step at the joints of 5 millimeters. There is a 50 millimeters wide retro-reflective tape (3M Scotchlite - Industrial Grade) in the middle of the track for navigation purpose.

Figure 1 shows a top view of an example of a competition race-track. It consists of a 4 straight segments (A) and 8 circular segments (B). The segments are at different elevations of 50 mm or 100 mm off the ground.

The aim of this event is for mobile robots to demonstrate their horizontal and vertical surface climbing abilities during a race.

2.1 The wall is shown in Figure 1 below. It consists of three sections: a 2 metre long horizontal section (section A) on the ground followed by a 2 metre high vertical section (section B) followed by a 2 metre long horizontal section (section C) at the top, with each section 1.2 metres wide.

2.2 The surface of the wall will be covered with mild steel sections with a thickness of at least 0.003 metres. The wall will have a matt black surface finish.

2.3 Starting / finishing lines will be located 0.8 metres from the beginning of the horizontal section on the ground (section A) and 0.8 metres from the end of the top horizontal section (section C). The line in section A will be used to demarcate the maximum size of the robot.

2.4 The supporting structure for the wall will have provision for two safety cables to be attached to the robot so that both cables can be used simultaneously during the race (not shown in Figure 1.)

2.5 The wall sections A and B will each have one obstacle consisting of a horizontal bar made of non-magnetic material (not shown) with 0.03 m X 0.03 m square cross-section will be placed laterally across the entire width the section. Both of these obstacles will be placed such that one of its sides is touching the wall section. Both of these obstacles will have reflective tape fully covering the exposed sides of the obstacle. The obstacle across wall section A will be placed randomly such that it is at least 0.5 m away from the edge where it meets the next wall section (wall section B) and also at least 1.0 m from the opposite edge. The obstacle across section B will be placed randomly such that it is at least 1.0 m from the edge that meets the lower wall section (wall section A) and at least 0.5 m from the edge that meets the upper wall section (wall section C).

2.6 The wall structure will be constructed such that it conforms to the following:

The wall will be deemed to have satisfied criteria (a) and (b) above and be considered fit for use if each of the two distances between diagonally opposite corners (using the side view in Figure 1) lies in the range 2733 mm to 2847 mm.

3.4 In the event that two or more robots complete the same number of wall sections, the scoring system based on the formula described below will be used. This scoring system awards points so that the robot that completes either the entire course or the highest number of wall sections in the sequence described in paragraph 3.2 above (in the event that there are no robots that can complete the entire course) in the shortest time wins. The robot that scores the highest number of points according the following formula wins:

3.5 A robot is deemed to have started once any part of the robot crosses the starting line in the wall section A.

3.6 A robot is deemed to have completed its climb through a particular wall section when it fulfils all of the following conditions (a), (b) and (c) in sequence:

The above conditions apply to all wall sections except in the following cases:

In both cases (i) and (ii) above, the robot is deemed to have completed its climb through the wall section only when the entire robot has crossed the finishing line placed within that particular wall section.

3.7 Once the race begins, each team of participants will be given a maximum of 10 minutes to produce its best result. No extra time will be given at the beginning for participants to set-up or prepare their robots.

3.8 After the race begins, any physical handling of the robot such as touching, pulling of cables or pushing of the robot during a climb will disqualify the result of that climb. However if a robot falls off while climbing the wall, using the safety cables to break the fall of the robot is allowed and the result of the climb will be determined as specified in paragraph 3.3 & 3.4 above.

3.9 During the first two minutes of the 10-minute race, participating teams may seek permission from the judges to temporarily withdraw because of technical difficulties and re-enter the race at a later time. If a participating team is allowed to re-enter the race then it will have a reduced time of 5 minutes both to prepare their robot for action and to produce its best result at the same time. All race results obtained by the robot previously before the temporary withdrawal will not be considered. Permission to temporarily withdraw from the race and re-enter at a later time will not be automatically granted and the judges will use their discretion in granting permission on a case-by-case basis. Each participating team may only temporarily withdraw and re-enter the race once.

4.1 The dimensions of each of the competing robots must not exceed 0.75 metres in length, width and height at all times while the robot is in operation. For non-autonomous designs these dimensions apply for the mobile or climbing part of the robot only.

4.2 The weight of each of the competing robots must not exceed 10 kilograms. For non-autonomous designs this weight restriction applies to the mobile or climbing part of the robot only.

4.3 Competing robots must not have parts removed or added to them during the competition except for replacement of batteries or for repairs essential to the operation of the robot. The competing robots are not allowed to discard any part of their chassis during operation. The competing robots must not use chemical or combustion power methods.

4.4 The competing robots must not damage the competition environment including the wall and its supporting structure and the sensors in any way.

2.1 The competing robots, which can be self-navigating or remote-controlled, will perform their capability on a 5m x 5m contest arena for a period of time.

2.2 The robots may move freely around the arena or be in a static position.

3.1 The competing robots can start from any point in the contest arena.

3.2 A total duration of up to 10mins is allocated for setting up the robot and any accessory equipment and demonstration of its capability. The time duration will be measured from the moment the contestants enter the arena. If more than 10 minutes elapsed, the robot must be removed from the arena.

3.3 In the case where the contestants wish to employ radio control, they should inform the secretariat in advance. Contestants should not broadcast radio signals while another contestant's robot is performing.

3.4 In the case that a robot requires special accessory equipment or tools during its performance, the contestants will provide such items.

3.5 In the case that a robot performance is to be accompanied by music, the contestants should provide the means to reproduce this music.

3.6 There is no specific flooring material of the contest arena. The flooring will very much depend on the available contest site. However, if there is a special requirement such as carpet, the contestants will have to provide for it.

3.7 One power point of 220/230V, 50 Hz supply will be made available. However, the teams are to provide their own power adapter and extension means if it is required.

3.8 For air supply, the contestants are to provide their own air compressor units if necessary.

3.9 The designs of the competing robots must be original and unique. No two identical designs are allowed in the competition.

3.10 The expenses incurred in transportation and setup of equipment is to be borne by the individual teams.

3.11 The boundary for the area will be black or white depending on the floor color.

3.12 Winning robots will not be allowed to participate in the subsequent two Robotics Games.

3.13 Robots that can, in principle, compete in other SRG events (e.g. Pole Balancing Robot competition) should not be allowed to compete in the open category event.

4.1 A panel of 3 or 5 judges will be present to judge the event.

4.2 All judges will be external judges except for the chief judge.

Any mechanism which supports an inverted pendulum which is free to swing around a horizontal axis with one degree of freedom and balances it to keep it vertical by moving the point of support shall be considered "the pole balancing robot."

2.1 The inverted pendulum may be supported by a vehicle moving along a straight line. Any other innovative design which does not violate the spirit of the competition may be allowed at the discretion of the judges subject to the following conditions:

2.2 The inverted pendulum must be free to swing. It must be balanced by moving the pivoted support point parallel to the plane of the swing. The pivot must be fixed to the vehicle.

2.3 The robot must use a standard contest balance pole specified by the organisers. A sample pole will be supplied for the institutions participating in the competition. The pole material will be aluminium.

2.4 There is no size restriction on the robot. The overall size will be such that it would be able to operate on the table provided by the organisers. No part of the robot, other than the its wheels, must touch the surface of balance table. It must not fall off the competition table surface during the operation.

2.5 Balancing the pendulum/pole using any form of gyroscopic principle is not admissible.

2.6 A self-balancing design in which the pendulum will always stand up due to the use of a balance weight below the axis of rotation is also not admissible.

2.7 There should be no relative motion between the pole-support axis and the body of the vehicle.

2.8 No guide rails are allowed.

2.9 The vehicle must be completely autonomous, with no wires connected externally and with no RF signals or power lines coming from outside.

3.1. The supporting mechanism must be compatible to the diagram shown in Fig. 1. Ball bearings must be used in the axle of rotation supporting the pole, only exception being the instrumentation potentiometer or encoder. If the potentiometer or encoder is driven through gears then the gear friction must be very small as quantified in section 3.2. It must be able to swing freely from -45° to +45° from the vertical position when the vehicle is positioned in region B.

3.2 The friction of the suspension mechanism is quantified as follows: The pole used for balancing is also used for this purpose. The robot will be placed upside-down to make the pole a regular pendulum.

For the test, the robot is supported upside down such that the pole support axle is along the vertical line A, marked on the wall or the platform built for this purpose. There will be two vertical lines on the right side. One (extreme right line B) corresponds to 45° inclination of the pole. The second inner line C corresponds to 18° inclination of the pole, at a distance of 30 cm from line A.

The pole will be moved to side A to reach an inclination of 45° such that the tip touches the outer vertical line B and is released, so that it swings back and forth. At the end of the fifth swing cycle the pole should swing back to side A and reach a minimum angle of 18° such that the tip touches the inner vertical line C.

3.3. The organisers strongly recommend that the robots have projected supports perpendicular to the base plate at the front and back of the robot, to facilitate easy placement during friction test. See Fig. 3a. The dimensions of the support provided on the robot must be such that the inverted robot can be placed on the friction test structure shown in Fig.3.

5.1 The robots will be caged before the competition before the friction test.

5.2 No switching of EPROMs or downloading of programs will be allowed, after caging.

5.3 Once the robot has been caged, no change of batteries will be allowed.

6.1 The robotic vehicle would operate on the top of the table provided. Please see Fig. 4. The table-top will have a slight gradient at the start (region A) and the end (region B) zones as shown in Fig. 4.

6.2 The vehicle will be placed within the region A (see Fig. 4). The operator may move the pole (the inverted pendulum) to an upright position and release it upon receiving the signal from the judges. The vehicle must balance the pole in the upright position for a minimum of 20 seconds without the vertical pole crossing the line X-X'.

6.3 Upon completion of the task (in 6.2 above), the vehicle should move across the line X-X' once, and move through the region B, until the pole clears the line Y-Y', without losing balance during transit, i.e. not hitting any part of the table or its own chassis.

6.4 Upon completion of task (in 6.3 above), the vehicle must retrace the path, cross the line X-X' again and get back to region A. This will complete one cycle. This time, during the retrace, the vehicle need not stay any length of time at region B or A, before the start of the second cycle.

6.5 The vehicle should repeat these cycles.

6.6 To count these cycles as successful cycles they must be followed by at least 20 seconds of static balancing at region A.

6.7 The robot may continue on (untouched) for more cycles, and complete them with 20 seconds of static balancing at the end, which if successful will be counted cumulatively.

6.8 If a robot is touched by the handler during the trial, it must be restarted for the next attempt.

7.1. The robot with the highest number of successful cycles in a single untouched attempt will be considered the winning entry. Subsequent places will be decided similarly.

7.2. If necessary, the number of successful cycles in further attempts will be used as a tie breaker.

7.3.If the tie is not broken by 7.2, the number of unsuccessful cycles will be considered.

7.4. If no robot qualifies based on item 7.1 to 7.3, then consolation prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the judges.

8.1 From the instant the team is called upon to take the arena, 2 minutes will be allowed for set up.

8.2. After the set up time, 5 minutes of performance time will be allowed for each robot. The performance time will start when the robot-pole is first released by the participant. However if the set up time exceeds 2 minutes, then performance time will start automatically.

8.3.With in the time permitted, any number of attempts will be allowed. All the attempts must be completed within 5 minutes

8.4.The participants must vacate the competition area when the 5 minutes of performance time expires.

Design a mobile robot to navigate through a minefield and obstacles to reach the predetermined destination in the shortest possible time.

2.1 A maximum time of 3 minutes is allowed per match. Each match should have 2 entries.

2.2 Each robot will commence from its respective mid-span "START" position. When the 'Start' command is given it should proceed towards the predetermined destination [i.e. base line] located on the opposite side of the arena. No robot is permitted to enter the arena 5 seconds after the match commences.

2.3 The first robot that completely crosses the 'finishing line' [i.e.Base Line] win and the match stops.

2.4 Once inside the arena, each robot has to navigate through a maze of mines and obstacles while observing the rules and regulations stated in 2.6 below. At the same time, it is permitted to prevent its opponent from reaching the finishing line by pushing it out of the arena or against any mines/obstacles.

2.5 When the Competition Time of 3 minutes is up and if both robots fail to reach the finishing line, they cannot proceed to the next level of competition.

2.6 A robot is disqualified and will be removed from the arena if it:

No participant is permitted to step inside the arena. Helpers will retrieve stalled robots if human intervention is required.

2.7 Obstacles are considered as part of the maze and are rigidly held onto the ground.

3.1 30 minutes before the competition commences, all participants must submit their entries for inspection by a panel of judges. After which, all robots must be displayed on a designated table for public viewing.

3.2 Disqualification

After an entry has been submitted for inspection, no alterations, changes and /or modifications to their mechanical design, power supply and/or electronic circuitry are permitted before and/or during the competition without any permission from the judges. Failure to observe this ruling will subject participants with disqualification.

4.1 The fixture for the preliminary, quarter-final, semi-final rounds is determined through drawing lots. Lots are re-drawn at every level of competition. All entries are paired based on the lots drawn. In case of odd number of entries then the entry occupying the last slot is permitted to make a run through the arena alone. (During and for the preliminary [first] round only, if all entries failed to make a successful run except for the 'odd entry' in the last slot, this 'odd entry' will not emerge immediately as the overall winner. The judges reserve the right to select one robot among the cohort to compete with this 'odd entry'. Should this 'odd enter' wins in this 'special' contest, it will be declared as the overall winner. Otherwise, it will only be awarded a special award.)

4.2 During the preliminary, quarter-final and semi-final rounds, if no robot manages to complete a successful run then no representation from that group shall advance to the next level of competition.

4.3 At the end of several rounds, if the number of remaining entries is four or less, then the following strategy is applied to determine the winners :

5.1 Specifications of Robot

1. Min. Dimensions: >300 mm [Length] x >300 mm [Width] x >150 mm [Height]
2. Weight: < 10 kg.
3. Power supply: Autonomous
4. No retro-reflective tape or coating on robot body.

5.2 Specifications of Mines (Figure 1)

• Dimension : Approx. f 300 mm x 200 mm [ height excludes light indicator]

• Metallic Casing : Coated in black. Base affixed with 25 mm Scotch-lite Reflective Tape.

• Accessories : Built-in Lamp & Alarm system powered by battery

• Activation : When mine is disturbed, the lamp & alarm system will activate.

5.3 Specifications of Competition Arena [Figure 2]

• Area: 3 m x 5 m [Lined with black tapes (~ 50 mm width)]
• Floor & Light: Lighting & floor as per condition of designated Competition Hall.
• ‘START’: The mid-span marking on opposite side of arena.
• Finishing Line: Base line on the opponent side.
• Nos of Mines: Minimum 6 mines per round.
• Distance between mines/obstacles: minimum 400 mm.
• Penalty Area : 1 m x 3 m from START position. Marked with masking tape.
• Obstacles : 3 circular BLACK plastic containers or less [Min. f 0.4 m x 0.5 m] randomly positioned. Four wooden blocks of approx. 750 mm x 50 mm x 50 mm are placed at all corners inclined at an angle of 30° + 2° to the base line as shown in Figure 2.

6.1 In accordance with the spirit of the competition, clones will only be awarded one prize even though they may produce the best results. Clone will be identified during the 'caging' procedure.

6.2 Clones will be identified by substantially identical physical appearance and working principles.

6.3 When in doubt, the decision of the judges will be final.

1.1 The maze shall be laid out by placing pieces of walls along the grids formed by multiples of 18cm x 18 cm unit square arranged in a 16 x 16 row-column matrix. The walls constituting the maze shall be 5 cm high and 1.2 cm thick. Passageways between the walls shall be 16.8 cm wide. outside wall shall enclose the entire maze.

1.2 The sides and top of the maze walls shall be white. The floor of the maze shall be made of wood and finished with a non-gloss black paint. The coating on the top and sides of the walls shall be selected to reflect infra-red light and the coating on the floor shall absorb it.

1.3 The start of the maze shall be located at one of the four corners. The starting square shall have walls on three sides. The starting square orientation shall be such that when the open wall is to the "north", outside maze walls are on the "west", and "south". At the centre of the maze shall be a large opening, which is composed of 4 unit squares. This central square shall be the destination.

1.4 Small square posts, each 1.2 cm x 1.2 cm x 5 cm high, at the four corners of each unit square are called lattice points. The maze shall be constituted such that there is at least one wall touching each lattice point, except for the destination square.

1.5 The dimensions of the maze shall be accurate to within 5% or 2 cm, whichever is less. Assembly joints on the maze floor shall not involve steps of greater than 1 mm. The change of slope at an assembly joint shall not be greater than 4° . Gaps between the walls of adjacent squares shall not be greater than 1 mm.

2.1 The length and width of the micromouse shall be restricted to a square region of 25 cm x 25 cm. The dimensions of a micromouse which changes geometry during a run shall never be greater than 25 cm x 25 cm. There is no restriction on the height of the micromouse.

2.2 The micromouse must be completely self-contained and must receive no outside help.

2.3 The method of wall sensing is at the discretion of the builder; however, the micromouse must not exert a force on any wall likely to cause damage. The method of propulsion is at the discretion of the builder, provided the power source is non-polluting.

2.4 The micromouse shall not leave anything behind while negotiating the maze.

2.5 A micromouse shall not jump over, climb, scratch or damage the walls of the maze.

3.1 Each contesting micromouse shall subject to a time limit of 10 minutes on the maze. Within this time limit, the micromouse may make as many runs as possible. The judges have the discretion to request a micromouse to retire early if by its lack of progress it has become boring, or if by erratic behaviour it is endangering the state of the maze.

3.2 The scoring of a micromouse shall be obtained by computing a handicapped time for each run as follows: Handicapped Time Score = Run Time + Search Penalty + Touch Penalty. Search Penalty = 1/30 th of the search time, in seconds, associated with that run, and Touch Penalty = 3 seconds if the micromouse has been touched at any time prior to the run. For example, if a micromouse, after being on the maze for 4 minutes without being touched, starts a run which takes 20 seconds; the run will have a handicapped time score of 20 + 1/30th of (4x60) = 28 seconds. However, if the micromouse had been touched before the run, an additional touch penalty of 3 seconds is added giving a handicapped time score of 31 seconds. The run with the fastest handicapped time score for each micromouse shall be the official time of that micromouse.

3.3 The time for each run (run time) shall be measured from the moment the micromouse leaves the start square until it enters the destination square. The total time on the maze prior to a run (search time) shall be measured from the time the micromouse is first activated. A run is complete only if the whole of the micromouse enters the destination square.

3.4 The time taken to negotiate the maze shall be measured either manually by the contest officials or by infrared sensors set at the start and destination. If infrared sensors are used, the start sensor shall be positioned at the boundary between the start square and the next unit square. The destination sensor shall be placed at the entrance to the destination square. The infrared beam of each sensor shall be horizontal and positioned approximately 1 cm above the floor.

3.5 The starting procedure of the micromouse should be simple and must not offer a choice of strategies to the handler. The micromouse shall be started by pressing a "start" button once. The micromouse shall be placed at the start square and started by the handler under the contest officials' instructions. Throughout the duration of the micromouse's performance, the handler shall not enter any information into the micromouse (e.g. change in search strategy, speed or maze data).

3.6 The micromouse handler is given 1 minute to make adjustments, if any, to the sensors. However, no selection of strategies must be made and no information on the maze configuration entered or captured into the micromouse. The maze search time clock will commence after the expiry of the 1-minute time limit if the micromouse handler is still making adjustments to the sensors.

3.7 When the micromouse reaches the destination square, it may stop on its own and remain at the maze centre, or it may continue to explore other parts of the maze or make its own way back to the start square. If the micromouse chooses to stop at the destination square, it may be manually lifted out and restarted by the handler. Manually lifting it out shall be considered touching the micromouse and will cause a touch penalty to be added on all subsequent runs. If the micromouse chooses not to remain in the destination square, it may not be manually stopped and restarted (see also paragraph 3.8).

3.8 If a micromouse appears to be malfunctioning, the handlers may ask the judges for permission to abandon the run and restart the micromouse from the beginning. A micromouse may not be restarted merely because it has taken a wrong turn - the judges' decision is final. If a micromouse elects to retire because of technical problems, the judges may, at their discretion, permit it to perform again later in the contest. Also, there shall be no changes made to the program or exploration strategies when the micromouse resumes its runs. This permission is likely to be withdrawn if the programme is full or behind schedule.

3.9 Before the maze is unveiled, the micromice must be accepted and caged by the contest officials, and no replacement of any parts of the micromouse shall be allowed. Once the micromouse has started on its runs, no replacement of batteries shall be allowed.

2.1 The domain for the obstacle avoidance vehicle competition is a flat area criss-crossed by reflective tape forming a 16 x 16 array of 180mm x 180mm (between centres) squares. The domain will be bounded by an unobstructed border of at least one square width. A wall of height 50mm will be constructed around the periphery to contain errant vehicles.

2.2 The domain floor and its border will be made of wood painted with non-gloss black paint. The squares marking the domain will be constructed with reflective tape (3M Scotchlite reflective tape) of 10mm width.

3.1 The obstacles will consist of rectangular wooden blocks painted with non-gloss white paint. The block can be of any height subject to a minimum of 50 mm. The length and width of the block shall be of a uniform cross-section, either 150 mm x 150 mm or 75 mm x 75 mm. The height is at least 50 mm. If a block is higher than 50 mm, then the horizontal cross-section of the block that is above 50mm can be of any shape provided no part of it extend beyond the base cross-section of 150 mm x 150 mm.

3.2 The obstacles will be placed, centrally, within squares and firmly affixed to the floor. A minimum passage width of at least one square is guaranteed.

3.3 The first move from the start position must be towards the North. This is to facilitate electronic clocking. Obstacles may be placed to ensure this.

5.1 There will be no restriction to the length, width or height of the robot vehicle. The vehicle must be fully self contained and not receive assistance from external sources and all parts of the vehicle must travel to the target. The judge may, however, allow participants to retrieve and restart their vehicles in the event of a collision or other situations when a restart is required.

5.2 The vehicle must not attempt to change or damage its environment.

6.1 The objective of the competition would be for the robot to reach the target in the shortest time. In the spirit of the games, it was decided to keep rules to a minimum.

6.2 Each robot will perform at least two runs within 10 minutes. The timing for a run will start at the instant the judges instruct the participants to start their robots, and end at the instant any part of the robot makes contact with the target square.

6.3 All robots must travel on the surface of the domain. Robot vehicles are required to travel within the specified domain and no part of the vehicle must come in direct contact with regions outside the domain. Overhanging within the boundary is allowed.

6.4 The use of long probes reaching across obstacles does not constitute "navigate its way through an unknown terrain", and is contrary to the spirit and implied rules of this competition.

1.1 The objective of the competition is to build a self-contained autonomous mobile robot that is able to navigate its way through a network of alley-ways in search of trash-bins which it must collect and dispose of at any one of 3 designated dumping grounds. The performance of the robot is judged on the numbers of trash-bins collected and disposed in a given time duration of 10 minutes.

2.1 The alley-ways shall be laid out on a platform by placing pieces of walls along the grids formed by multiples of 18 cm x 18 cm unit squares arranged in a 12 x 12 matrix as shown in Fig 1. The walls for lining the alleyways shall be 5 cm high and 1.2 cm thick. Passageways between the walls shall be 16.8 cm wide. The outside wall shall enclose the entire network of alleyways.

2.2 The start location for the robot shall be at one corner. Disposal centres shall be located next to the remaining 3 corners. There shall be clear passages along the alleyways adjacent to the disposal centres. Where there are no grid lines shown in the vicinity of the disposal centres, there shall be no walls. (See Fig 1)The start square shall have walls on 3 sides. The starting square orientation shall be such that when the open end is to the "north", outside walls are on the "west", and "south".

2.3 Each of the disposal centres shall be a box with a top opening. The internal dimensions shall be 34.8 cm x 34.8 cm x 5 cm (length x width x height). The thickness of the sidewalls shall be 1.2 cm (See Fig 2). The disposal centre shall be located such that the top edges are at the same level as the top of the alley-way walls and one side flushes with the side of the alley-way enclosure wall.

2.4 The sides and top of the alleyway walls shall be white. The floor of the platform shall be made of wood and finished with a non-gloss black paint. The coating on the top and sides of the walls shall be selected to reflect infrared light and the coating on the floor shall absorb it.

2.5 Small square posts, 1.2 cm x 1.2 cm x 5 cm high, at the 4 corners of each unit square are called lattice points. The alleyways shall be constituted such that there is at least 1 wall touching each lattice point. The distribution of trash-bins in the alleyways shall be such that there shall be at least 1 clear path to any 1 of the disposal centres. A sample layout is given in Fig 3.

3.1 The trash-bin shall be a 5-cm high dumb-bell shaped wooden post with a 1.2 ± 0.2 cm diameter cylindrical body and 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm x 1 cm rectangular ends. (See Fig 4). It shall be painted red on all sides. The weight of the trash-bin shall not exceed 15 grams.

3.2 The trash-bin shall be placed free standing at the centre of a unit square. The orientation shall be such that the sides of the trash-bin rectangular ends are parallel to the walls of the alleyway.

4.1 The length and width of the robot shall be restricted to a square region of 25 cm x 25 cm before it is out of the start square. There is no restriction to the dimensions of a robot which changes geometry after it has left the start square. There is no restriction on the height of the robot.

4.2 The robot must be completely self-contained and must receive no outside help.

4.3 The methods of alleyway wall sensing and trash-bin detection, collection and disposal are at the discretion of the builder; however, the robot must not exert a force on any wall or trash-bin likely to cause damage. The method of propulsion is at the discretion of the builder, provided the power source is non-polluting.

4.4 The robot shall not leave anything behind while negotiating the alleyways.

4.5 The robot shall not jump over, climb, scratch, damage or destroy the walls of the alleyways and disposal centres.

5.1 The basic function of the robot is seek out and collect as many trash-bins as possible which are placed along alley-ways and to dispose of them in any of 3 disposal centres within the given performance time period. The disposal strategy is left to the robot builder. For example, the trash-bins can be collected and disposed of one at a time, or the robot could collect and dispose several trash-bins at a time.

5.2 A trash-bin is considered disposed if more than half of its body is within the collection centre. Any trash-bin unsuccessfully disposed but resting on top of the collection centre wall(s) shall be removed and discarded only at the end of the robot's performance. Any trash-bin unsuccessfully disposed and has fallen onto the floor shall be removed and discarded when the robot subsequently crashes and has been retrieved by its handler. (See also clause 5.5)

5.3 The robot will be judged on the number of trash-bins disposed in the designated disposal centres within the time duration given and if it is able to dispose of all the trash-bins, then the time taken to do so will be the main criterion. In the event that 2 or more robots that have disposed the same number but not all of the trash-bins within the time given, then the number of trash-bins collected but not disposed, including those still remaining in the robot at the instance of the expiry of the competition time given shall be used as the next level of performance criterion. A third level criterion will be the number of times the robot had to be retrieved and restarted during the performance period. If there is still a tie, then the judges will decide on the better robot based on other criteria solely at the discretion of the judges.

5.4 The starting procedure of the robot should be simple and must not offer a choice of strategies to the handler. The robot shall be started by pressing a "start" button once. The robot shall be placed at the start square and started by the handler under the officials' instructions. Throughout the duration of the robot's performance, the handler shall not enter any information into the robot.

5.5 In the event that a robot crashes into the alleyway wall(s) and loses it bearing, then it is retrieved by the handler. The robot shall be re-started in a start location (one of the corners), and the size of the robot must be restricted to 25 cm x 25 cm at the start location (consistent with para. 4.1). The trash-bins that have been displaced shall be removed and discarded by contest officials before the robot is re-started. Any trash-bins collected and properly held by the robot in its collection mechanism shall also be discarded but kept aside for a fourth level of arbitration criterion in event of a tie as provided for in paragraph 5.3. The chief judge (who shall be the rules committee chairman) in consultant with the other judges, if any, determine whether a trash-bin has been "collected and properly held in the collection mechanism". In any event, any trash-bin that has been discarded shall not be available for collection and disposal by the robot when it is re-started.

5.6 If a robot appears to be malfunctioning, the handlers may ask the judges for permission to retrieve and restart the robot from the start square. A robot may not be restarted merely because it has taken a wrong turn - the judges' decision is final.

5.7 If a robot elects to retire because of technical problems, the judges may, at their discretion, permit it to do a fresh performance later in the contest but with a reduced time duration of 6 minutes. The result of the robot's second attempt shall be its official performance and its earlier attempt shall be null and void even if eventually the result of the first attempt is better than its second attempt. Also there shall be no changes made to the program, seek strategies and collecting method/mechanism when the robot is being repaired except for batteries and identical spare parts. This permission is likely to be withdrawn if the programme is full or behind schedule.

6.1 In accordance with the spirit of the competition, clones among the winning entries will only be awarded one prize. Clones will be identified during the "caging" procedure.

2.1 Any form of mobile robots (wheeled or legged) are acceptable for this competition.

2.2 The length and width for Tom and Jerry shall be restricted to a square region of 25 cm x 25 cm. There is no restriction on the height of the robots.

2.3 The robot has to be COMPLETELY autonomous.

3.1 The domain is a flat area criss-crossed by reflective tape forming a 16 x 16 array of 180mm x 180mm (between centres) squares. The domain will be bounded by an unobstructed border of at least one square width. A wall height of 50mm will be constructed around the peripheral to contain errant robots.

3.2 The domain floor and its border will be made of wood painted with non-gloss black paint. The squares marking the domain will be constructed with reflective (3M Scotchlite reflective tape) of 10mm width.

3.4 The tolerances of the domain platform will be within the specifications specified in Figure 1.

4.1 The Fish and Cheese shall be flat pellets of 0.5mm thickness, with square (fish) and round(cheese) shapes. They are made of unfinished galvanised steel sheets (0.5mm) which can be picked up by magnet. A sample pellet will be given to each represented institution.

4.3 At any square, there may be more than one food pellet placed. However, at any intersection of the tracks, there will not be more than one food pellet placed.

4.4 The Fish pellet dimension is a square of 3 cm x 3 cm.

4.5 The Cheese pellet dimension is a round disk of diameter 2 cm.

5.1 Each run shall be subjected to a time limit of 10 minutes on the maze. Within this time limit, Tom and Jerry may make as many runs as possible.

5.2 There will be 5 to 10 pieces of Fish and 5 to 10 pieces of Cheese on the maze.

5.3 The robot starts from Home position. It may start in any orientation within the Home square.

5.4 Once the robots are out of the Home position, it can only go back to the respective homes with a food pellet. The robot is considered to have returned to Home position when any part of the robot is inside the Home square.

5.5 Tom may only deposit Fish in the Cat’s home. Jerry may only deposit Cheese in the Mouse’s home. The deposit of food into Home position means that the final resting position of the food must be within the Home square and not touching the tape.

5.6 Once each food pellet is brought and dropped at Home position, participants may re-position the pellets at the border area outside the maze. This is to prevent the food pellets from cluttering the homes.

5.7 The robots must pick up and bring back only one piece of food at each time. In manoeuvring the maze, a robot is NOT allowed to physically touch more than one pellet at any time.

5.8 The robots are NOT allowed to touch each other. Once they touch each other while manoeuvring the domain, both robots are considered to have crashed.

5.9 The game ends when :

5.10 Judging Criteria :

6.1 In accordance with the spirit of the competition, clones among the winning entries will only be awarded one prize. Clones will be identified during the "caging" procedure.

Only those two team members, who are at the stage, may transmit certain commands directly from the host computer to their robots. Commands, such as, reset signals to stop all robots or the restart signals can be transmitted during the game is in progress. Other information, such as soccer strategies, can be communicated only when the game is not in progress. The manager, the coach or the trainer under no circumstances, directly controls the motion of their robots either with a joystick or by keyboard commands. The host computer can send any information during a game autonomously.

Global vision system can be used. The location of camera or any other sensor systems should be restricted to the top of the area above their own half of the playground including the centre line (so that the camera need not be moved at halftime). Should both teams want to put their cameras over the centre circle, they will be placed side by side at equal distance from the center and as close as possible. The height of the camera or the sensor system should be higher than or equal to 2 meter, above the playground (See Appendix 3).

The team that fouled places robots at positions in touch with the goal area on either side of the arc, which is just outside the goal area. The ball shall be positioned at the free kick marking, which is same as the penalty kick marking. The attacking robot which is taking the ball, should be behind the ball. Another attacking robot shall be in any position but it has to be behind the robot which is taking the ball (See Appendix 6). When the whistle blows, all robots can start moving freely.

When the referee calls a penalty kick, the ball shall be positioned at penalty kick marking, which is same as the free kick marking. The goalkeeper is placed along the goal line. The robot taking the kick shall be behind the ball. All other robots (including other defending robots) are placed in the opponent half field (See Appendix 7). The defending team shall position the robots first. All robots (including goalkeeper) must wait for the penalty taker to touch the ball before they start to move when the whistle blows.

The referee will call a free ball when a stalemate continues for 10 seconds outside the goal area. The field shall be divided into 4 equal areas. Each quarter has a free ball marker, which positions at 25cm apart from the nearest side of the field and 37.5cm apart from the nearest goal line. When a free ball is called within a quarter, one robot per team will be placed at locations 20cm apart from the ball position in parallel. The defending team can place the goalie robot within the goal area. Other robots (of both teams) can be placed freely outside the quarter where the free ball is being called (but the defending team gets their preference for positioning their robots (See Appendix 9).

3.1 The robot is to be controlled by an on-board microcontroller and powered by on-board battery.

3.2 The maximum size of the vehicle is 20 cm long and 15 cm wide.

3.3 The race course is approximately 2 metre long and 0.5 m wide.

3.4 The robot will start from a starting frame at one end of the track and carry a table tennis ball. It is to trace along a guide path and travel around several obstacles to reach a pivoted platform. It is to go over the platform and deliver the ball into a tray located at the far end of the track. The guide path is made up of reflective tape of 50 mm wide on black background.

3.5 The robot is given 12 minutes to produce its best result.

3.6 A penalty of 5 seconds will be added for every adjustment made during each run. Only 3 adjustments are allowed for each run.