Loop Rush

Introduction:

Perfection does not exist - only the evolution towards it does. - Motto, Ferrari Formula One (1975-6)

As the age of automation encompasses all spheres of life, we are tempted to explore musical chairs in
the 21st century where players are not humans but bots. A competition based on the perfection of the
very basic - the task of diligently following a line, Loop Rush is an innovative means to test the
optimization skillfulness of budding robotics as well as pros .Set in a very competitive environment with
an electrifying audience all around, this is your shot to fame with the perfect machine.

1. Problem Statement:

Build a line follower that traverses the circuit in the least possible time

2. Arena:

1. The competition platform has been designed with a white line on a black surface.

2. The length of the path in line following platform is 30 meters.

3. The line width is 29±2 mm.

4. Radial turns and hairpin bends are indicated by lines orthogonal to the competition path at a distance
of 30 mm from the track

5. Track may contain the following elements:

1. Straight stretches

2. Circular stretches

3. Radial turns

4 .S-shaped bends

6. The beginning of every different type of section of the track will be marked with a black band 19±2
mm perpendicular to the track.
7. The exact arena will be launched soon. All participants will be notified.

3. Setup:

1. The entire arena will be setup outdoors in ambient lighting conditions.

2. There will be two arenas on-site, one prime run arena and one calibrating arena.

3. A scaled version of the prime arena will also be setup the day before the event for test runs

4. All bots will be fitted with a pausing circuit before the run.

4.1 Bot Specification:

1. Each team is allowed to have only one bot.

2. The bot must fit into a cube of dimensions 200 mm x 200 mm x 200 mm.

3. The bot must use only on-board power supply. No external off-board power supply is allowed.

4. The max voltage difference between any two points must not exceed 12V

5. The bot must be fully autonomous with all powering and motoring mechanisms self contained.

6. Human operators are not permitted to enter any information into the bot during the event. The bot
must not communicate with any wireless device also.

7. All teams must leave two male connectors on top of their machine which will allow the organizers to
install the pausing mechanism. The leads for these must be drawn from that part of the circuit which
connects the filtered power from source to the remaining circuit such the they act as a discontinuity

8. The bot cannot be constructed using ready made Lego kits or any ready made mechanism. But you
can make use of ready made gear assemblies. Violating this clause will lead to the disqualification of
the machine.
4.2 Pausing Mechanism:

1. A cc2500 module will be placed by the organizers on each machine to start and pause the machine.

2. Participants are advised to leave a flat surface of 75 mm x 75 mm on top of their machine with the male
connector leads so as to place the module .

4. Gameplay:

4.1 Pre-Game Setup:

Each team will be allowed a slot of 15 mins to calibrate their machines on a test track at the venue.

4.2 Game Procedure:

There will be 2 rounds - an elimination round and a final round.

4.2.1 Elimination Round

Based on the theme of Musical Chairs

1. Each machine will be run on the calibration track to test the stopping mechanism. Machines failing to
conform will not be allowed to participate.

2. Groups of 4 teams will be made on a random basis.

3. The track will have 4 pole positions from where each team of a group will start. These positions will be
allotted on a random basis.

4. All teams will start their machines simultaneously

5. A bot will be deemed out if another bot bumps into it from behind during the course of its run.

6. The run would be of 4 mins split into 2 parts of 2 mins each

In the first part all bots which do not cover the stipulated min number of laps will be eliminated. In
both parts bots can be bumped-out.

7. All bots surviving at the end of 4 mins will proceed to the next round.

Rules:

1. A bot is said to have been bumped-out (eliminated) if a bot from behind it bumps into it. This bot will
be removed from the course by the organizers.

2. As soon as a bump occurs, all bots will be paused by the organizers using the placed circuitry.

3. As soon as the bumped-out bot is removed from the circuit, the run will be resumed.

4. The eliminations will continue till the top 16 entries are selected.

5. Corrections to Path

1) Each team will be allowed two corrections to the path of their bot if the bot does not cross any
section of the track after diverting and does not bump into any other bot.
2) The bot must be lifted and placed at the same point on the track from where it had diverted.
3) In case any other bot crosses the point before the diverted bot has been replaced, then the
diverted bot will be deemed eliminated.
4) In-case a bot runs haywire and bumps into another bot by going off the track or skips a portion
of the track , then the bot will be disqualified and the entire run would be re-started with the
remaining bot
5) More than two diversions will lead to disqualification
4.2.2 Final Round

1. A fixed number of the entries remaining will then perform time trials.

2. The top three in the time trials will be declared as winners.

Rules:

1. Two restarts are allowed per bot.

2. No re-orientation is permitted during the run.

3. The bot must clear all checkpoints.

4.3 General Rules:

Organizers will be not responsible for any minor scratches left by the previous machines on the arena.

1. Any team that is not ready at the time specified will be removed from the competition automatically.

2. The machines would be checked for their safety before the run and would be discarded if found
unsafe for other participants and spectators.

3. Participants should not dismantle their robots before the completion of the whole competition as the
machines might need to be verified by the judges at a later stage to ensure that the participants have
not violated any of the rules.

4. Judges' decision shall be treated as final and binding on all.

5. The organizers reserve the right to change any or all of the above rules as they deem fit. Change in
rules, if any, will be highlighted on the website and notified to the registered participants.

4.3 Disqualifications and Penalties :

1. Any bot not conforming to the specifications provided will be instantly dis-qualified.

2. Any bot which damages the arena will be disqualified.

3. Any bot which runs haywire during a run and bumps into another bot will be disqualified

4. Any bot which fails to follow the line exactly will be disqualified.

4.4 Ties

In-case of ties their will be a musical chair type run between the machines. This will last for 2 mins. If
more than a single bot remains in the end, both will be considered winners

4.5 Team Specification

A team may consist of a maximum of 3 members. Students from different educational institutes can
form a team.

4.6 Eligibility

All students with a valid identity card of their respective educational institutes are eligible to participate.
Inter-collegiate teams are allowed.

4.7 Certificate Policy

1. Certificate of Excellence will be awarded to all winners.

2. Certificates of Participation will be given to all the teams who reach the final round.

3. Disqualified teams will not be considered for any certificates.