RACE DETAILS

(As of 3 October 1995)

The course is located on the walkway in front of Wean Hall, in the area with the two bicycle ramps. The track consists of a wavy, white painted stripe approximately two inches in width, and has a minimum turn radius of 36 inches measured at the center of the stripe. The track will lead through a number of wicket-style gates which straddle the stripe. To proceed successfully, a vehicle must pass through each gate in turn.

Gates are wicket style, bent from one-half inch electrical conduit ("EMT", 0.71 inch outside diameter, galvanized steel) and have an inside opening 18 inches square (+/- 1/2 inch). The two top corners have an inside radius of approximately 3.5 inches due to the bends in the conduit. (Note that these bends intrude slightly on the 18 inch square opening.) Each gate is supported on a 12-inch-long horizontal leg (inverted T) on one side of the wicket such that the inverted T is perpendicular to the plane of the wicket (i.e. -- the 12 inch leg is nominally parallel to the track). A prototype wicket is available for viewing in WeH 1317 (the office of Ben Brown ).

The gates stand sturdily and are not trivial to knock down. However, if one is bumped hard it will move out of position (as defined below) or fall, ending the run.

Gates are positioned nominally perpendicular to and centered on the stripe to within plus-or-minus one inch. Pairs of white circles which straddle the stripe mark potential gate locations along the course. Each gate is placed with its two downward legs centered in a pair of circles. The circles define the extent to which a gate can move if bumped by a vehicle. The run for a vehicle ends if the downward leg of a gate leaves the circle in which it is placed or if the gate is knocked over.

Timing may be done electronically, using a photoelectrically triggered clock. The photoelectric components and other electronics will be mounted near the base of each wicket. Nominal beam height will be three inches above the ground (i.e. -- your vehicle will need to break a light beam three inches off the ground).

On the lower part of the course (below the bicycle ramps), there are decision points (forks) on the track. Vehicles must make correct decisions at the forks in order to continue successfully. A map showing the location of all gates on the course will be available to all registered contestants at least 48 hours in advance of a race.

There are numerous gaps along the track on the concrete sidewalk. The allowable size of these gaps affects the mechanical vehicle design (e.g. -- wheel diameter) and sensor design (e.g. -- ability to accommodate loss of stripe for a short distance). Though it is not practical for "normal" gaps (about one-half inch wide) between concrete sections to be filled in, any gaps substantially wider will be filled prior to the official competition. Any necessary patches to the course will be made in early spring, because such repairs would probably deteriorate during the winter.

The course will be repainted one to two weeks before the preliminary race. No further repairs or changes to the course will be performed before the finals unless deemed necessary by the judges. The paint will be the same as used previously: Krylon Flat White #1502. Contestants should be aware that the optical (reflective) properties of the stripe may change with time and wear, as well as weather conditions (e.g. -- dampness). Mobots must be designed to handle any and all such variations.

Vehicles must be completely self-contained. No communication or interaction *of any kind* between the competitors (or anyone else) and a vehicle is permitted once it has entered the race course. A run will be terminated if the vehicle leaves the paved sidewalk area, or if it is touched by a competitor (or anyone else). Neither the course nor its environment may be modified to assist vehicles during the race. A vehicle may have sensors, on-board computers and control systems, on-board motors, on-board power sources or power collectors, and brakes. Size and weight is not restricted except for the requirement that vehicles must be able to pass through the 18 inch square gates.

Race emphasis is on accuracy. The winner of the competition will be the entry that successfully passes the most gates in sequence. Vehicles are timed at each gate, and those that navigate through the same number of gates (or the full course) are ranked according to their time to the last gate reached (shortest time best). Each run is limited to a maximum of four minutes. In order to be eligible for a cash prize at the Preliminaries, a team's vehicle must successfully negotiate at least one gate (excluding the start-line gate). At the Finals, a team's Mobot must successfully negotiate at least two gates (excluding the start-line gate). Commemorative race T-shirts will be awarded (a maximum of three per team) for vehicles that successfully pass through at least two gates (excluding the start-line gate) at the Finals.

Each contestant/team will be given three runs down the course. The best performance of those three runs will be compared against the best performance of the other teams to determine race winners. Contestants/teams arriving late may be denied some or all of the three runs.

The Computer Science Department will instrument the course for timing and provide judges to observe vehicles on the course. In case of disagreements, the judges will interpret both the spirit and letter of these rules, and their decision will be final. We reserve the right to inspect entries to assure they conform to the letter and intent of the rules.

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