GAME RULES
WORLD ROBOT GAMES
www.worldrobotgames.com
UNDERWATER ROBOT COMPETITION
1. OBJECTIVE
Underwater vehicles are vital to port & harbour security, naval and scientific exploration,
underwater cleaning etc. This fun-filled and challenging competition aims to introduce students to
this fascinating world so that they can explore career opportunities in this field. The competition
will spur interest and promote education in this area and motivate young and aspiring engineers
and scientists to further pursue this field.
2. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF MISSION
2.1 The team of contestants have to design and build a remote operative vehicle (ROV) or an
autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). ROV and AUV are separate categories.
2.2 The mission involves the picking up of as many objects (cargoes, one at a time) from the
middle section of the tank and dropping them in baskets at either ends of the tank. At
the end of each run the number of objects in each basket ideally should be equal. For
both ROV and AUV, each pair (one in each basket) gets four (4) points and remaining
unpaired objects in the basket get one point each. For AUV’s, they shall be awarded
double the points for ROV’s, as well as a bonus of two (2) points on condition that the
robot(s) deliver(s) at least one (1) object into the basket.
2.3 While doing so they would have to maneuver through window frames which will be non
magnetic on either sides of the tank.
3. TANK SPECIFICATIONS
3.1 The game will be played in an L-shaped tank of dimension: 1425mm x 1425mm x
500mm. The tank has a glass of 12.5 mm thickness. See Figure 1 for details.
3.2 There shall be two rectangular window frames, 30mm thickness, and one on each
section of the tank 500mm from the ends of the tank. See Figure 2 for detailed
dimensions.
3.3 The centre section of the tank will have a bump which is 12.5mm in height.
3.4 In the central area of the tank there shall be a cargo holder containing 16 objects
arranged in a grid. This holder will be elevated from the tank floor by about 2 cm.
See Figure 1 layout.
3.5 The cargo holder will be a square of 100mm sides with the sixteen objects arranged
in a grid. The cargo holder will be made from a non-magnetic material. See Figure 3.
3.6 The cargo to be lifted will be marbles in the case of ROV and nuts for AUV as shown
in Figure 4. The marbles are ceramic in nature and will have a diameter of around
15-17mm weighing 3 to 7g each. The nuts will be ferromagnetic and weigh between
10g to 20g.
3.7 A black tape, 4 to 5cm wide, will run through the centre of the tank and on both
sides of the tank at a height of 20cm from the bottom.
3.8 There are two basket areas at both ends of the tank. There will be a barrier of about
2cm in height separating the basket from the rest of the tank.
3.9 The water depth in the tank will be 40 cm and flush with the top of the rectangular
window frames mentioned in 3.2 above.
GAME RULES
WORLD ROBOT GAMES
www.worldrobotgames.com
GAME RULES
WORLD ROBOT GAMES
www.worldrobotgames.com
4. ROBOT SPECIFICATIONS
4.1 The robot should at the start of competition fit in a box of 30cm (width) x 30cm (length) x
30cm (height). Any vehicle found violating the dimensions shall be disqualified immediately.
GAME RULES
WORLD ROBOT GAMES
www.worldrobotgames.com
4.2 During any attempts, the vehicle should not exceed 40cm in any one dimension. This
specification however does not prevent the initial vehicle from splitting up into multiple
parts as long as the above conditions are satisfied. The latter condition above would then
apply to each completely disconnected part. However, at the start of the competition, the
vehicle must be assembled as a single unit.
4.3 In case of AUV’s, the method of wall sensing is at the discretion of the builder. However, the
AUV must not exert a force on any wall of the tank likely to cause damage.
4.4 Wheeled or legged machines running or any other method of movement that requires the
surfaces of the tank to move will not be allowed. Any other method of propulsion is at the
discretion of the builder, provided that the power source is non-polluting. Use of any kind of
explosive material is prohibited. Nothing may be deposited off by the machine in the tank.
5 JUDGING CRITERIA
5.1 Points shall be awarded in the following manner:
5.1.1 4 points for each pair of objects (one in each basket.)
5.1.2 1 point for any unpaired object left in either basket.
5.2 The time for the first cargo to be dropped will also be recorded, and shall be used as a
tiebreaker.
5.3 There are no penalties for hitting the tank walls or the window frame. For RC, only ONE
participant is allowed to operate ONE robot. The handler / controller and robot will be
paired and identified during registration and caging.
5.4 To be considered for prizes, at least one object should be dropped in either basket for
autonomous robots, and two objects in each basket for RC robots
GAME RULES
WORLD ROBOT GAMES
www.worldrobotgames.com
6 RULES FOR COMPETITION
6.1 Each team will be given a competition time of 6 minutes, inclusive of setup time. Each robot
is given a maximum of 3 starts within the competition time and one attempt is counted for
scoring and is limited to a maximum of 4 minutes.
6.2 Robots shall start from either end of the competition tank. The starting line shall be 40 cm
from either edge of the tank, and the robots may not be placed beyond this line at the start.
Once team has chosen the starting end, all attempts shall proceed from the same position.
6.3 The attempt with maximum points will be considered as the team’s final score. And the time
recorded for the first cargo drop for the chosen attempt shall be used as tie breaker.
6.4 Judges decision is final and binding to all.
6.5 All robots will be caged half an hour before competition starts and would be checked for
safety and cloning. Robots found to be of unsafe nature shall be disallowed.
6.6 The objects have to clearly fall within the basket. Objects on the basket barrier shall not be
counted.
6.7 Any dropped object outside the cargo holder or basket will be considered out of play.
6.8 Each vehicle can lift only one object at a time. However while picking up objects within the
cargo area, if multiple objects are picked, excess objects can be dropped back within the
cargo area without penalty. In other words the vehicle should be carrying only one object
once it is out of the cargo area. If multiple objects are carried at one time out of the grid
area, all of them will be considered out of play.
6.9 Only two handlers are allowed in the competition arena for each team and only one remote
controller is allowed in case of an ROV.