TCFFHRCRules2014 Final2013 09 22A4 PDF

Trinity College
Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest
2014 Rules
Copyright 2013 Trinity College

Edited by
Ed Nisley (ed.nisley@pobox.com)
September 22, 2013

Trinity College Home Robot Contests 2014 Rules
Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 2 of 94

Contents
I General Rules and Procedures 9
1 Registration and Eligibility 13
1.1 Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.2 Eligibility and Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.3 Unique and Customized Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.4 Multiple Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.5 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.5.1 Deadline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.6 Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.7 Construction Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.8 Qualication Trials and Elimination Rounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.9 Contest Location, Dates, and Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2 Basic Rules and Procedures 15

2.1 Judge's Rulings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.2 Language Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.3 Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.4 Dimensions and Accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.5 Arena Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.5.1 Arena Environment Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.6 Practice Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.6.1 Damage During Practice Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.7 Power and Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.8 Robot Inspection Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.9 Trial Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.10 Starting the Trial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.10.1 Failure to Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.10.2 Premature Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
II TCFFHRC: Junior, High School, Senior, and Walking Divisions 19

3 Fire-Fighting Contest Structure 23
3.1 Divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.1.1 Division Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

4 Scoring and Awards 25

4.1 Performance Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.1.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.1.2 North American Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.2 World Champion Prize for Best Unied Robot Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.2.1 BURP Score Weighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.2.2 BURP Scoring Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.3 Special Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.3.1 Spirit of an Inventor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.3.2 Cost-Eective Robot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.3.3 Tiny Robot Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
5 Specications 29
5.1 Arenas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5.1.1 Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5.1.2 Materials and Finishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5.1.3 Basic Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
5.1.4 Standard Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
5.1.5 Arbitrary Start Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
5.1.6 Dog Obstacle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
5.2 Robot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
5.2.1 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
5.2.2 Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5.2.3 Start Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5.2.4 Sound Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5.2.5 Power Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5.2.6 Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5.2.6.1 Sensor Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5.2.7 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5.3 Fires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5.3.1 Extinguishing the Candle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5.3.1.1 Methods of extinguishing the ame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5.4 Trial Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
6 Scoring 37
6.1 Operating Score (OS) Computation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
6.2 Final Score (FS) Computation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
6.2.1 Junior Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
6.2.2 High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6.2.3 Senior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6.2.4 Walking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

6.3 Total Final Score (TFS) Computation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6.4 Ranking Within Divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6.5 Score Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6.5.1 Operating Modes (OM.x) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6.5.1.1 Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6.5.1.2 Tethered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
6.5.1.3 Sound Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
6.5.1.4 Arbitrary Start Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
6.5.1.5 Return Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
6.5.1.6 Non-air Extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
6.5.1.7 Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
6.5.1.8 Coat Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
6.5.1.9 Uneven Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
6.5.1.10 Variable Door Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
6.5.1.11 Candle Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
6.5.2 Actual Time (AT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
6.5.2.1 Time Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
6.5.2.2 Loops and Stalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
6.5.2.3 Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
6.5.3 Room Factor (RF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
6.5.4 Penalty Points (PP.x) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
6.6 Scoring Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
6.6.1 Junior Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
6.6.2 High-School Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
6.6.3 Senior Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
6.6.4 Walking Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
III Trinity College Assistive Robotics Contest: RoboWaiter 47

7 Contest Structure 51
7.1 General Setting and Task . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
7.2 Divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
7.3 Eligibility and Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
7.4 Prizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
8 Specications 53
8.1 Arenas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
8.1.1 Basic Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
8.1.2 Standard Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
8.1.3 Advanced Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
8.2 Occupants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

8.2.1 Grandpa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
8.2.2 Grandma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
8.3 Arena Furnishings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
8.3.1 Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
8.3.2 Juice Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
8.3.3 Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
8.3.3.1 LED data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
8.3.4 Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
8.3.5 Sink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
8.3.5.1 LED Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
8.3.6 Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
8.3.7 Refrigerator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
8.3.7.1 Overall Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
8.3.7.2 Refrigerator Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
8.3.7.3 Shelves and Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
8.3.7.4 Refrigerator Door Floor Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
8.3.7.5 Door Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
8.4 Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
8.4.1 Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
8.4.2 Starting Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
8.4.2.1 Standard Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
8.4.2.2 Advanced Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
9 Rules 61
9.1 Trial Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
9.1.1 Junior Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
9.1.2 Standard Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
9.1.3 Advanced Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
9.2 Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
9.2.1 Arbitrary Starting Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
9.2.2 Food Premium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
9.2.3 Grandma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
9.2.4 Return Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
9.2.5 Clean Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
9.3 Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
9.3.1 Junior and Standard Divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
10 Scoring 65
10.1 Scoring Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
10.1.1 Junior Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
10.1.2 Standard Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

IV Robot Olympiad Exam 67
V Technical Presentation Competition 71
VI Regional Contest Events 75
VII Appendix 79
A Start Button Locations 81
A.1 Mechanical Linkage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
A.2 Acceptable Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
A.3 Unacceptable Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
B Standard Sound Start Device 83

B.1 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
B.2 Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
B.3 Schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
B.4 Parts List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
B.5 Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
C RoboWaiter Refrigerator Hardware 87

C.1 Refrigerator Door Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
C.1.1 Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
C.1.2 Schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
C.2 Refrigerator Door Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
C.2.1 Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
C.2.2 Schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
D Robot Inspection Table Checklist 91
E Trial Options Sheet 93


Part I
General Rules and Procedures

These rules and procedures apply to all Trinity Col-

lege Fire-Fighting Home Robot (TCFFHRC) com-
petitions.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions will be

found on the Contest Website at http://www.
trincoll.edu/events/robot/.
The PDF version of this document should be re-
garded as denitive; text and font conversion er-
rors may aect other le formats. The HTML ver-
sion may not include clickable cross-references. The
chapter and section numbers have changed from
previous years and versions; they will certainly
change in the future.
If you nd an error or inconsistency, please email

the Editor (Ed Nisley ed.nisley@pobox.com) with
a copy to the Contest Director (Dave Ahlgren
david.ahlgren@trincoll.edu). We will defer
problems reported after noon on the Monday pre-
ceding the Contest weekend until the next year's
Contest.


Chapter 1
Registration and Eligibility

1.1 Mission Statement Unique robots
The contest rules, spirit, setting, and tone derive Are constructed from a unique assortment of
from this statement of our mission: parts chosen by the design team
The Trinity College robot contests are May use some components from a kit, but the
open, nonprot events that require in- overall design is unique.
vention of autonomous, socially relevant

Use mechanical, sensing, electrical, and soft-
robots. The contests promote creativity,
ware subsystems designed or chosen by the
teamwork, the understanding and applica-
team.
tion of STEM subjects, and the sharing of
ideas. May use any commercial computer as its brain.
Are clearly dierent from any other robot en-
1.2 Eligibility and Teams tered in the contest, including those entered by
other teams.
Anyone may enter a robot.

Customized robots
There is no limit on team size.
In the rest of this document, the term team means May be built primarily from a single retail
either the group or the individual associated with a parts collection or a kit.
robot entered in the contest.
May be a modied version of a commercial
No more than 15 teams may register from any sin-
robot
gle country outside the United States. This restric-
tion applies to the contest as a whole, not to the
Divisions within it.
Teams will designate their robots as Unique or Cus-
tomized when they register for the contest.
Our inspectors will examine each robot when the

1.3 Unique and Customized team checks in. The inspectors will verify the cate-
Robots gory of each robot and, at their discretion, change

the category if appropriate.
In accordance with our mission, the Trinity Col-

Note Any robot that the inspectors determine to
lege Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest and the
be an unmodied commercial robot will not be
RoboWaiter Contest, and their associated regional
allowed in the contest.
contests, encourage contestants to prepare origi-
nal, unique robots of their own design. However,
we recognize that some teams may wish to enter
a kit-based robot, a commercial robot, or a robot
1.4 Multiple Entries
that shares some design features with another robot
entered in the contest. A team may enter more than one robot by paying a
separate registration fee for each robot.
Therefore the contest has two categories of robots,
Unique and Customized, described below. In any In order to qualify for a Unique robot prize, each
Division, Unique robots will receive larger cash robot must dier visibly and signicantly from all
awards than Customized robots. See Section 4.1.1 other robots in at least some aspects of electronics
on page 25 or mechanics.

An individual, team or school must not register Junior - $75

multiple identical robots as separate entries in the Walking - $85
same Division: the Customized category does not
allow identical robots.
High School - $85
Senior - $85
Note: Non-functional items, such as paint, stickers, RoboWaiter

and other decorations, do not aect the robot's
Junior: $75
category.
Standard: $85
Advanced: $125
1.5 Registration
Registration for the TCFFHRC is available only
1.7 Construction Schedule
on-line through the contest website. We will accept
registration applications from 12:01 a.m. on Jan- Teams should build their robots and bring them
uary 15, 2014 until 11:59 p.m. on March 20, 2014. to the contest ready to compete: this is not a con-
For further details check the Contest Website at struction contest where you build robots at the
http://www.trincoll.edu/events/robot/. event!
The steps in the registration process are as follows: Trinity will provide limited time and space for last
minute changes, adjustments, and improvements.
http://www.
1. Go to the registration web site at However, the robots should be completed (or very
trincoll.edu/events/robot/Registration/ nearly so) by the time they arrive at the Contest.
default.asp.
2. Create a user ID and password and set up the
1.8 Qualication Trials and
Elimination Rounds
rest of the account information.
3. Fill in all of the required information.
Every team registered for the contest will have the

4. The contact person provided on the form will
opportunity to run their robot in the Contest, as-
receive email conrmation of your successful
suming it conforms to the specications given in
registration within three days.
these Rules. However, in all Divisions:
1.5.1 Deadline A robot must extinguish the candle in at least

one of its rst two trials to qualify for a third
You must register for the contest between January trial in the competition
15 and March 20 (midnight to midnight), otherwise
your robot will not be in the contest. There are no Thus, the rst two rounds of the competition serve
exceptions. to eliminate unreliable robots.
You have spent hundreds of hours and perhaps as

much money on your robot. Register early!
NOTE Every team must demonstrate that its
robot conforms to the contest specications
at the Robot Inspection Table (Section 2.8 on
1.6 Fees page 17) before the robot can compete.
A non-refundable registration fee is required for

1.9 Contest Location, Dates,
and Schedule
each robot entered into the contest. The fee must
accompany each entry.
If you want to enter two robots, then you must

TCFFHRC events will be held at Trinity College in
build two robots: the same physical robot cannot
Hartford, Connecticut, USA, from Friday 4 April
be entered twice, even if two entry fees are paid.
2014 through Sunday 6 April 2014.
We repeat: registration fees are non-refundable.
The full schedule of events for the contest weekend
The fees for 2014 are: will be posted on the Contest Website at http://
www.trincoll.edu/events/robot/.
Fireghting

Chapter 2
Basic Rules and Procedures

The rules and information in this Chapter apply to 2.3 Safety
all Trinity College robot contests, unless otherwise
noted.
Any Contest ocial may stop any robot at any time
NOTE These rules change every year. Each team

if, in their opinion, it is performing or is about to
perform any action that could be dangerous or haz-
is responsible for reading these rules and build-
ardous to people, facilities, or other equipment.
ing a robot that complies with them. Robots
designed for previous contests may not be ac-
Robots must not use ammable or explosive materi-
ceptable under the current rules.
als to extinguish the ame.
2.1 Judge's Rulings

2.4 Dimensions and Accuracy
The Chief Judge is the nal and absolute authority
on the interpretation of all rules and decisions. The goal of the contest is to make a robot that can
A team may challenge any ruling or scoring of the operate successfully in the real world, not just in
Arena Judges by stating that they wish to appeal the laboratory. Such a robot must be able to op-
the problem to the Chief Judge. The Chief Judge erate successfully where there is uncertainty and
will then be called in to decide the matter. imprecision, not just under ideal conditions. There-
fore, the arena dimensions and other specications
The challenge must be made before the team leaves
listed below will not be precisely what the robots
the arena after the completion of a trial.
will encounter at the contest: they are provided as
All results, scores, and decisions become irrevocable general aids.
after the team leaves the arena.
NOTE We recommend designing your robot to
2.2 Language Translation cope with with sizes 5 to 10 mm beyond any

stated dimensions. Our experience has shown
that robots designed with no margin for error
Teams from around the world participate in the generally suer from the But it worked in our
Trinity Contest. In order to facilitate communica- classroom / lab / arena! syndrome.
tion between team members (who may not speak
uent English) and the Judges and Contest ocials,
the Contest will provide all translation services at
The size limits on robots are, however, absolute and
will be enforced by the Judges.
the arenas and Judging areas.
Judges and Contest ocials will communicate di- Object dimensions are generally given as length x
rectly with the team members, not with team lead- width x height, as the robot encounters the object.
ers or other translators aliated with the teams.
Team leaders and team translators may not accom-
Length is front-to-back
pany their team at the arena during the team's trial
runs.
Width is side-to-side
If any members of your team require translation
services, you must specify the language on the regis- Height is top-to-bottom.
tration form.
The English-language version of this Rules docu- In the RoboWaiter Contest, deep refers to the
ment contains the denitive text. front-to-back dimension of shelves.

2.5 Arena Environment 2.6 Practice Time

The contest arenas will be assembled and available
Although the robot contest arenas present an ideal-
ized version of the real world, you must not assume:
for unscheduled test trials on Saturday.
Due to the limited number of arenas and the large

number of robots, waiting lines can become very
Exactly square corners
long.
Precisely vertical walls You should use the practice time to calibrate sen-
sors for the conditions in the gym and to trou-
Perfectly ush joints bleshoot any last minute problems. No team has
ever accomplished extensive code development and
Recessed fasteners and brackets hardware design on Saturday.
Uniformly colored surfaces NOTE A robot's practice run must not last more
than 3 minutes. You and your robot must not
And so forth and so on... occupy an arena while you are changing the
program or adjusting the hardware: when you
discover a problem, remove your robot from the
Every robot must successfully handle small mis- arena.
alignments, inaccuracies, discolorations, and other
arena imperfections. You must test your robot Robots should be built, programmed, and ready
under less-than-ideal conditions and verify that it to compete on arrival at the contest site. Get busy
works properly. now !
There will be limited practice time on Sunday
NOTE Flash photography will occur during the morning, with only a few arenas available.
entire contest. Your robot must withstand fre-
Some teams bring entire practice arenas along to
quent sensor glitches from IR and UV impulses.
the competition. You may be able to wheedle your
If your robot operates incorrectly due to ex-
way into those arenas, but that depends entirely on
ternal interference, it will not be given another
your negotiating skills.
trial.
NOTE After leaving the arena to adjust your
robot, you must return to the end of the line
2.5.1 Arena Environment Checklist for the arena: you must not jump into the line
ahead of anyone else. Other team members or
The contest takes place in a gymnasium that will adult advisors must not hold a place in line
be quite dierent than your classroom, laboratory, for anyone else. Team members observed jump-
basement, or living room. Some possible problems ing into the line will be reminded of proper
you should consider: Contest etiquette.
Extremely bright uorescent illumination: 120 2.6.1 Damage During Practice Runs
Hz IR interference
Only one robot is allowed in a practice arena at any

High sound levels: the Trinity Contest has an one time.
enthusiastic crowd
If two robots collide during practice in an arena and
one is damaged, then either:
Reinforced concrete suboor: random magnetic
eld anomalies
Both robots will compete in the contest if the
damage can be repaired or
Flash photography: frequent IR and UV sensor
glitches Neither robot will compete if the damage can-
not be repaired
Imperfections and dirt in the arena: sensor and
navigation confusion NOTE If you put your robot in an arena where
another robot is operating and your robot
The practice arena may not be the contest causes irreparable damage, your team and
arena: slight changes in all conditions robot will be disqualied from the contest.

The decisions of contest ocials concerning: 2.8 Robot Inspection Table

damage to a robot We expect that your robot will meet the specica-
tions described in these rules, so that it will com-
pete fairly with other robots.
which team is responsible for any damage
Each team must present its robot at the Robot In-

which teams (if any) may compete spection Table (RIT) prior to the start of the Con-
test trials to verify that it meet these specications:
which teams (if any) will be disqualied
Overall size
and all similar questions
Extinguisher capacity
are nal and cannot be appealed. Start Button position, label, and color
Because we do not monitor practice sessions, you For robots using Sound Start Mode:
are responsible for the safety of your robot at all

times.
Microphone position, label, and color
Response to the Standard Sound Start

Device

2.7 Power and Facilities Operation with standard SPL (Sound
Pressure Level)
Frequency discrimination of 2.8 and 3.5

Power will be distributed as 120 VAC 60 Hz. Your kHz tones
equipment must draw less than 10 A from a single
US-standard 15 amp outlet. General conformance to the rules
You must bring along any voltage or frequency con-

A Judge will record the results on the RIT Check-
verters required to adapt that power to your needs.
list and explain any problems. You must correct
You must bring along sucient extension cords and those problems and present the robot again to ver-
outlet strips; you will have access to a single outlet ify that it meets the requirements.
that may be 10 meters from your assigned table in

the pit area. NOTE You may present your robot to the Robot
Inspection Table twice. A robot that does not
Because the power distribution involves cables laid pass its second inspection will not compete.
on the oor, you must assume that power to your
devices can be interrupted at any time: people oc-
The most current version of the
casionally stumble over the cables and circuit break-
RIT Checklist will be posted at
ers may trip without warning.
http://www.trincoll.edu/events/robot/. A
sample Checklist appears in Appendix D on
NOTE Utility AC power will not be available in page 91.
the arena area.

We recommend that you have another person evalu-
ate your robot using the RIT Checklist. You should
Teams must not bring extension cords or external

resolve all discrepancies before the contest: do not
bring a non-conforming robot to the Contest.
power supplies, such as laptop power bricks, into
the arena area. This applies during the Saturday
practice sessions as well as the Sunday contests. NOTE Robot that do not pass the RIT inspection
will not compete in the Contest.
Contestants must bring any and all materials, parts,
and test equipment that they may need. The Hart-
The RIT will be open on Friday afternoon, most
ford area has very few retail suppliers of electronic
of Saturday, and early Sunday morning before the
and mechanical parts; those suppliers are generally
Opening Ceremony. Check the bulletin board at the
closed during weekends.
Registration Table for the exact times.
The gymnasium is well-lighted, but it is not air-

conditioned. Spring weather in Hartford tends to be NOTE If your robot has not passed inspection be-
warm and humid with occasional chilly rain, so plan fore the RIT closes on Sunday, your robot will
your wardrobe accordingly. not compete in the Contest.

2.9 Trial Sequence The Judges will use the robot's Division and the se-
lected Modes to determine the arena conguration,
then place the robot and any objects in the arena.
Each robot has an assigned number that determines
The team must not request special placement of
the order in which it will compete in the contest.
objects or changes to the robot's placement in the
Robots make trial runs in the arena in ascending
arena.
numeric order, so that the robots compete consec-
utively. When all robots have completed the rst The Judge will determine when the trial begins and
trial, the sequence repeats for the second and third will activate the robot using either the Start Button
attempts. Once assigned, the order of running will or the Standard Sound Start Device, as required by
not be changed. the Division and Operating Modes.
Contestants will have limited time between their

trials for adjustments, modications, and repairs to
their robot. However, after the preceding robot has
2.10.1 Failure to Start
completed its trial, then your robot must be in the
If the robot fails to start when activated, then the
arena and ready to start within 1 minute.
robot has failed the trial.
The Judges will start a timer when they call for
The Judges will wait for the time described in Sec-
the next robot: that robot must be on the Judge's
tion 6.5.2.2 on page 42, then record a failed trial.
Table before that clock reaches 1 minute. Any robot
Teams may decide that the robot will not move and
that is not ready to compete after 1 minute will
terminate the trial before that time by informing
forfeit its chance at that trial. It may still compete
the Judge.
in any remaining trials.
This applies regardless of the reason the robot does
NOTE If you are not ready, you will miss your not start. All that matters is that the robot does
turn. not begin moving after the Judge presses the Start
Button or activates the Sound Start Device.
Teams must not request a re-run following a failure

2.10 Starting the Trial to start.
The team will place the robot on the Judge's arena

table and give the Judge the Trial Options Sheet
2.10.2 Premature Start
(Appendix E on page 93) when they arrive for their
robot's trial.
If a robot begins moving before the Judge has
placed it in the arena, it has failed the trial.
The Trial Options Sheet describes all of the Oper-
ating Modes applicable to the robot's current trial
If a robot begins moving after being placed in the
run. Teams need not select Operating Modes for

arena, but before the Judge presses the Start But-
ton or activates the Sound Start Device, it has
future trials; they may choose dierent modes for
failed the trial.
each trial based on how their robot performs.
Teams may not make any changes to the infor-

Teams must not request a re-run following a prema-
ture start.
mation on the Checklist after presenting it to the
Judge. If a team discovers a mistake on the Trial
Run Checklist after presenting it to the Judge, they
must choose to either:
Run the trial using the (erroneous) Modes as

entered on the Trial Run Checklist or
Fail the trial as if the robot had not started
Team members must not touch the robot after plac-

ing it on the Judge's arena table.
The team must not transfer any information to the

robot regarding the layout of the arena, the starting
position, or the position of any objects after plac-
ing the robot on the arena table. The team must
download any required programs or rmware to the
robot before arriving at the arena.

Part II
TCFFHRC: Junior, High School, Senior,

and Walking Divisions

The Trinity College Fireghting Home Robot Con-

test (TCFFHRC) advances robot technology and
knowledge by using robotics as an educational tool.
A winning robot must respond to a re alarm, dis-
cover the blaze, and extinguish it in the shortest
possible time.
To accomplish that overall task, the robot must

start on a signal (a simulated re alarm), explore
a typical family home (the arena), locate a re (a
burning candle), extinguish it, and optionally re-
turn to its starting point. The robot must oper-
ate autonomously during all parts of the challenge,
without human intervention, using its own sensors,
control logic, and actuators.
Each Team has the responsibility to build a robot

that conforms to the rules applicable to the 2014
Contest.
Additional contests held during the TCFFHRC

weekend provide dierent challenges, as described
in these rules.
Direct questions and comments about

the contest to the Contest Director: Dave
Ahlgrendavid.ahlgren@trincoll.edu.


Chapter 3
Fire-Fighting Contest Structure

3.1 Divisions
In order to make the contest accessible to persons of
all ages and skill levels the TCFFHRC oers prizes
in several Divisions:
Junior Grades - 8 and below
High School - Grades 9 through 12
Senior - College/university and other adults
Walking - Any age
Teams or individuals may also demonstrate their

robotics knowledge by taking the Robot Olympiad
exam (Part IV on page 67) and entering the Poster
Contest (Part V on page 71).
3.1.1 Division Criteria

Participants who meet the criteria for a particular
Division may, at their option, decide to enter their
robot in a higher Division, however, they may not
enter in a lower Division.
The Contest Judges may reclassify robots entered in
an incorrect Division.
When registering for the contest, each team must

specify the robot's Division. If that Division is full,
the robot will be placed on a waiting list.
In order to change Divisions, the team must re-

register the robot and pay the appropriate regis-
tration fee.
Division entry fees will not be refunded after regis-

tration.
No single robot may be entered in two Divisions.


Chapter 4
Scoring and Awards

The scoring system emphasizes reliability by group- 4.2 World Champion Prize for
ing robots according to the number of successful
trials.
Best Unied Robot Perfor-
Within each reliability group robots are ranked
mance
according to score. To earn a cash performance
award, a robot must complete at least two suc- The World Champion BURP Prize recognizes the
cessful trials. Within any contest Division only one best overall performance by an individual or team
prize will be given to any winning robot. However, in the Junior, High School, Senior, or Walking Divi-
a robot may win a prize in a contest Division and sions. We will compute each team's or individual's
win one or more special prizes (Cost Eective, etc). BURP score by weighing
The TCFFHRC awards cash prizes provided by our

Its relative standing in its Division
contest sponsors and non-cash prizes provided by
contest supporters. All prizes are described on the Its ranking on the Olympiad exam
Contest Website at http://www.trincoll.edu/

The team's Poster Contest score
events/robot/.
Each team participating in the contest will receive a A team or individual must participate in the Con-
Certicate of Achievement and one ocial contest test, Olympiad, and Poster events to be eligible for
T-shirt. the BURP award.
NOTE The BURP Prize does not include
4.1 Performance Awards robots competing in the Assistive Robotics

(RoboWaiter) Contest.
4.1.1
4.2.1 BURP Score Weighting
Each Division has two prize categories, as described
in Section 1.3 on page 13: Unique and Customized. The ranking of the robots and teams within their
First, second, and third place prizes will be awarded respective Divisions determines their total BURP
in each category. To earn a cash performance award score. The actual contest scores are not used, only
a robot must have at least two successful trials. the rankings within the respective Divisions.
The Fireghting Performance Awards for 2014 will This weighting applies to the rankings:
be:
Award Unique Robot Customized Robot

Performance = 50%
First Place $300 $200 Olympiad = 25%

Second Place $200 $125
Poster = 25%
Third Place $100 $75
4.1.2 North American Awards 4.2.2 BURP Scoring Example

Junior Division: Team 1
The top North American robot in each Division will
receive a special cash award of $100.
15 robots compete in the Junior Division. This
North American countries lie north of the Panama robot wins 4th place. Score is (4/15) * 0.50 =
Canal. 0.133

8 teams present posters; this team wins 2nd 4.3.2 Cost-Eective Robot
place. Score is (2/8) * 0.25 = 0.0625
Robotics does not have to be expensive: spending

4 teams take part in Olympiad; this team wins
more money does not guarantee success. In fact,
1st place. Score is (1/4) * 0.25 = 0.0625
some of the very best robots have been some of the
least expensive. To award nancial eciency there
Total BURP score = 0.133 + 0.0625 + 0.0625 = will be a special prize for the best performing robot
0.258. built with the lowest amount of money in material
cost.
High School Division: Team 2 If you put in $50,000 in labor and destroyed $5,000
in parts nally getting it to work, but your nal
45 robots compete in the High School Division. robot has less than $200 in actual parts in it, then
This robot wins 8th place. Score is (8/45) * it is a good contender for this prize.
0.50 = 0.089
It does not matter what you paid for the parts, but
22 teams present posters; this team wins 6th only what they are worth. A motor that originally
place. Score is (6/22) * 0.25 = 0.068 cost $50, but is now for sale in a surplus catalog
for $5 is now a $5 motor. However, if you got a $50
12 teams take part in Olympiad; this team motor for free from a friend, then it's still a $50 mo-
wins 7th place. Score is (7/12) * 0.25 = 0.146 tor even though you got it for free. On the other
hand, if you destroyed three $50 motors in build-
Total BURP score = 0.089 + 0.068 + 0.146 = ing the robot, you only have to account for the one
0.303. motor that is actually on the robot.
Evaluation Method:
BURP Ranking
1. As part of the on-line registration process
Team 1 has a lower score than Team 2, so its BURP
teams will indicate in a check box on the reg-
ranking is better.
istration form whether they wish to be consid-
ered for the Cost-Eective Prize (CEP).
4.3 Special Awards 2. Participating teams will prepare an inventory

for their robot that lists all parts and their
4.3.1 Spirit of an Inventor

prices. You must submit an itemized record of
your receipts and copies of the receipts to the
Judges. If you do not have that material your
Once Upon A Time, a creative engineer developed robot is not eligible for the cost eective prize.
a unique two-legged reghting robot. Even though
the robot was not the fastest in the contest and and 3. Two Judges will inspect the robot and verify
had no chance to win rst prize, it made its way the inventory.
through the arena and extinguished a candle.
4. Each robot will be put into a cost category
We were so impressed that we created a special
(CC)
award to recognize this engineer's achievement: The
Spirit of the Inventor Award. This award will be
given in addition to any other prizes that the robot
CC1: under $100 U.S.
may win. CC2: $100-$150 U.S
To qualify for The Spirit of the Inventor award, the

5. Robots will be ranked as follows:
robot must:
(a) Compute Total Final Score (TFS) for

be entered in any Contest Division and
only the two best trials using the scoring
show unique concept and design features and method described below.
(b) If any robots in CC1 were successful, the

navigate through the arena and
winner will be the robot with the best
extinguish a candle TFS.
(c) If no CC1 robots had successful trials, the

The robot need not successfully complete a trial run winner will be the robot in CC2 with the
according to the rules of its Division. best TFS.

4.3.3 Tiny Robot Award

Although the contest rules for each Division re-
quire robots to t into a specied maximum vol-
ume, there is no minimum size. We challenge teams
to build the smallest robot able to successfully com-
plete at least one of its three trials. The robot may
compete in any Contest Division.
Size will be determined by measuring the area of

the robot's projection on the arena oor - the small-
est rectangle enclosing its chassis and all of the pro-
jecting sensors, wires, and appendages.
The Judges will measure all robots competing for

this prize.


Chapter 5
Specications
5.1 Arenas
The arena dimensions and specications listed be-
low are not exactly what will be encountered at the
contest: they are provided as general aids. See Sec-
tion 2.4 on page 15.
5.1.1 Dimensions
All arenas use a common layout, with dimensions
as shown in Figure 5.1. In addition to those dimen-
sions,
Hallway width: 46 cm
Door opening: 46 cm
Walls: 1.9 cm thick, 27 to 34 cm tall
Figure 5.1: Arena Dimensions(FF Arena Dimen-

The location of any given point may vary by 2.5 cm
sions.png)
from its nominal position. This is a non-cumulative
tolerance: the distance between any two points will
be within 2.5 cm of the nominal value.
will be made to clean up after each robot, but there
Door openings do not have doors: white tape on the is no guarantee that the oor will stay uniformly
oor marks each door opening. The tape is 2.5 cm black throughout the entire contest (Section s 2.4
wide, extends across the entire door opening, and is on page 15 and 2.5 on page 16). The oor may also
aligned with the walls on each side. The tape may have small (3 mm diameter) colored dots on it to
have gaps up to 2.5 cm on each side and may not indicate potential locations for candles and other
be precisely aligned with the walls. objects.
NOTE We strongly recommend that your robot

Arena walls consist of medium-density particle-
should not depend on precise dimensions. Our

board, painted at white at the start of the con-
test. Angle brackets supporting a wall may extend
experience shows that the intensity of a protest
about 4 cm into the hall or room, with screws into
based on arena dimensions corresponds directly
the wall and oor.
with the robot's failure to operate at all. See
Section 2.4 on page 15.
The white tape marking the doorways has a semi-
gloss nish. It will become scued and discolored
The location of the doors in Rooms 1 and 4 will
during the contest: your robot must detect the dif-
dier on each trial, as described in Section 6.5.1.10
ference between a black oor and a white tape line
on page 40.
regardless of their cleanliness.
5.1.2 Materials and Finishes NOTE Remove your shoes before stepping into the
arena! Shoes produce hard-edged dust marks
The arena oor consists of plywood, painted at on the oor that may be mistaken for white
black at the start of the contest. Our best eorts tape. Stockings produce soft-edged marks that

5.1.5 Arbitrary Start Orientation

Except in Arbitrary Start Location Mode (Sec-
tion 6.5.1.4 on page 39), the robot will start at the
Home Circle location marked by the H in Figure 5.3
on the facing page: a 30 cm diameter solid white
circle, without the H, centered in the halls intersect-
ing at the corner. The robot may begin motion in
any direction it chooses.
NOTE The Home Circle is not anchored to the

arena oor and may be dislodged by an accel-
erating robot. There is no penalty for this (and
the crowd likes it), but the loss of traction may
misalign the robot in the hallway.
The Judge will place the robot on the Home Circle

so that the central axis of the robot body is aligned
Figure 5.2: Allowed Rug Locations (FF Rug Loca-

within 10 of either hallway axis and the robot's
tions.png) front is directed toward the hallway The A and B

arrows in Figure 5.3 on the next page show the pos-
sible orientations. The Judge will randomly choose
reduce the overall oor contrast. In either case, the orientation for each trial.
the arena will be as clean as you leave it.

NOTE In previous contests, the Judge always
aligned the robot so that it faced toward the
5.1.3 Basic Arena center of the arena, shown as Orientation A in

Figure 5.3 on the facing page.
The Basic Arena presents a simplied model of a

typical house, with high-contrast walls and oors, Other than the 10 limit, there is no specication for
for the Junior and Walking Divisions. the actual angle with respect to the hallway axis.
The robot must start and operate correctly when
oriented at any angle within each 20 range.
5.1.4 Standard Arena The robot must determine which hallway it faces in
order to navigate correctly; a single wall sensor may
The Standard Arena Layout represents a decorated suce. The robot may touch the wall to activate
home that presents a more realistic re-ghting en- the sensor, but see Section 6.5.4 on page 43 for the
vironment for the High School & Senior Divisions. penalty applied for continuous wall contact.
The Standard Arena has the same dimensions as
the Basic arena, with these dierences: NOTE Magnetic compasses do not produce reli-
able heading information. See Section 2.5.1 on
page 16.
1. Rugs will be placed in some or all of the rooms
and hallways. There will be no shag rugs, but
NOTE A robot in Orientation B may be directly
robots must navigate across 1 cm thick rug
adjacent to and facing the Dog Obstacle. See
edges. The shaded areas in Figure 5.2 mark
Section 5.1.6.
the allowed rug locations: not all rugs will be
present and the locations and colors will be dif- NOTE Teams must not request a dierent orienta-
ferent in each arena. tion after the Judge places the robot.
2. Wall decorations, including pictures, tapestries,
5.1.6 Dog Obstacle

and mirrors, will be hung from the walls of
rooms and hallways. These will not protrude
more than 1 cm from the wall. The walls may
A large Dog will block one corridor of each arena.
also have wallpaper in various patterns and col-
The robot must not move the Dog or continue along
ors, as well as painted surfaces in any color.
the blocked corridor.
Mirrors will not appear in the room where the
candle is located. The robot may contact the Dog to sense its pres-
ence, but must not move it more than 1 cm. A

Figure 5.3: Starting alignments in Home Circle (FF Figure 5.5: Possible Dog locations (FF Dog Obsta-
Home Circle and Start Orientations.png) cle Locations.png)
the hall; the picture and gures indicate only the

locations.
5.2 Robot
The robot dimensions, hardware requirements, and
performance specications are absolute and will be
enforced by the Judges.
5.2.1 Operation
Figure 5.4: Sample Dog Obstruction (Dog Obstacle
Once turned on, the robot must be autonomous:
- Doggie261.jpeg)
self-controlled without any human intervention.
Fire-ghting robots must not be manually con-
robot that moves the Dog more than 1 cm will in- trolled.
cur 50 Penalty Points (Section 6.5.4 on page 43).

A robot may bump into or touch the walls of the
A robot that goes past the Dog, even without mov- arena as it travels, but it cannot mark, dislodge,
ing the Dog, and continues along the hall will fail or damage the walls in doing so. The robot must
the trial. not leave anything behind as it travels through the
arena. It must not make any marks on the oor
NOTE A robot operating in Return Trip mode

of the arena that aid in navigation as it travels.
Any robot that, in the Judge's opinion, deliberately
must not move or pass by the Dog.
damages the contest arena (including the walls) will
fail that trial. This does not include any accidental
Figure 5.4 shows a typical Dog. The Dog weighs
marks or scratches made in moving around.
approximately 500 g. It blocks between 50% and
75% of the hallway width.
NOTE Although a robot may bump the arena
The location of the Dog will change from trial to
walls as it moves, it should not repeatedly
trial. Figure 5.5 shows the possible locations for the
crash into the walls at high speed. Naviga-
Dog. The Dog will not block the doorways in Room
tion by crashing would not be acceptable in an
1 or 4, but it may be directly adjacent to the edge
actual house and is discouraged in this contest.
of the doorway.
If the robot crashes hard enough to move the
The Dog's long axis will always be perpendicular to arena walls, it will fail that trial.

5.2.2 Dimensions
The robot must t in a Bounding Box with a base
31 x 31 cm square and 27 cm high. If the robot has
feelers to sense an object or wall, the feelers will be
counted as part of the robot's total dimensions.
Robots competing in the Walking Division may be

Figure 5.6: Sample Start Buttons. (Sample Start
up to 46 cm long. The width and height remain as
Buttons.jpg)
described above.
NOTE A walking robot must support its weight Above the highest fan blade tip (the highest
on non-wheeled legs that are also used for loco- point the fan can reach)
motion.
Less than 2 cm below any other mechanical
NOTE Although a one-legged hopping robot is part.
permitted, no part of the robot may exceed the

A green actuator or background. You may
maximum height limit during any part of its
color the button with a marker, surround the
trajectory.
button with a colored area, or use a colored
label.
Robots must not exceed the maximum dimensions
at any time, including while extinguishing the can- The word START printed in a contrasting color
dle. This rule prohibits swinging snuers, extend- on or adjacent to the button.
ing arms, and other devices that protrude beyond

the allowable base or height dimensions while in NOTE If a robot does not have a Start Button
operation. Team members must demonstrate the meeting these requirements, it will be disquali-
maximum extent of any extending devices to the ed.
satisfaction of the Judges prior to their rst trial.
Figure 5.6 shows sample Start Buttons. You must

NOTE The actuators must be unable to move legs provide a green background even if the switch is
and other devices beyond the Bounding Box. located on a green circuit board.
You may use a mechanical linkage from an actu-

The robot cannot separate into multiple parts.
ating button located above all the other parts, as
Contestants may add a ag, hat, or other purely shown in Figure A.1 on page 81, leading to an elec-
decorative, non-functional items to the robot as trical switch inside the robot body. The actuator
long as the item has absolutely no eect on the op- must meet all of the specications described above
eration of the robot. The item may exceed only the and will be considered the Start Button.
maximum height limit, not the width or length. See Appendix A on page 81 for examples of accept-
able and unacceptable Start Button locations.
Unlike the arena specications, the robot size limits
are not approximate: robots must not exceed the You must verify that your robot's Start Button
given dimensions. meets these requirements at the Checkout Table be-
fore the contest begins. See Section 2.8 on page 17.
There are no restrictions on robot weight or materi-
als.
5.2.4 Sound Activation

5.2.3 Start Button As described in Section 6.5.1.3 on page 39, the
robot may operate in Sound Activated Mode: it will
All robots, including those using Sound Activated
start when it detects a sound of a specic frequency
Mode, must have exactly one Start Button switch
and amplitude.
that starts the robot.
The robot's microphone must have these character-
The Start Button must have these characteristics: istics:
Momentary push-to-operate action: not a tog- Located on the top surface of the robot and
gle switch. accessible from above.
Located on the top surface of the robot and Above the highest fan blade tip (the highest
accessible from above. point the fan can reach)

NOTE Junior Division robots must not use Sound

Activation Mode.
5.2.5 Power Switch

The robot may also have a Power Switch that dis-
connects the robot's batteries.
The team may turn the robot on using the Power

Switch after placing the robot on the Judge's ta-
ble at the arena, but the robot must not move as a
result.
We recommend that robots be turned on and ready

to start before being placed on the table, unless
that would cause an unsafe condition. Please dis-
cuss your robot's operation with the Judges if you
anticipate a problem.
Figure 5.7: Sample Microphone with blue back- NOTE The Power Switch cannot be the Start
ground (img_2247 - Sample Microphone.jpg) Button, because activating the Start Button
causes the robot to begin operation.
Less than 2 cm below any other mechanical

part. 5.2.6 Sensors
A blue background
There is no restriction on the type of sensors that
The abbreviation MIC printed in a contrasting may be used as long as they do not violate any of
color adjacent to the microphone the other rules or regulations. The robot must not
extend any sensors beyond the dimensions specied
in Section 5.2.2 on the facing page.
The Judge will position the Sound Start Device
(Appendix B on page 83) approximately 25 mm Robots using laser-based devices must take mea-
away from the microphone and will attempt to align sures to prevent eye damage to team members and
it perpendicular to the microphone's entrance port. to observers. The Judges may require the team to
Teams may not request any particular orientation remove the laser device from the robot if, in the
or distance. opinion of the qualication Judges, eective safety
measures have not been taken. The robot will be
Figure 5.7 shows a sample Microphone with op-
permanently disqualied from competing if the laser
tional labeling. You must provide a blue back-
cannot be either removed or made safe.
ground even if the microphone is located on a blue
circuit board. Contestants are not allowed to place any markers,
beacons or reectors on the walls or oors, whether
The pictures in Appendix A on page 81 showing
inside or outside of the arena, to aid in the robot's
acceptable Start Button locations also indicate ac-
navigation.
ceptable Microphone locations.
NOTE Experience has shown that robots detect- 5.2.6.1 Sensor Interference
ing only the peak amplitude of the sound will
start prematurely due to crowd noise or me- Ambient lighting in the contest room is a mixture
chanical shock. See Section 6.5.1.3 on page 39 of IR, visible, and UV light. During the course of
for the scoring rules that apply to incorrect op- the contest, sunlight may come into the contest
eration in Sound Activated Mode. room through open outside doors. The sunlight
will not shine directly on the arenas, but may be
You must verify that your robot responds to the detectable by very sensitive sensors.
Standard Sound Start Device at the Checkout Ta-
During the course of the contest, Judges at other
ble before the contest begins. See Section 2.8 on
arenas will be lighting candles or lighters. These in-
page 17.
cidental ames will be above the arena and further
Fireghting robots using Sound Activation Mode away than the candle, but still may be detectable
must also have a Start Button as described in Sec- by an undiscriminating sensor. In setting up the
tion 5.2.3 on the preceding page. arena, contest ocials may put their arms into the

arena and some very sensitive sensors may mistake the moving paper may knock the candle over
that IR emission as the ame. and there is a penalty for that.
Many video and still cameras transmit infrared light

as part of their automatic focusing systems. Flash The contestants cannot measure or touch the candle
units produce bursts of UV that may trigger the before it is used. Violation will result in immediate
popular Hamamatsu UVTron ame sensor. The disqualication of the team and the robot from the
gymnasium will have many, many cameras at all competition.
times: verify that your robot will operate correctly

The candle will be mounted on a small wooden base
when it's being photographed.
painted semi-gloss yellow. This base prevents the
If a robot uses light sensors to nd the candle or candle from tipping over easily, but a robot can
detect walls or furniture, the robot designer must knock the candle over by bumping into it. Judges
prevent unintended UV, visible and IR sources from will give penalty points if that occurs (Section 6.5.4
interfering with its operation. Part of the challenge on page 42).
of this contest is to design a robot that can nd the

ame and ignore everything else.
5.3.1 Extinguishing the Candle
5.2.7 Power The robot must, in the opinion of the Judges, have
found the candle before it attempts to put it out.
AC power is not available in the arena area. For example, the robot cannot just ood the arena
with CO2 thereby putting the ame out by acci-
See Section 2.7 on page 17.
dent.
The robot must not use any destructive or danger-
5.3 Fires ous methods to put out the candle.
The robot may extinguish the candle by blowing air

For obvious reasons of safety and economy, res will or other oxygen-bearing gas. However, this is not a
be simulated by small candle ames. practical method of extinguishing a re in the real
The candle ame will be from 15 cm to 20 cm

world, so robots that do not use air streams to blow
out the candle can operate in Non-Air Extinguisher
above the nominal oor level. The candle thickness
Mode for an improved score. See Section 6.5.1.6 on
normally will be between 2 cm and 3 cm. The exact
page 39 for details.
height and size of the ame will change throughout
the contest depending upon the condition of candle The robot must come within 30 cm of the candle
and its surroundings. The robot is required to nd before it attempts to extinguish the ame. There
the candle no matter what the size of the ame is will be a white 30 cm radius solid circle (or circle
at that particular moment. segment, if the candle is near a wall) on the oor
around the candle, and the candle will be placed
The candle will be placed at random in one of the
in the center of the circle. The robot must have
rooms in the arena. The candle has an equal chance
some part of its body over the circle before it ex-
of being in any of the 4 rooms in each of the robot's
tinguishes the candle ame.
3 trials. It is possible for the candle to be in the
same room on two of the robot's three trials. If it Candle Location Mode omits the candle circle and
happens that the candle is placed in the same room minimum distance requirement. See Section 6.5.1.11
for both the 1st and 2nd trials, then the contest on page 40. The robot need not be within 30 cm of
ocials will make sure that it is a dierent room the candle, but must demonstrate that it has de-
for the third and last trial. Thus every robot will tected the candle before extinguishing it. This may
have the candle in at least 2 rooms and possibly 3, be by a distinctive action, an illuminated LED, or
during its 3 trials. other means.
The candle will not be placed in a hallway, but it Robots that touch a lit candle with either the robot
might be placed just inside a doorway of a room. chassis or a sensor will incur a penalty as specied
The Candle Circle will not touch the doorway line in Section 6.5.4 on page 42.
and this means that the front of the robot will be
able to move at least 33 cm into the room before it
encounters the candle. 5.3.1.1 Methods of extinguishing the ame
NOTE The Candle Circle is not anchored to the Robots may extinguish the ame using air, inert
arena oor and may be dislodged by a deceler- gas, water mist/spray, or mechanical means. The
ating robot. There is no penalty for this, but use of powders of any type is not allowed.

NOTE A robot must have only one type of extin- its score for the trial. The robot may use dier-
guisher. ent Modes in dierent trials, but the team cannot
change Modes after a trial begins.
1. Air Each successful trial consists of the following se-
A fan is an example of an air-based extin- quence of steps.
guisher.
1. The robot must start when commanded by the
Any robot with a fan or blower cannot use
Judge
Non-air Extinguisher Mode.
2. It must nd the candle in one of the rooms

2. Carbon dioxide (CO2 )
Robots may use a single metallic CO2 capsule 3. It must extinguish the candle
containing up to 16 grams to extinguish the
4. Optionally, it may return to its starting loca-
candle on each trial; larger CO2 containers are
tion if using Return Trip Mode (Section 6.5.1.5
prohibited. The Judges will verify that CO2 is
on page 39)
the extinguishing material.
3. Water mist or spray
Water is the only liquid allowed in this contest;

foaming or gelling agents are prohibited.
The water tank volume must be no larger than

50 ml. Judges will verify the tank volume. A
robot using a container pressurized with air
(i.e., a soda bottle), rather than a pump, must
have a separate water tank of no more than 50
ml capacity.
Any robot that oods the oor will fail that

trial.
Water must be applied only as a mist or spray,

not a jet.
Exception: A robot may aim a narrow water

jet directly at the ame, with up to three
water pulses containing up to 2 ml each.
Contact us before you register to verify
that your design will be accepted.
4. Mechanical means
A wet sponge or snuer.
The size limits described in Section 5.2.2 on

page 32 apply to mechanical extinguishers: the
robot's moving parts must not exceed the max-
imum size at any time.
Carbon dioxide, water mist, and mechanical means

qualify for the non-air extinguisher deduction. See
Section 6.5.1.6 on page 39.
5.4 Trial Procedures

The robot must perform certain operations during
each trial in the arena. This section describes the
overall requirements for each Division. Other sec-
tions of this document provide further details.
The robot may use any of the available Operat-

ing Modes (Section 6.5.1 on page 38) to improve


Chapter 6
Scoring
Although the scoring system appears complex, it 1. Multiply all of the active Operating Mode val-
measures diering robot capabilities in dierent Di- ues together to nd the Mode Factor. If no
visions. The overall scoring ow follows this pat- OM.x factors apply, then MF = 1.0.
tern, with some variations in each Division:
2. Add all of the Penalty Point (PP) values to
the Actual Time (AT) to determine the Time
1. The team presents their Trial Options Sheet to
Score: TS = AT + PP.
the Judge to select the optional tasks the robot
will attempt; this determines the Operating
3. Compute the Operating Score: OS =
Mode factors in eect for that trial.
TS x RF x MF.
2. The Judge measures the Actual Time required

Although theunits of the Operating Score appear
for the robot to complete its trial.
to be seconds, they bear little relation to actual
3. The Judge records any penalties. wall-clock time.
4. The Judge computes the Operating Score for

the trial.
6.2 Final Score (FS) Computa-
5. The Judge computes the Final Score from the
Operating Score and the robot's Division.
tion
6. After all three trials, the Judge computes the
Scoring rules convert the Operating Score into the
Total Final Score from the Final Scores of all
Final Score for each trial. The Junior and Walking
three trials.
Divisions share one set of scoring rules; the High
School and Senior Divisions share a second set of
See Appendix E on page 93 for a sample Trial Op-
scoring rules. The Final Score becomes a compo-
tions Sheet.
nent of the Total Final Score (TFS) used to rank
the robots for prizes and awards.
6.1 Operating Score (OS) Com-

putation 6.2.1 Junior Division
If the robot extinguishes the candle, then the Final
During the trial, the Judges will: Score for that trial equals the Operating Score. If
it did not extinguish the candle, then the robot re-
1. Record the robot's Operating Modes (OM.x) ceives a score of 600 with credit for tasks completed
options (Section 6.5.1 on the next page) during the unsuccessful trial by subtracting points
as described below.
2. Measure the Actual Time (AT) for the trial
(Section 6.5.2 on page 42) Although a robot with only two successful trials
can therefore have a lower Total Final Score than
3. Determine the Room Factor (RF) for the path
a robot with three successful trials, the ranking de-
used (Section 6.5.3 on page 42)
scribed in the next section will award higher prizes
4. Record any Penalty Points (PP) incurred (Sec- to the latter.
tion 6.5.4 on page 42).
Sound Activation
After the trial has completed, the Judges calculate
the Operating Score (OS) from those values using Junior Division robots must not use Sound Activa-
this procedure: tion Mode.

Room Searching worse TFS will outrank a less-reliable robot with

a better TFS and be eligible for higher prizes.
TASK.search = -30 x number of rooms searched
The robots in each Division will be divided into
Deduct 30 points for each room searched before four groups based on the number of successful tri-
nding the candle. The maximum reduction is 120 als: 3, 2, 1, or 0. Within each group the robots will
points because the candle must be in the fourth be ranked on the basis of their Total Final Scores.
room. The First, Second, and Third prizes in each Divi-
sion will be awarded to the three robots with the
Candle Detection smallest TFS in the rst group. If the rst group
has fewer than three robots, then the prizes for that
TASK.detect = -30 Division will extend to the robots with the smallest
TFS in the second group, and similarly to the third
The robot must correctly signal that it detected the
group.
candle by lighting an LED or making an obvious
motion. In all cases, a robot must extinguish the candle in
at least two trials to be eligible for a cash award.
Candle Positioning
TASK.position = -30
6.5 Score Components
The robot must stop within 30 cm of the candle
without touching it.
These sections explain how the Judges assign values
that determine the Operating Score.
6.2.2 High School

The Final Score is equal to the Operating Score: FS
6.5.1 Operating Modes (OM.x)
= OS.
A robot's overall performance depends on its ability
to handle real-world situations. The Basic contest
6.2.3 Senior arena includes a level oor, high-contrast walls, and
no obstructions, but additional operating modes
The Final Score is equal to the Operating Score: FS allow you to improve your robot's score by complet-
= OS. ing more dicult tasks.
Operating modes act as multipliers to the Actual
6.2.4 Walking Time required for the robot to nd and extinguish
the candle. If no Operating Modes are in eect for
a trial, the Actual Time is multiplied by the Stan-
The Walking Division uses the same scoring rules as
dard Mode, which is exactly 1.0.
the Junior Division. See Section 6.2.1 on the previ-
ous page.
The team can select dierent Operating Modes for
each of the three trials. The candle and any furni-
ture will be placed in dierent locations for each
6.3 Total Final Score (TFS) trial.
Computation The modes do not apply to an unsuccessful trial,

where the robot does not extinguish the ame or
After all robots within a Division have completed fails for any other reason. The score for an un-
their trials, the Judges compute the Total Final successful trial is 600, regardless of any operating
Score (TFS) for each robot by adding all three of modes applied to that trial.
its Operating Scores together.
6.5.1.1 Standard
6.4 Ranking Within Divisions OM.standard = 1.0
The Trinity Home Fireghting Robot Contest re- The team must inform the Judge of any operating
wards reliable operation by grouping the robots modes for the current trial before the trial begins.
according to the number of successful runs, then In the absence of that notication, the robot will
according to their Total Final Scores within each compete in Standard Mode and the Actual Time
group. As a result, a more reliable robot with a will be multiplied by 1.0.

6.5.1.2 Tethered The Judge will place the robot in an arbitrary loca-
tion and orientation within any room that does not
Robots tethered by wires to computers, power sup- have the candle, as determined by the toss of a die.
plies, or other devices are not permitted, so there is
The robot may be facing a wall or pointed into a
no Tethered Mode.
corner, but will not be trapped by furniture.
Robots may communicate through a wireless link,

but must operate autonomously. Remote control by NOTE Teams must not request any particular ori-
a human operator is not permitted! entation or position.
There is no Home Circle in Arbitrary Start Loca-

6.5.1.3 Sound Activated tion Mode.
The starting room does not count as a searched

OM.sound = 0.80
room for the Room Factor calculation (Section 6.5.3
on page 42). When the robot leaves the start-
NOTE Junior Division robots must not use Sound ing room, the next room it encounters is its rst
Activated Mode. searched room.
The robot begins operation when it detects a sound

6.5.1.5 Return Trip
signal of 3.8 kHz.
The Judges will begin timing the trial when the OM.return = 0.80
sound signal begins, not when the robot begins The robot must return to its starting location after
moving. The sound will last 5 seconds and will not extinguishing the ame.
be repeated.
In Standard Mode, the robot must return to the
The robot must not start until the Judge activates Home Circle. It must stop with any part of its chas-
the sound signal. If the robot mistakenly detects sis within the 30 cm white Home Circle, but need
ambient noise (even an activation sound from a dif- not be in the same position or orientation as when
ferent arena) and begins to move, then the trial will it started the trial.
have begun, but the Sound Activated Mode factor
In Arbitrary Start Location Mode, the robot must
will not apply to the robot's score.
return to the room it started from. It must stop
If the robot does not start in response to the sound with all parts of its chassis within the starting
signal it will not be given a second chance to use room, but need not be in the same position or
Sound Activated Mode for that trial. The Judge orientation as when it started the trial. See Sec-
will attempt to activate the robot by pressing its tion 6.5.1.4.
Start Button, but the delay will be included in the
The robot's Actual Time (AT) recorded for the trial
robot's Actual Time for the trial.
will include only the time required to nd and ex-
See Section 2.10 on page 18 for a discussion of the tinguish the candle, not the time for the return trip.
starting procedure and penalties for incorrect starts.
The robot must return its starting location within 2
Judges will use only Standard Sound Start Devices minutes; if not, then the Return Mode factor is not
as described in Appendix B on page 83 during the in eect.
Contest. Teams should build their own Sound Start The robot need not retrace its path in returning
Devices and use them during practice, but may not to the starting location or take the most ecient
present them to the Judge during the contest. route, but it must not enter any other rooms along
the way. It must not move or pass by the Dog ob-
NOTE The robot's circuitry should detect the stacle during the return trip.
correct frequency and should not rely only
on sound amplitude. We strongly recommend
using an analog bandpass lter tuned to the
6.5.1.6 Non-air Extinguisher
starting frequency: the arenas are very noisy
OM.extinguisher = 0.75
and a robot that detects only amplitude (trig-
gered by whistling or clapping) will start pre- The robot must extinguish the candle using inert
maturely during its trial. gas, water, or mechanical means. See Section 5.3.1.1
on page 34
6.5.1.4 Arbitrary Start Location In order to use the Non-air Extinguisher Mode, the
robot must not have a fan or blower.
OM.start = 0.80 See Section 5.3.1.1 on page 34 for details.

6.5.1.7 Furniture
OM.furniture = 0.75
Every room will have one or more pieces of furni-

ture. This includes the room where the robot starts
in Arbitrary Start Location Mode.
Furniture consists of semi-gloss yellow cylinders 11

cm in diameter, 30 cm high, and weighing more
than 1 kg.
Furniture will always be placed to allow at least

one path to the candle that is at least 31 cm wide.
The furniture will not block the doorway and a
maximum-size robot will be able to come into a
room at least halfway before it encounters furni-
ture. Furniture may block the robot's view of the
candle, so it must move to dierent locations to see
the candle and plan a path to reach it. Figure 6.1: Coat Tree (CoatRACKDIMS.png)
The robot may have to go around the furniture to

extinguish the candle or exit from the room. It may
NOTE Senior Division robots must use Variable
touch the furniture, but it cannot push it out of the
Door Location Mode, so the Mode Factor does
way. Robots that push the furniture away lose the
not apply in that Division.
Furniture Mode deduction for that trial.
This option changes the locations of the doors in

Rooms 1 and 4, so that dead reckoning will not suf-
6.5.1.8 Coat Tree
ce to navigate the arena and search the rooms.
OM.coattree = 0.80. At the start of a trial the arena Judge will deter-
mine the door locations by tossing a die or using
A small coat tree, shown with dimensions in Fig-
a computer-assisted method. Therefore, the robot
ure 6.1, may be placed in any room or hallway.
may encounter a dierent door location on each
Clothing items with various cloth textures and col-
trial.
ors will hang on the coat tree.
Figures 6.2 on the facing page, 6.3 on the next
The robot must not move the Coat Tree. Robots page, 6.4 on the facing page, and 6.5 on the next
that move the Coat Tree lose the Coat Tree Mode page show all possible door locations.
deduction for that trial.
The Coat Tree will not block the robot's passage

NOTE Room 1 now has an additional door in the
wall closest to Room 4. This door will remain
through a hallway.
open at all times and robots may use it to im-
A Coat Tree within a room will follow the place- prove their route planning.
ment guidelines in Furniture Mode (Section 6.5.1.7).
The arena conguration in Figure 6.2 applies when

The coat tree has a hardwood base and an upright
Variable Door Location Mode is not in eect.
made from a wooden dowel 1.6 cm in diameter.
Four 3.5 cm clothes pegs are inserted into the dowel
at a 45 degree angle 3.5 cm from the top. The tree 6.5.1.11 Candle Location
is 25 cm high.
OM.candle = 0.75
6.5.1.9 Uneven Floor This option challenges robots to nd candles with-
out a candle circle. The Judge will place the candle
at a randomly chosen location within a room for
The 2014 Contest does not include the Uneven
each trial.
Floor Mode in any Division.
The candle may be in any location within the room
that does not block the doorway. A maximum-size
6.5.1.10 Variable Door Locations robot can enter the room at least halfway before
encountering the candle and there will be at least a
OM.variabledoor = 0.45 31-cm wide path around the candle.

Figure 6.2: Variable Door - Conguration 1 (FF Figure 6.4: Variable Door - Conguration 3 (FF
Variable Door - Cong 1.png) Variable Door - Cong 3.png)
Figure 6.3: Variable Door - Conguration 2 (FF Figure 6.5: Variable Door - Conguration 4 (FF
Variable Door - Cong 2.png) Variable Door - Cong 4.png)

The candle won't be directly adjacent to a wall, to 6.5.2.2 Loops and Stalls
reduce the chance of damaging the wall by over-
heating. There is no specication for the exact dis- If a robot gets stuck in a loop and performs the
tance from the wall. same (or a similar) movement 5 times in a row
without progress, the Judge will stop the trial and
NOTE There are no other restrictions on the can-

assign AT = 600.
dle location in this Mode. Any time the robot does not move at all for 30 sec-
onds, the Judge will stop the trial and assign AT =
The Fire rules in Section 5.3 on page 34 will be fol- 600.
lowed except that:
6.5.2.3 Functionality
The method of choosing the candle location is
dierent A robot that fails at both of its rst two trials will
not receive a third trial.
There will be no candle circle, just a candle in
a standard holder
The robot need not be within 30 cm of the can-

6.5.3 Room Factor (RF)
dle, but it must demonstrate (by a distinctive
The Room Factor (RF) adjusts the elapsed time
action, an illuminated LED, or other means)
based on the number of rooms searched. The more
that it has detected the candle before extin-
rooms a robot searches before it nds the candle,
guishing the ame. You must tell the Judge
the lower the Room Factor for that trial.
how the robot will comply with this rule before
the trial begins. When the candle is in:
The Furniture Mode rules in Section 6.5.1.7 on First room searched RF = 1.0
page 40 also apply in Candle Location Operating

Second room searched RF = 0.85
Mode. In particular:
Third room searched RF = 0.50
Furniture may block the view of the candle

Fourth room searched RF = 0.35
from the door
Although the candle will not block the door- It does not matter in which order the robot searches
way, the robot may have to maneuver within the rooms. The only thing that matters is how
the room to detect and extinguish the ame. many rooms the robot has searched before it nds
the candle.
When the robot searches the room with the candle,

6.5.2 Actual Time (AT) whether or not the robot extinguishes it, the Judge
records the Room Factor for that trial. The room
If the robot extinguishes the ame the Actual Time factor will not change regardless of how many more
is the number of seconds elapsed from robot acti- rooms the robot searches.
vation to ame disappearance. The maximum Ac-
Because some robots can detect the candle by look-
tual Time for such a successful trial is AT = 300.
ing in the doorway without entering the room to
If the robot does not extinguish the ame within
search it, when the robot passes a doorway for
the limits set below, the Judge will terminate the
the rst time the Judge will count that room as
unsuccessful trial and assign AT = 600.
searched. If the robot has already searched a room
and then goes past the doorway again on its way
6.5.2.1 Time Limits to a dierent room, that room will not be counted
twice.
The maximum time allowed for a robot to nd the

candle is 5 minutes, after which the Judge will stop
the trial and assign AT = 600.
6.5.4 Penalty Points (PP.x)
A robot operating in Return Trip Mode must return Penalty Points (PP) will be added to the Actual
to the Home Circle within 2 minutes after extin- Time (AT) of any robot that exhibits the behaviors
guishing the candle, after which the Judge will stop described in this section.
the trial. The AT equals the time required to extin-

guish the candle. Touching the Candle
PP.candle = 50 6.6.1 Junior Division

Any robot that touches the candle or its base, ei-
ther deliberately or accidentally, while the candle
First example
is lit will have 50 penalty points added to its Time
--- Example 13 Trial 1 Junior -- ---- ---- ---- ---- --
Score each time the candle is hit. Actual Time
AT = 63.314 Sec
There is no penalty for a touch that occurs as part Modes used :
of the actual extinguishing process, i.e., smothering (1) OM . extinguisher = 0.75....... No Air
Extinguisher
the ame with a wet sponge, or after the candle is (2) OM . furniture = 0.75.......... Furniture Mode
extinguished. (3) OM . coattree = 0.80........... Coat Tree
(4) OM . candle = 0.75............. No candle
Touching refers only to any part of the robot's Circle
(5) OM . variabledoor = 0.45....... Variable door
body, including feelers or probes, and does not in- location
clude the water, air or other material that the robot Room Factor :
RF = 1.00 1 room was searched
might use to extinguish the candle. Reason for Termination : Time Score
TS = ( AT + PP )
Although there is no penalty for touching or knock- Operating Score
ing the candle over after the robot has extinguished OS = TS x OM . extinguisher x OM . furniture x OM .
coattree x OM . candle
the candle, we strongly recommend that your robot TS = 63.314 + 0.00
avoid doing that. The Judges may not agree with OS = 63.314 x 0.75 x 0.75 x 0.80 x 0.75 x
0.45
your opinion of whether the candle was extin- Final Score
guished before it began falling. FS = 9.616 <===
--- Example 13 Trial 2 Junior --- ---- ---- ---- ---- -
Actual Time
Continuous Wall Contact AT = 183.792 Sec
Modes used :
(1) OM . start = 0.80.............. Arbitrary
PP.slide = (contact cm) / 2
Start
(2) OM . extinguisher = 0.75....... No Air
Any robot that slides along a wall will have 1 point
Extinguisher
added to its Actual Time score for each 2 cm of (3) OM . coattree = 0.80........... Coat Tree
wall it touches.
Circle
A robot may still touch a wall to orient itself, as
location
long as the contact is not sliding. Room Factor :
RF = 0.50 3 rooms were searched
There is no penalty for touching or sliding along the Reason for Termination : Time Score
TS = ( AT + PP )
wall on the return trip to the Home Circle.
Operating Score
OS = TS x OM . start x OM . extinguisher x OM .
See the Note in Section 5.2.1 on page 31 regarding coattree x OM . candle x RF
Navigation by Crashing. TS = 183.792 + 0.00
OS = 183.792 x 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.80 x 0.75 x
0.45 x 0.50
Kicking the Dog Final Score
FS = 14.887 <===
PP.dog = 50 --- Example 13 Trial 3 Junior --- ---- ---- ---- ---- -
Actual Time
Any robot that moves the Dog more than 1 cm will AT = 160.904 Sec
Modes used :
have 50 penalty points added to its Time Score. (1) OM . extinguisher = 0.75....... No Air
Extinguisher
The robot may touch the Dog with a sensor probe, (2) OM . variabledoor = 0.45....... Variable door
as long as the probe does not move the Dog. location
Room Factor :
NOTE A robot that bypasses the Dog and contin- Penalty Points :
ues along the hall will fail the trial.
PP . slide = 4 robot contacted wall for 9 cm .
Total PP = 4 points
Reason for Termination : Time Score
TS = ( AT + PP )
6.6 Scoring Examples Operating Score

OS = TS x OM . extinguisher x RF
TS = 160.904 + 4.00
OS = 164.904 x 0.75 x 0.45 x 0.50
These examples illustrate how to calculate the Total Final Score
FS = 27.828 <===
Final Score under specic conditions for each Divi-
sion. The Actual times, Mode Factors, and Penalty TFS = [ FS ( trial .1) + FS ( trial .2) + FS ( trial .3) ]
TFS = [ 9.616 + 14.887 + 27.828] =
Points come from random number generators that 52.330
exercise the entire range of possible choices, so any
particular combination may not make sense for an
actual competition. Second example
Any disagreement between these examples and the
--- Example 35 Trial 1 Junior --- ---- ---- ---- ---- -
rules given above will be decided by reference to the
Actual Time
rules! AT = 38.005 Sec

Modes used : --- Example 5 Trial 1 HS --------------------

(1) OM . start = 0.80.............. Arbitrary Actual Time
Start AT = 112.430 Sec
(2) OM . return = 0.80............. Return Trip Modes used :
(3) OM . extinguisher = 0.75....... No Air (1) OM . sound = 0.80.............. Sound
Extinguisher Activated
(4) OM . coattree = 0.80........... Coat Tree (2) OM . return = 0.80............. Return Trip
(5) OM . candle = 0.75............. No candle (3) OM . extinguisher = 0.75....... No Air
Circle Extinguisher
Room Factor : (4) OM . furniture = 0.75.......... Furniture Mode
RF = 0.85 2 rooms were searched (5) OM . coattree = 0.80........... Coat Tree
Penalty Points : (6) OM . candle = 0.75............. No candle
PP . slide = 2 robot contacted wall for 4 cm . Circle
Total PP = 2 points (7) OM . variabledoor = 0.45....... Variable door
Reason for Termination : Time Score location
TS = ( AT + PP ) Room Factor :
Operating Score RF = 1.00 1 room was searched
OS = TS x OM . start x OM . return x OM . Reason for Termination : Time Score
extinguisher x OM . coattree x OM . candle x RF TS = ( AT + PP )
TS = 38.005 + 2.00 Operating Score
OS = 40.005 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.80 x OS = TS x OM . sound x OM . return x OM .
0.75 x 0.85 extinguisher x OM . furniture x OM . coattree x
Final Score OM . candle x OM . variabledoor
FS = 9.793 <=== TS = 112.430 + 0.00
--- Example 35 Trial 2 Junior --- ---- ---- ---- ---- - OS = 112.430 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.75 x
Actual Time 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.45
AT = 196.755 Sec Final Score
Modes used : FS = 10.928 <===
(1) OM . extinguisher = 0.75....... No Air --- Example 5 Trial 2 HS --------------------
Extinguisher Actual Time
(2) OM . furniture = 0.75.......... Furniture Mode AT = 147.002 Sec
(3) OM . candle = 0.75............. No candle Modes used :
Circle (1) OM . sound = 0.80.............. Sound
(4) OM . variabledoor = 0.45....... Variable door Activated
location (2) OM . start = 0.80.............. Arbitrary
Room Factor : Start
RF = 0.85 2 rooms were searched (3) OM . furniture = 0.75.......... Furniture Mode
Penalty Points : (4) OM . coattree = 0.80........... Coat Tree
PP . candle = 50 robot touched a candle 1 times (5) OM . candle = 0.75............. No candle
. Circle
PP . dog = 50 robot kicked a dog . (6) OM . variabledoor = 0.45....... Variable door
Total PP = 100 points location
Reason for Termination : Time Score Room Factor :
TS = ( AT + PP ) RF = 0.35 4 rooms were searched
Operating Score Time Score
OS = TS x OM . extinguisher x OM . furniture x OM . TS = ( AT + PP )
candle x RF Operating Score
TS = 196.755 + 100.00 OS = TS x OM . sound x OM . start x OM . furniture x
OS = 296.755 x 0.75 x 0.75 x 0.75 x 0.45 x OM . coattree x OM . candle x OM . variabledoor x
0.85 RF
Final Score TS = 147.002 + 0.00
FS = 47.887 <=== OS = 147.002 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.80 x
--- Example 35 Trial 3 Junior --- ---- ---- ---- ---- - 0.75 x 0.45 x 0.35
Actual Time Final Score
AT = 98.797 Sec FS = 6.668 <===
Modes used : --- Example 5 Trial 3 HS --------------------
(1) OM . start = 0.80.............. Arbitrary Actual Time
Start AT = 209.509 Sec
(2) OM . coattree = 0.80........... Coat Tree Modes used :
(3) OM . candle = 0.75............. No candle (1) OM . start = 0.80.............. Arbitrary
Circle Start
Room Factor : (2) OM . candle = 0.75............. No candle
RF = 1.00 1 room was searched Circle
Penalty Points : (3) OM . variabledoor = 0.45....... Variable door
PP . slide = 5 robot contacted wall for 11 cm . location
Total PP = 5 points Room Factor :
Reason for Termination : Time Score RF = 0.35 4 rooms were searched
TS = ( AT + PP ) Time Score
Operating Score TS = ( AT + PP )
OS = TS x OM . start x OM . coattree x OM . candle Operating Score
TS = 98.797 + 5.00 OS = TS x OM . start x OM . candle x OM .
OS = 103.797 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.75 variabledoor x RF
Final Score TS = 209.509 + 0.00
FS = 49.823 <=== OS = 209.509 x 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.45 x 0.35
Final Score
FS = 19.799 <===
TFS = [ FS ( trial .1) + FS ( trial .2) + FS ( trial .3) ]
TFS = [ 9.793 + 47.887 + 49.823] =
107.503 TFS = [ FS ( trial .1) + FS ( trial .2) + FS ( trial .3) ]
TFS = [ 10.928 + 6.668 + 19.799] =
37.395
6.6.2 High-School Division Second example

First example --- Example 9 Trial 1 HS --------------------
Actual Time

AT = 64.437 Sec
Modes used : TFS = [ FS ( trial .1) + FS ( trial .2) + FS ( trial .3) ]
(1) OM . sound = 0.80.............. Sound TFS = [ 5.985 + 52.125 + 10.787] =
Activated 68.896
Start
Extinguisher
(4) OM . furniture = 0.75.......... Furniture Mode
(5) OM . coattree = 0.80........... Coat Tree
6.6.3 Senior Division
Circle First example
location
Room Factor : --- Example 1 Trial 1 Senior -- ---- ---- ---- ---- --
RF = 0.85 2 rooms were searched Actual Time
Penalty Points : AT = 35.213 Sec
PP . slide = 8 robot contacted wall for 16 cm . Modes used :
Total PP = 8 points (1) OM . sound = 0.80.............. Sound
Reason for Termination : Activated
AT =600 because robot repeated same pattern 5 (2) OM . start = 0.80.............. Arbitrary
times . Time Score Start
TS = ( AT + PP ) (3) OM . return = 0.80............. Return Trip
Operating Score (4) OM . extinguisher = 0.75....... No Air
OS = TS x OM . sound x OM . start x OM . extinguisher Extinguisher
x OM . furniture x OM . coattree x OM . candle x (5) OM . furniture = 0.75.......... Furniture Mode
OM . variabledoor x RF (6) OM . coattree = 0.80........... Coat Tree
TS = 64.437 + 8.00 (7) OM . candle = 0.75............. No candle
OS = 72.437 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.75 x Circle
0.80 x 0.75 x 0.45 x 0.85 Room Factor :
Final Score RF = 0.85 2 rooms were searched
FS = 5.985 <=== Time Score
--- Example 9 Trial 2 HS -------------------- TS = ( AT + PP )
Actual Time Operating Score
AT = 146.881 Sec OS = TS x OM . sound x OM . start x OM . return x OM .
Modes used : extinguisher x OM . furniture x OM . coattree x
(1) OM . sound = 0.80.............. Sound OM . candle x RF
Activated TS = 35.213 + 0.00
(2) OM . return = 0.80............. Return Trip OS = 35.213 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.75 x
(3) OM . furniture = 0.75.......... Furniture Mode 0.75 x 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.85
(4) OM . coattree = 0.80........... Coat Tree Final Score
(5) OM . variabledoor = 0.45....... Variable door FS = 5.172 <===
location --- Example 1 Trial 2 Senior -- ---- ---- ---- ---- --
Room Factor : Room Factor :
RF = 0.85 2 rooms were searched RF = 0.50 3 rooms were searched
Penalty Points : Reason for Termination :
PP . candle = 200 robot touched a candle 4 AT =600 because robot search exceeded 5 minutes .
times . FS = OS = 600 <<<<<
PP . slide = 8 robot contacted wall for 17 cm . Final Score
Total PP = 208 points FS = 600.000 <===
Reason for Termination : Time Score --- Example 1 Trial 3 Senior -- ---- ---- ---- ---- --
TS = ( AT + PP ) Actual Time
Operating Score AT = 264.012 Sec
OS = TS x OM . sound x OM . return x OM . furniture x Modes used :
OM . coattree x OM . variabledoor x RF (1) OM . return = 0.80............. Return Trip
TS = 146.881 + 208.00 (2) OM . extinguisher = 0.75....... No Air
OS = 354.881 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.80 x Extinguisher
0.45 x 0.85 (3) OM . coattree = 0.80........... Coat Tree
Final Score (4) OM . candle = 0.75............. No candle
FS = 52.125 <=== Circle
--- Example 9 Trial 3 HS -------------------- Room Factor :
Actual Time RF = 1.00 1 room was searched
AT = 97.919 Sec Penalty Points :
Modes used : PP . dog = 50 robot kicked a dog .
(1) OM . sound = 0.80.............. Sound Total PP = 50 points
Activated Time Score
(2) OM . start = 0.80.............. Arbitrary TS = ( AT + PP )
Start Operating Score
(3) OM . return = 0.80............. Return Trip OS = TS x OM . return x OM . extinguisher x OM .
(4) OM . extinguisher = 0.75....... No Air coattree x OM . candle
Extinguisher TS = 264.012 + 50.00
(5) OM . candle = 0.75............. No candle OS = 314.012 x 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.80 x 0.75
Circle Final Score
(6) OM . variabledoor = 0.45....... Variable door FS = 113.044 <===
location
Room Factor :
RF = 0.85 2 rooms were searched TFS = [ FS ( trial .1) + FS ( trial .2) + FS ( trial .3) ]
Reason for Termination : Time Score TFS = [ 5.172 + 600.000 + 113.044] =
TS = ( AT + PP ) 718.216
Operating Score
OS = TS x OM . sound x OM . start x OM . return x OM .
extinguisher x OM . candle x OM . variabledoor x
RF Second example
TS = 97.919 + 0.00
OS = 97.919 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.75 x
0.75 x 0.45 x 0.85 --- Example 9 Trial 1 Senior -- ---- ---- ---- ---- --
Final Score Actual Time
FS = 10.787 <=== AT = 171.161 Sec
Modes used :

(1) OM . sound = 0.80.............. Sound We will revise the rules to oer an improved chal-
Activated
lenge in subsequent years.
Start
Extinguisher
Circle
Room Factor :
Time Score
TS = ( AT + PP )
Operating Score
OS = TS x OM . sound x OM . start x OM . extinguisher
x OM . furniture x OM . coattree x OM . candle x
RF
TS = 171.161 + 0.00
OS = 171.161 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.75 x 0.75 x
0.80 x 0.75 x 0.85
Final Score
FS = 31.425 <===
--- Example 9 Trial 2 Senior -- ---- ---- ---- ---- --
Actual Time
AT = 227.495 Sec
Modes used :
Extinguisher
Circle
Room Factor :
Penalty Points :
PP . candle = 50 robot touched a candle 1 times
.
PP . dog = 50 robot kicked a dog .
Total PP = 100 points
Time Score
TS = ( AT + PP )
Operating Score
OS = TS x OM . extinguisher x OM . furniture x OM .
coattree x OM . candle x RF
TS = 227.495 + 100.00
OS = 327.495 x 0.75 x 0.75 x 0.80 x 0.75 x
0.50
Final Score
FS = 55.265 <===
--- Example 9 Trial 3 Senior -- ---- ---- ---- ---- --
Actual Time
AT = 55.857 Sec
Modes used :
(1) OM . sound = 0.80.............. Sound
Activated
Start
Circle
Room Factor :
RF = 1.00 1 room was searched
Time Score
TS = ( AT + PP )
Operating Score
OS = TS x OM . sound x OM . start x OM . candle
TS = 55.857 + 0.00
OS = 55.857 x 0.80 x 0.80 x 0.75
Final Score
FS = 26.811 <===
TFS = [ FS ( trial .1) + FS ( trial .2) + FS ( trial .3) ]

TFS = [ 31.425 + 55.265 + 26.811] =
113.502
6.6.4 Walking Division

Scoring in the Walking Division follows the same al-
gorithm as in the Junior Division. See Section 6.6.1
on page 43.TCFFHRC: Expert DivisionDue to low
turnout in 2013, there will be no Expert Division
Contest in 2014.

Part III
Trinity College Assistive Robotics

Contest: RoboWaiter

The RoboWaiter Contest challenges teams to create

a robot that can retrieve a plate of food and trans-
port it to a table in a reliable and ecient man-
ner. The arena simulates a home kitchen with the
usual xtures and a pair of dolls representing hu-
mans served by the robot.
The Assistive Robotics Contest (a.k.a RoboWaiter)

was founded with support from the Connecticut
Council on Developmental Abilities.


Chapter 7
Contest Structure
7.1 General Setting and Task The Advanced Division is open to everyone. Ad-
vanced Division robots must use precision naviga-
tion and accurate timing because the Arena (see
The competition presents a situation where
Section 8.1.3 on page 53) includes these challenges:
Grandpa, a person with a disability, wants a con-
tainer of food from the Refrigerator. He sits at the
kitchen table in his wheelchair. The arena repre-
Obstacles appear in variable positions
sents a household kitchen, with Grandma, a second

The refrigerator has automatic door and two
chair, a sink, and the refrigerator.
shelves
In the Junior and Standard Division, a simple shelf

Food containers may be on either shelf
represents the refrigerator. The robot must pick up
a plate, optionally containing simulated food, from
Appendix C on page 87 presents details of the
the shelf.
refrigerator hardware. The Contest Website at
The Advanced Division arena refrigerator consists http://www.trincoll.edu/events/robot/ may
of an enclosed box with an automatic door and two have additional details.
shelves. One shelf will hold a plate and the other a
single-serving fruit juice box. NOTE The same rules apply to all robots, whether
Unique or Customized, in each Division. Walk-
When directed by a signal from the Judge, the
ing robots compete on the same basis as
robot will move to the refrigerator, pick up the
wheeled or tracked robots.
correct container, and place it on the Table, while
avoiding obstacles within the kitchen. Optional
tasks include returning to the starting point and
moving the container from the Table to the Sink.
7.3 Eligibility and Registration
As in all Trinity Robotic Contests, the robot's ac-
RoboWaiter is open to any team registered in the
tion must be fully autonomous.
TCFFHRC. To register for RoboWaiter, check the
The Judge will measure and record the time from box on the registration form. Teams may enter
the start signal until the robot places the plate on Unique or Customized robots, as dened in Sec-
the table. Various Operating Modes reward success- tion 1.3 on page 13
ful completion of more challenging tasks by improv- A team may enter a robot into the RoboWaiter con-
ing the overall score. test without entering a robot in the TCFFHRC.
See Section 1.5 on page 14 for registration and fee
7.2 Divisions
information.
The RoboWaiter Contest has three Divisions. 7.4 Prizes

The Junior Division is open to students up to and
Each Division has two prize categories: Unique
including Grade 8. The Junior Division operates in
and Customized. First, second, and third place
the Basic Arena (see Section 8.1.1 on page 53).
prizes will be awarded in each category. A robot
The Standard Division is open to everyone. The must have at least one successful trial to earn a
Standard Division arena (see Section 8.1.2 on cash performance award. There will be a special
page 53) includes a chair obstacle and a doll ob- prize for the most successful walking robot in each
stacle . RoboWaiter Division.

The RoboWaiter Awards for 2014 will be:
Award Unique Robot Customized Robot
First Place $300 $200

Second Place $200 $125
Third Place $100 $75
The best robot from North America in each Divi-

sion will received a special award of $100; North
American countries lie north of the Panama Canal.

Chapter 8
Specications
8.1 Arenas
The competition takes place in a square arena that
simulates a kitchen. The arena is 2.5 m on each
side, with a black oor and white walls that are 30
cm high.
A Home Circle marks the robot's starting point for

the trial. The circle is white and 30 cm diameter. It
will not be secured to the arena oor.
The Judges will position the robot on the Home

Circle with its front surface (the end with the plate
grippers) approximately facing the shelf or refriger-
ator. There is no specication for the exact orienta-
tion.
NOTE Teams should identify the robot's front sur-

Figure 8.1: RoboWaiter Basic arena layout
face, but may not specify an exact position or
(RWBasic2014-1K.png)
orientation.
NOTE The Home Circle is not anchored to the

The Basic Arena contains the start circle, the shelf,
arena oor and may be dislodged by an accel-
the sink, and the table. The chair and doll obstacles
erating robot. There is no penalty for this (and
present in other RoboWaiter arenas will not be used
the crowd likes it), but the loss of traction may
in the Basic Arena.
misalign the robot.
The starting position will vary for robots compet- 8.1.2 Standard Arena
ing in Arbitrary Start Location Mode (Section 9.2
on page 62). As in Arbitrary Start Location Mode Figure 8.2 on the next page shows the arrangement
in the Fireghting Contest (Section 6.5.1.4 on of the Standard Arena.
page 39), there is no Home Circle.
The Chair is always present. It will be located as
The contest may use several RoboWaiter arenas. shown in Figure 8.2 on the following page, with its
While all of the various parts, furniture, and gures back against the wall, approximately at the mid-
in the arenas will be within the stated tolerances, point of the wall.
teams must assume that all arenas will be dier-
The Grandma doll is always present. It will be lo-
ent. See the Note about tolerances in Section 2.4 on
cated and oriented at the positions shown in Fig-
page 15.
ure 8.2 on the next page.
NOTE Teams must not request that their robot

run in a specic arena.
8.1.3 Advanced Arena
8.1.1 Basic Arena Figure 8.3 on the following page shows the arrange-
ment of the Advanced Division arena.
Junior Division robots will run in the Basic Arena, The Chair is always present. It will be located as
as shown in Figure 8.1. shown in Figure 8.3 on the next page, no more than

Figure 8.4: The Grandpa doll seated in wheelchair

(GrandpaWheelchairSM.jpg)
Figure 8.2: RoboWaiter Standard Arena overview

75 cm from the wall between the Home Circle and
(RWStdScaled.png)
the Refrigerator. It may be oriented at any angle.
The Grandma doll is always present. It will be lo-

cated at a random position along the line shown
in Figure 8.3, at most 75 cm (to the doll center)
from the wall. its exact location and orientation
along that line will vary for each trial run. It will
not block access to the refrigerator or Sensor. As
mentioned in in Section 8 on the previous page, if
the robot touches the Grandma doll, the robot fails
the trial.
8.2 Occupants
Dolls similar to these will be used in the arena. For
historic reasons, we refer to the doll at the table
as Grandpa and the doll standing in the arena as
Grandma, but your robot should expect similar
dolls of either gender at either location.
Because robots must operate safely around humans,

a robot that touches any part of a doll will incur
severe penalties.
8.2.1 Grandpa
The Grandpa doll and wheelchair (Figure 8.4) will
be positioned at the table.
Figure 8.3: RoboWaiter Advanced Arena layout
(RWAdvanced12.png)
8.2.2 Grandma
The Grandma doll (Figure 8.5 on the next page) is
optional in the Standard Division and required in
the Advanced Division.

Figure 8.6: RoboWaiter Plate (RW_PlateSM.jpg)
Figure 8.5: The Grandma doll (GrandmaSm.jpg)
Grandma will be positioned on the oor in the

arena as described in Section s 9.1.2 on page 61
and 9.1.3 on page 61.
8.3 Arena Furnishings

Figure 8.7: RoboWaiter Plate bottom showing
8.3.1 Plate weight and feet (RoboWaiter Plate 16.jpg)
The plate is located on the shelf or refrigerator as

described below.
The plate is round: 10 0.3 cm in diameter. It is a

pet-food can cover, Curtis Wagner Plastics Corp.
Item #PF-4200 (http://hometownusastores.com/
product_info.php?products_id=1814). See Fig-
ure 8.6.
A steel washer glued to the base of the plate adds

weight. Also xed to the bottom of the plate are
four plastic feet, which help prevent slippage of the
plate on the shelf. The total weight of the plate,
including the steel washer and the plastic feet is 50
grams. See Figure 8.7.
NOTE The robot must not include a metal detec-

tor to sense the plate.
8.3.2 Juice Box

The juice box container will be located on one shelf
of the Refrigerator described in Section 8.3.7 on
Figure 8.8: RoboWaiter Juice Box (Juice
page 57.
Box_1505a.jpg)
NOTE The juice box appears only in the Ad-

vanced Division.

Figure 8.9: Refrigerator Shelf front view showing

Plate and LED positions (ShelfFrontViewSm.jpg)
Figure 8.11: Picture of Table (HOF Maze 15.jpg)
Figure 8.10: Plate on Refrigerator Shelf above

LEDs (HOF Maze 8.jpg)
Figure 8.12: Sink with blue LED

The juice box is soft-sided and approximately (Sink&BlueLED.jpg)
4.5 x 5 x 7 cm.
It may contain up to 125 g of juice, but may be

8.3.4 Table
partially or entirely empty.
The table is 70 cm wide (left-to-right) and 50 cm
8.3.3 Shelf deep (front-to-back), with one bright red LED (Sec-
tion 8.3.3.1) at the center of each visible side. The
top of the table is 20 to 24 cm above the oor. See
The shelf supporting the food container is 40 cm
Figure 8.11.
deep (front-to-back) and 45 cm wide (left-to-right).
The top of the shelf is 20 cm to 24 cm above the
oor. The shelf height will change from trial to 8.3.5 Sink
trial, so the robot must cope with an unknown shelf
height. See Section 2.4 on page 15 regarding dimen-
The sink serves as an obstacle and has the same
sional limits.
footprint as the table. The sink is 25 cm high. A
There are three bright red light-emitting diodes single blue LED centered on the front edge marks
xed to the edge of the shelf, separated by 2.0 the center of the sink bowl.
0.1 cm center-to-center (Figure B). The mid-point
See Figure 8.12.
of the container's edge is aligned with the middle
LED. Figures 8.9 and 8.10 show the LED and plate
arrangement. 8.3.5.1 LED Data
The Juice Box will be aligned similarly, with the
The blue LED is available from Mouser: 941-
robot facing the widest part of the box.
C503BBCNCV0Z0462 or Cree C503B-BCN-
CV0Z0462.
8.3.3.1 LED data
Everlight Part number 333-2SDRT/S530-A3 8.3.6 Chair
Mouser Part # 638-333-2SDRTS5303
The chair has a footprint of 20 x 20 cm. See Fig-
current = 30 mA ure 8.13 on the next page.

Figure 8.14: Refrigerator Door dimensions - Front

View (DoorClosedFrontViewSm.jpg)
Figure 8.13: Picture of Chair (HOF Maze 12.jpg)
Figures 8.2 on page 54 and 8.3 on page 54 show the

possible chair positions.
NOTE The chair orientation will vary in the Ad-

vanced Division arena.
8.3.7 Refrigerator
The RoboWaiter Advanced Division arena has a
Figure 8.15: Refrigerator Door Beacon in visible
simulated refrigerator in place of the Shelf.
light (BeaconOnDoor 218 - scaled.jpg)
The refrigerator has two shelves in an enclosed box,
with a door that opens and closes under the robot's
control. door. Figure 8.14 gives the dimensions and Fig-
ure 8.15 shows the beacon in visible light.
This section describes the refrigerator's physical
dimensions and characteristics. The next section de- The beacon consists of ve IR emitters and one visi-
scribes the sensor that triggers the door operations. ble emitter on a small circuit board taken from a 6-
LED ashlight. Five of the six LEDs were replaced
by IR emitters; the remaining visible LED indicates
8.3.7.1 Overall Dimensions that the device is working.
The refrigerator exterior is 20 to 25 cm deep (front- The beacon emits approximately 300 mW of 880 nm
to-back) x 45 cm wide (left-to-right) x 42 cm tall. IR with a beam width of approximately 30 degrees.

Designers should not assume a uniform or Gaussian
The refrigerator shelves are 16 to 21 cm deep (front-
intensity distribution within the beam.
to-back) x 42 cm wide (left-to-right).
The driver circuitry modulates the beacon at 8.0
The top of the upper shelf is 28 1 cm above the kHz 10%.
oor.
A simple IR phototransistor mounted in a ashlight
The top of the lower shelf is 14 1 cm above the reector readily detects the beacon from a distance
oor. of more than one meter.
See Appendix C.1 on page 87 for details of the bea-

The shelf tolerances allow for slight variations in con design.
refrigerator construction: all refrigerators will be
slightly dierent. If the contest has more than one Robots may use wall-following techniques on the
Advanced arena, teams must assume the refrigera- open door while navigating into and out of the re-
tor shelves will be at dierent heights. frigerator, but they must not touch the door while
doing so.
8.3.7.2 Refrigerator Door

8.3.7.3 Shelves and Plates
A continuous, modulated infra-red LED beacon,
aimed perpendicular to the face of the door, is lo- Each shelf has three LEDs as described in Section
cated within 1 cm of the center of the refrigerator 8.3.3.

Figure 8.16: Refrigerator front view with Door

open - Front View (DoorOpenFrontViewSm.jpg)
Figure 8.18: Refrigerator Door partially open - Top

View (FridgeTopViewPartialSm.jpg)
Figure 8.17: Refrigerator Door closed - Top View

(FridgeTopViewShutSm.jpg)
Figure 8.16 shows the front view of the Refrigerator

interior.
Figures 8.17 through 8.19 show top views of the

Refrigerator with the Door in various positions.
A plate will be located on each shelf, aligned as de-

scribed in Section 8 on page 53, Item8.3.3.
The robot must fetch the correct plate as part of a

successful trial: if the robot takes the plate from the
wrong shelf, the robot has failed that trial.
The robot may touch the shelf (but not the door!)
while aligning itself to the plate's position. How-
ever, mechanical lever-action switches may not trip
reliably on contact with the shelf, particularly at
nearly perpendicular approach angles. If your nav-
igation algorithms depend on switch closures, test
your mechanical linkages very carefully under worst-
case conditions, because that's what your robot will
encounter at Trinity!
8.3.7.4 Refrigerator Door Floor Sensor Figure 8.19: Refrigerator Door completely open -
Top View (FridgeTopViewOpenSm.jpg)
Advanced Division robots must open and close the
refrigerator door by triggering a sensor module em-
bedded in the oor directly in front of the refrigera-
tor. The sensor module lies in the center area of the

The door will open or close completely within ve

seconds from the start of motion.
The robot must move completely o the sensor

module for at least 5 seconds while extracting the
plate.
The refrigerator door will operate only one time

during a trial. The robot must ensure that it does
not trigger the door-opening sequence before it is
ready to extract the plate.
8.4 Robots
8.4.1 Dimensions
Figure 8.20: Refrigerator Door Sensor Module The functional parts of the robot must t into a
detail view - Top View (SensorModuleSm.jpg) Bounding Box measuring 30 cm on a side and 50
cm tall at all times, except for grippers while ma-
nipulating and transporting the food container.
refrigerators door beacon pattern, 65 cm from the
outside surface of the closed door.
If any other part of the robot can exceed the
Bounding Box, it will not pass the Robot Inspection
The sensor module contains three bright white vis- Table process and will not compete in the Contest.
ible LEDs that shine directly up from the oor and
a Sharp GP2D120 IR proximity sensor. The LEDs NOTE The actuators must be unable to move any
are in a line 3 cm from the proximity sensor, paral- parts of the robot, except the grippers, beyond
lel to the front of the refrigerator. The entire sensor the Bounding Box.
module is embedded in the oor and will not im-
pede robot motion. A ag, hat, or other purely decorative, non-
functional item may exceed the maximum height
NOTE The robot must not use a metal detector to limit. The item must not be a structural part of
locate the Floor Sensor. the robot: the robot must operate correctly without
the item. Judges may disallow any item if, in their
Figure 8.20 shows the LED and GP2D120 arrange- opinion, it forms a functional part of the robot.
ment within the sensor module. The refrigerator is
Although the robot may deploy grippers beyond the
located 65 cm from the upper edge of the rectangle
starting envelope while transporting the plate, the
in the gure.
no contact rules apply to all parts of the robot.
See Appendix C.2 on page 87 for details of the sen-
sor construction NOTE A robot must not deploy any sensors, other
than container contact sensors on the grippers,
The proximity sensor is connected to the refrig-
beyond the initial dimensions.
erators embedded microcontroller. When the mi-
crocontroller rst senses the presence of a robot, it
NOTE The robot must not deploy its grippers un-
will open the refrigerator door. When it senses the
til it faces the food container. If the robot de-
robot again, it will close the door. Therefore the
ploys its grippers before that time, it will fail
sensor acts a toggle switch that controls the doors
the trial.
opening and closing.
A large robot or one that holds the plate in front The robot need not retract its grippers after placing
of its main chassis may trigger the sensor before the container on the table, but that would be a nice
it has cleared the path of the closing door. The touch.
robot must avoid contact with the door, because

the robot will fail the trial if the door touches it
while closing.
8.4.2 Starting Signal
8.4.2.1 Standard Division
8.3.7.5 Door Operation
All robots in the Junior and Standard Divisions
The door will begin opening or closing within one must have a Start Button as described in Sec-
second of the time the sensor detects the robot. tion 5.2.3 on page 32.

Optionally, the robot may start with the sound sig-

nal used to mark the lower shelf in the Advanced
Division, as described in Section 8.4.2.2. However,
there is no Sound Activated score deduction.
NOTE If a robot uses Sound Activation to start

the trial, it must also use Sound Activation for
the Cleanup task.
8.4.2.2 Advanced Division
Sound activation is required for robots competing

in the Advanced Division. A Start Button is not re-
quired for robots in the Advanced Division, because
(unlike in the Fireghting competition) if the robot
fails to start in response to the Standard Sound
Start Device, it will fail the trial.
The sound frequency indicates which food container

the robot must retrieve from the refrigerator:
If the container is located on the lower shelf,

the sounder will send out an audio signal of 3.8
kHz 10%.
If the container is located on the upper shelf,

the sounder will send out an audio signal of 2.5
kHz 10%.
NOTE The sound frequency indicates only the

shelf and does not indicate the type of con-
tainer. The robot must recognize the container
on the shelf and pick it up with the appropriate
type of manipulator or grabber.
The starting signal will be a Standard Sound Start

Device as used in the TCFFHRC (Section 6.5.1.3
on page 39), with an additional audio output at a
dierent frequency to specify one of two container
locations. See Appendix B on page 83 for details of
the Standard Device.

Chapter 9
Rules
The general rules described in Chapter 2 on page 15 6. In the optional Cleanup Mode, the Judge will
apply unless otherwise noted below. start the robot, which will move the plate from
the table to the sink.
9.1 Trial Procedure 9.1.3 Advanced Division

This section describes the overall procedure of a These rules apply in addition to the Standard Divi-
RoboWaiter contest trial. sion rules in Section 9.1.2.
9.1.1 Junior Division 1. The robot must start in response to the Stan-
dard Sound Start Device (Appendix B on
page 83). The trial timing begins when the
1. The Judge will place the robot in the arena.
sound signal starts, not when the robot begins
2. The Judge will start the robot and begin tim- to move. If the robot does not start, it will fail
ing the trial. the trial.
3. The robot must fetch the plate from the shelf. 2. The robot must decode the tones, as described
in Section 8.4.2.2 on the preceding page, to
4. The robot must deliver the plate to the table, know which shelf holds the food containerin
place it on the table surface, and completely the refrigerator.
release the plate. The plate must be entirely on
the table, without overhanging the table edge, 3. The robot must open the refrigerator door be-
but need not be centered on the surface. fore attempting to retrieve the container. How-
ever, as described in Section 8.3.7.5 on page 59,
5. The Judge will record the elapsed time when the door will operate only once for any trial.
the robot has stopped moving after releasing If the robot inadvertently opens the door, the
the plate. door will close when the robot activates the
sensor a second time and, consequently, the
9.1.2 Standard Division robot will fail the trial.
4. After determining that the refrigerator door is

1. The Judge will place the robot in the arena open, the robot must extract the proper con-
and congure any optional obstacles. tainer. The robot will fail the trial if:
2. The Judge will start the robot and begin tim-

The robot touches the refrigerator door
ing the trial.
while entering the refrigerator
3. The robot must fetch the plate from the shelf The robot extracts the wrong container
or refrigerator.
The robot may touch either refrigerator shelf,
4. The robot must deliver the plate to the table, perhaps to align itself with the container, with-
place it on the table surface, and completely out penalty. However, it must not touch the
release the plate. The plate must be entirely on door at any time.
the table, without overhanging the table edge,
5. The robot must close the door and indicate
but need not be centered on the surface.
that it has done so by lighting an easily visi-
5. The Judge will record the elapsed time when ble LED. There is no penalty if robot indicates
the robot has stopped moving after releasing that it has sensed a closed door before the door
the plate. is completely closed.

9.2.2 Food Premium

OM.food=0.8 (Advanced = 1.0)The robot will earn
the premium by delivering the plate to the table
without dropping or spilling the food. The food will
be actual food, such as cereal or pasta, that does
not stick to the plate and does not add any signi-
cant weight to the plate.
NOTE If the robot bumps the plate after placing

it on the table and knocks it o the table or
spills food on the table or oor, the Food Pre-
mium will not apply.
9.2.3 Grandma
Figure 9.1: RoboWaiter Standard and Arbitrary
OM.grandma = 0.75 (Advanced = 1.0)
Start Locations (RWArbStart12.png)
If this option is selected, the Grandma doll will be
located as shown in Figure 8.2 on page 54. If the
6. The robot must deliver the container to the robot touches the Grandma doll, the Grandma Op-
table as described above. erating Mode factor will not apply to that trial.
The Grandma doll is always present in the Ad-

7. The Judge will record the elapsed time when
vanced Division. If the robot touches the Grandma
the robot has stopped moving after releasing
doll, it fails that trial.
the container.
8. After the robot returns to the start position,

the Judge will direct the robot to move the
9.2.4 Return Trip
container from the table to the sink, complet-
OM.return = 0.80 (Advanced = 1.0)
ing the run. The robot has a maximum of three
minutes to complete this operation. See Sec- The robot must return to the Home Circle position
tion 9.2.5 for details. where it started the trial. The robot need not be in
the same orientation as when it started the trial.
The robots Actual Time (AT) recorded for the trial

9.2 Operating Modes will be the time required to transfer the plate to
the table, not including the return trip. However,
the robot must return its starting location within 2
The Operating Modes described in this section will
minutes; if not, then the Return Mode factor is not
result in reduced time scores, by multiplying the
in eect for that trial.
Time Score by the Mode Factor (MF) for each of
the listed premiums, when the robot has success-
fully accomplished the task. Each trial may use a
dierent combination of Operating Modes.
9.2.5 Clean Up
Table 9.1 on the facing page summarizes the Op- OM.cleanup = 0.70 (Advanced = 1.0)
erating Modes and Mode Factors available in each

After the robot has returned to the Home Circle
RoboWaiter Division:
and ceased all motion, the Judge will restart the
robot using the 3.8 kHz Standard Starting Device
tone. The robot will return to the table, pick up
9.2.1 Arbitrary Starting Location the plate, transfer it to the sink, then return to the
Home Circle again.
OM.start = 0.85
The plate will remain where the robot left it on the
The Judge will choose the robot's starting location table, with the food in place. However, the robot
and orientation at random and place the Home Cir- may inadvertently move the plate while releasing it
cle at that position. This arbitrary starting location or while backing away from the table, so the Clean
will not be physically closer to the plate (on the Up algorithm should not assume an exact plate lo-
shelf or in the refrigerator) than the standard start- cation. The judges will not reposition the plate af-
ing location. See Figure 9.1 for possible locations. ter the robot releases it.

Mode Junior Standard Advanced
Arbitrary Start Not available Option, MF=0.85 Option, MF=0.85

Food Option, MF=0.80 Option, MF=0.80 Required, MF=1.0
Grandma Not available Option, MF=0.75 Required, MF=1.0
Return Trip Option, MF=0.80 Option, MF=0.80 Required, MF=1.0
Cleanup Not available Option, MF=0.70 Required, MF=1.0
Table 9.1: RoboWaiter Operating Modes and Mode Factors
The plate may be dumped into the sink in any ori- 9.3.2 Advanced Division
entation, but it must remain either on the top sur-
face of the sink or within the bowl. 1. Opened refrigerator door
If the robot is operating in Food Premium Mode, 2. Found correct shelf

then it must not spill any food onto the oor while
transferring the plate to the sink. Food may spill 3. Picked up correct container
onto the surface around the sink, but not onto the
4. Closed refrigerator door
oor.
5. Transported container more than 20 cm
NOTE If the robot spills any food while transfer-
ring the plate from the refrigerator to the sink, 6. Deposited container on table
the Food Premium will not apply to the trial.

7. Returned to starting position
However, the robot must not spill any remain-
ing food on the oor while moving the plate to
the sink in order to successfully complete the
Clean Up operation.
The robot must complete the Clean Up operation

and cease all motion within 4 minutes of the sec-
ond Start Signal. That time is not added to the
total time: the Clean Up Mode factor is applied to
the original time required to place the plate on the
table. In eect, by completing the Clean Up opera-
tion, the robot receives a signicant scoring advan-
tage.
However, if the robot fails to complete the Clean

Up operation, it will fail the entire trial.
NOTE Clean Up Mode requires that the robot

must also operate in Return Trip Mode.
9.3 Tasks
The judges will tally the number of additional tasks
completed by each robot during the three trials.
The task tally will be used to rank robots that do
not complete one trial successfully (and are, there-
fore, not eligible for prizes and cash awards).
9.3.1 Junior and Standard Divisions

1. Found shelf
2. Picked up plate
3. Transported plate at least 20 cm.
4. Found table


Chapter 10
Scoring
Each robot will compete in three trials, with the Robot nds plate and delivers it to the table. Food
Judges recording the time required to complete the Operating Mode not chosen.
trial. Section 9.2 on page 62 describes the Operat-
Measured Actual Time AT = 89 s.
ing Modes in detail. Section 10.1 provides examples
of scoring calculations. Success = 1
A trial is successful when the robot completes all re- Time = AT = 89 s

quirements of its Division. To be eligible for a prize
or cash award, a robot must successfully complete Trial 2
at least one trial.
Successful robots will be divided into three groups, Robot operates in Food OM, nds plate, delivers it
based on the number of successful runs, to ensure to table, returns to start.
that the most reliable robots receive awards. The
Measured Actual Time AT = 77 s.
ranking within each group will be based on the
robot's nal score for all three runs. The groups Success = 1
are:
Time = AT * OM.food *OM.return = 77 * 0.8 *
0.8 = 49.28 s
1. Most Reliable group: successful on three trials.
2. Moderately Reliable group: two successful tri- Trial 3

als.
Delivers plate without food to table, returns to

3. Least Reliable group: one successful trial.
start.
Winners will be taken starting with the highest- Measured Actual Time AT = 119 s
ranking robots in the Most Reliable group, then
Success = 1
continuing with the Moderately and Least Reliable
groups, until the three winners have been identied. Time = AT *OM.return= 119 * 0.8 = 95.2 s
Examples:
Result
If the Most Reliable group includes three
robots, they will win the First, Second, and Success = 3
Third prizes based on their ranking within that
Time = 89 + 49.28 + 95.2 s = 233.48 s
group.
The robot is placed in the Most Reliable group with
If the Most Reliable group includes only two
three successful trials. Its ranking will be deter-
robots, then they will receive the First and Sec-
mined by comparing overall time scores within that
ond prizes based on their ranking, while the
group.
highest-ranked robot in the Moderately Reli-
able group will receive the Third prize.
10.1.2 Standard Division

10.1 Scoring Examples Trial 1
10.1.1 Junior Division Robot starts at home position, nds plate and de-
livers it to the table. No food on plate. No mode
Trial 1 options completed.

Measured Actual Time AT = 78 s Trial 2

Success = 1
Arbitrary Start not selected. Robot successfully
Time = AT = 78 s
nds and delivers the food container but fails to
Tasks completed: 4 returns to start and consequently does not complete

the cleanup operation.
Trial 2 Success = 0
Robot starts at home position, nds plate with food AT = 600 s

on it, delivers plate to table, returns to start.
Tasks completed = 6
Measured Actual Time AT = 56 s
Success = 1 Trial 3
Time = AT * OM.food *OM.return = 56 * 0.8 *
Robot starts at arbitrary position, delivers plate
0.8 = 35.84 s
with food to table, returns to start, and completes
Tasks completed: 4 cleanup option.

Trial 3
Success = 1
Robot starts at arbitrary position, delivers plate
Time = AT * OM.start*OM.food * OM.return *
with food to table, returns to start, and completes
OM.cleanup = 109 * 0.85 * 0.8 * 0.8 * 0.8 = 41.507
cleanup option.
s
Tasks Completed: 7
Success = 1
Time = AT * OM.start*OM.food * OM.return * Result

OM.cleanup = 109 * 0.85 * 0.8 * 0.8 * 0.7 = 41.507
s Success = 2
Tasks completed: 4 Time = 35 + 600 + 41.507 s = 676.507 s
Result Tasks Completed Total = 20
The robot is grouped with other robots having two

Success = 3 successful trials. Its ranking will be determined by
Time = 78 + 44.8 + 41.507 s = 182.1 s comparing overall time scores within that group and
secondarily by the number of tasks completed.
Tasks completed total = 12
The robot is placed in the Most Reliable group with

three successful trials. Its ranking will be deter-
mined by comparing overall time scores within that
group.
10.1.3 Advanced Division

Trial 1
Arbitrary Start not selected. Robot successfully

nds and delivers the food container and returns to
start.
Measured Actual Time AT = 35s
After receiving sound signal from the judge, robot

completes cleanup operation within the three-
minute time limit.
Success = 1
Time = AT = 35 s
Tasks completed = 7

Part IV
Robot Olympiad Exam

The TCFFHRC Olympiad exam consists of about

ten questions, each presenting a real problem that
might arise during robot design projects. Each
question requires a solution based on theoretical
background and practical experience.
The exam takes 50 minutes.
The Olympiad is open to any registered team or in-

dividual, and prizes will be awarded to teams and
individuals in Junior, High School, and Senior Divi-
sions.
Check http://www.trincoll.edu/events/robot/
for the 2014 Olympiad schedule.
Questions about the Olympiad may be directed to:
Igor Verner ttrigor@tx.technion.ac.il
David Ahlgren david.ahlgren@trincoll.edu


Part V
Technical Presentation Competition

Contributed by David Pietrocola, Lifebotics LLC A maximum of two team members may present
the poster to the Judges, who are engineers and
The ability to eectively communicate technical
university faculty. Presentation of the physical
ideas and designs is an increasingly important skill
robot to the Judges is not permitted. A two-
for engineers and scientists. The 2014 TCFFHRC
minute question & answer period between the
technical presentation competition aims to encour-
presenters and the Judges will follow.
age the development of such communication skills.
The competition is optional for all teams. We en- 5. All posters must use English. However, teams
courage teams to summarize and convey their ef- for whom English is a second language may
forts by designing and delivering a presentation that request to have an ocial contest-provided in-
explains the design and functionality of the robot. terpreter who can assist during the presenta-
tion. If you wish to have an interpreter at your
Teams will present using a traditional scientic
poster presentation, please check the appropri-
poster format, which involves designing a poster
ate box on the registration form and indicate
following established scientic poster templates (see
the language. Unocial interpreters aliated
below).
with the team are not permitted; their presence
Entries will count toward the teams BURP score, will be grounds for immediate disqualication
which allows teams to be rewarded for eective of the team from the robot competition.
communication abilities in addition to successful

engineering design (please see the BURP section for Judging Criteria
scoring examples).
Posters are judged based on the following criteria:
Guidelines 1. Content 40%
Problem appropriately described with con-

1. The poster presents the design of the teams
text given
reghting or assistive robot. Posters must in-
clude the following sections and components,
System architecture and overview de-
scribed
using a traditional scientic poster template:
Appropriate level of detail provided
Abstract and Introduction Appropriate usage of the English language

in a scientic context
Problem description and denition
grammar
Design process
style
System design or schematic
tone and cadence
Results
2. Visuals 30%
Conclusions and future improvements
Easy to read and see
Informative diagrams and photos.
Obvious logical sequence of material
Visit http://posterhall.org/igert2012 for Useful and appropriate diagrams, photos,
many examples of common scientic posters, etc.
designed by graduate students from across the

3. Presentation 30%
United States.
Appropriate overview, focus, preparation,

2. Teams will register for the poster competition
and delivery
as part of our web-based registration process.
Good articulation
3. Maximum poster size is 1 m wide x 70 cm high. Appropriate response to judges questions

Minimum poster size is 80 cm wide x 60 cm
high. Poster stands will be provided to those Scoring
who register for the poster session.
Each criterion (content, visuals, presentation) will
4. The competition is split into two rounds: be judged, with each specication earning a score
of 0, 5, or 10 points. The points will be summed
(a) Judges will assess displayed posters to produce a total score up to the maximum 100
points.
(b) The top 10 teams will deliver a ve-
minute oral presentation using the poster The poster's nal score will be the average of the
as a visual aid. individual score values determined by each Judge.

Common Mistakes
Although a good poster will build on the points

mentioned above, you can make your poster better
by following these guidelines:
1. Create a technical poster, not a personal ad for

your robot.
2. Use plain backgrounds. Avoid busy patterns

and bright colors.
3. Use large, simple fonts. If you cannot read ev-

ery word on your poster from a distance of 2
meters, neither can the Judges.
4. Describe your robot and project, not your

school, your hometown, your friends, or the
funny team mascot you made.
5. Do not include large photos of you, your team,

or your school. Only the robot matters.
6. Do not include inside jokes about your team.

They belong within the team and have no place
in a technical presentation.
7. Include technical details of your project, not

just a list of robot components. Describe your
unique algorithm that processes sensor data,
the special wheels you built, or the mechanical
innovation that distinguishes your robot from
the others.
8. Do not glue robot parts to the poster. Use a

camera and include only photos.
Oral Presentation Guidelines
1. Be prepared to explain your team's design de-

cisions and how each component or subsystem
functions. The Judges may ask about sensors,
navigation algorithms, motor control, propul-
sion mechanisms, or any other feature of your
robot.
2. Practice, practice, practice! If two team mem-

bers will present the material, practice both the
roles and the transitions between them.
Suggestion
A good way to determine whether you have made

an eective poster is to hand it to someone who has
never seen your work before. Leave the room for
ve minutes while they look at your poster. When
you return, ask them to describe your project to
you. If your poster eectively presents the informa-
tion about your robot project, they will be able to
give you a reasonable overview of your work.

Part VI
Regional Contest Events

Starting an Ocial Regional Procedure

Event
In order to become an ocial regional contest and
to obtain the benets listed above, please send the
Trinity College's Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest
contest director an email message indicating your
rules are published on the Contest Website at http: interest and conrming your agreement to the re-
//www.trincoll.edu/events/robot/. quirements described above. In turn you will be
sent an application form that asks such information
We invite you to use these rules without charge for
as name and date of event, expected participation,
the limited purpose of use as the basis for a non-
contest Divisions that you wish to oer, and names
prot educational project or to organize your own
of sponsors.
non-prot reghting robot contest. You acknowl-
edge and agree by your use of these rules, whether When planning your event please note that nor-
for an ocial regional contest or an unocial con- mally regional contests are held within eight weeks
test, that Trinity College assumes no responsibility prior to the ocial Trinity College Fire-Fighting
or liability for such use of the contest rules by you Home Robot Contest to be held at Trinity College.
or any third parties. These rules are provided as
Requests for new regional contests should be sent
is without any warranty of any kind.
to the Director at least six months before the next
If you plan to use the Trinity rules, we request that Trinity contest.
you send a 50-100 word description of your activity
to the contest Director via email.
Your use of the Trinity rules does not automati-

cally qualify your robot to participate in the ocial
Trinity College Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest
(TCFFHRC) to be held at Trinity College.
Requirements
Ocial regional contests are public events based on
the Trinity rules found on the Contest Website at
http://www.trincoll.edu/events/robot/. The
characteristics of ocial regional contests and Trin-
ity's relationship to them are listed below.
In order to hold an ocial regional contest, the con-

test should meet these requirements:
Longevity: regional contests will have a life

span greater than one year.
Open participation: regional contest organizers

will publicize their contest and invite the public
to participate.
Non-prot: Regional contests are not-for-prot

events.
Qualication is not required for the

TCFFHRC.
Availability of advice: Regional contests may

ask Trinity for advice regarding event organiza-
tion.
Web links: We will put a link to each regional

contest that meets these requirements on our
website, and vice-versa.


Part VII
Appendix

Appendix A
Start Button Locations
Figure A.1: Mechanical Start Button Linkage Figure A.2: Ideal Start Button Location (dsc00892
(dsc00871 - Mechanical Start Button Linkage.jpg) - Start Button Location 2.jpg)
A.2 Acceptable Locations

Section 5.2.3 on page 32 describes the requirements
for the Start Button. This Appendix provides ex-
Figure A.2 shows an ideal Start Button location on
amples of acceptable and unacceptable Start Button
the highest part of the robot, above all other parts,
locations.
with clear identication and color coding.
Figure A.3 on the following page shows an accept-

able Start Button location. The white sensor hous-
ing at the front of the robot is less than 2 cm above
the Start Button.
A.1 Mechanical Linkage
A.3 Unacceptable Locations
Figure A.1 shows a mechanical linkage between a
Start Button at the top of a robot and an electrical The Start Button in Figure A.4 on the next page
switch located on the body. The top of the linkage will not be acceptable in the 2014 contest, because
must have a at button-shaped actuator on the rod it is below the top of the fan blade tips and more
or shaft. than 2 cm below other mechanical parts.

Figure A.5: Incorrect Start Button Location

(dsc00933 - Unacceptable Start Button Location
2.jpg)
Figure A.3: Acceptable Start Button Location

(dsc00884 - Start Button Location 1.jpg)

3.jpg)
The Start Button in Figure A.5 will not be accept-

able in the 2014 contest, because it is not on the
top surface of the robot and more than 2 cm below
other mechanical parts.
The Start Button in Figure A.6 will not be accept-

able in the 2014 Contest, because it is below the
top of the fan blade arc, not on the top surface of
the robot, and more than 2 cm below other mechan-
ical parts.
1.jpg)

Appendix B
Standard Sound Start Device

Judges will use only the Standard Sound Start De-
vice during the contest. Teams may not bring their
own devices to the arena during trials.
B.1 Operation
The Sound Start Device emits two selectable tones:
3.8 kHz and 2.5 kHz.
The specied sound modules produce approximately

90 dB SPL at 1 foot. The SPL will be higher at the
microphone, due to the closer distance, but there is
no specication for the actual intensity.
The selected tone will sound for at least 5 seconds

after the Judge presses the Tone button.
The robot must start with the Sound Start Device

approximately 25 mm from the robot's microphone.
The Device has a 25 mm rod indicating this dis-
tance; the rod will not touch the robot.
B.2 Hardware
Figure B.1 shows a Standard Sound Start Device.
Figure B.2 on the next page shows the dual-

frequency Standard Sound Start Device used in the
RoboWaiter Advanced Division.
B.3 Schematic
Figure B.1: A Standard Sound Start Device (Stan-
Figure B.3 on the following page shows the dard Sound Start Device - StartBox-12_030.jpg)
schematic diagram of the circuitry inside the Sound
Start Device.
Figure B.4 on the next page shows the component

layout inside the case.
B.4 Parts List

Table B.1 on page 85 lists the parts required to con-
struct a Standard Sound Start Device.

Figure B.3: Standard Sound Start Device Schematic (StartBoxSchematicBW.png)
Figure B.4: Interior view of Standard Sound Start

Device (Standard Sound Start Device - Interior -
StartBox12_031.jpg)
The circuit can be hand wired on a prototyping

board or laid out on a custom PCB to suit your
enclosure; we do not provide a PCB layout.
B.5 Construction
Adjust trimpot R3 for 5 second sound duration af-
Figure B.2: A dual-frequency Standard Sound ter each press of switch SW1.
Start Device for the RoboWaiter Advanced Divi-

Add 25 mm nonconductive rod near the buzzer to
sion (Standard Sound Start Device - RoboWaiter -
maintain the correct stando distance from the
SB_RW_Advanced033.jpg)
robot's microphone.

Part Manufacturer Manuf. Part Number Mouser P/N

SW1 pushbutton switch E-Switch PS-1040A-RED 612-PS1040A-RED
SW2 on/o switch
Battery holder (6 x AA) Eagle 12BH364-GR 12BH364-GR
Buzzer (2.5 kHz) Mallory PK-20A25WQ 539-PK-20A25WQ
Buzzer (3.8 kHz) Mallory PK-20N38WQ 539-PK-20N38WQ
IC1 NE555N (various) NE555N 511-NE555N
R3 100K 10% pot Bi Tech 68WR100KLF 858-68WR100KLF
R1,R2 100K 1% res Xicon 100K-RC 271-100K-RC
R4 402K 1% res Xicon 402K-RC 271-402-RC
C1 0.01 uF/50V cap Vishay D103Z25Z5VF63L6R 594-D103Z25Z5VF63L6R
C2 10 uF/15V tantalum Kemet T322C106K015AT 80-T322C106K015AT
AA batteries x 6
Case
Printed circuit board
Table B.1: Standard Sound Start Device Parts List (StartBoxPartsList.ods)


Appendix C
RoboWaiter Refrigerator Hardware
Figure C.1: Refrigerator Door LED array (Beacon-

Figure C.2: Refrigerator Door LED array in IR
Board 216 - scaled.jpg)
light (BeaconIRs 217 - scaled.jpg)
C.1 Refrigerator Door Beacon

C.1.1 Hardware
Figures C.1 and C.2 show the LED array and driver
circuit board.
C.1.2 Schematic
Figure C.3 on the next page gives the beacon driver
schematic and parts list.
C.2 Refrigerator Door Sensor

C.2.1 Layout
Figure C.4: Refrigerator Door sensor module (Floor
Sensor 215 - scaled.jpg)
Figure C.4 shows the sensor module installed in the

black-painted arena oor.

Figure C.3: Refrigerator Beacon Schematic and Parts List (Beacon Schematic - scaled.png)
Figure C.5: (Floor Sensor Schematic - scaled.png)

C.2.2 Schematic
Figure C.5 on the preceding page shows the sensor
schematic and parts list.


Appendix D
Robot Inspection Table Checklist

All robots must pass an inspection at the Robot
Inspection Table before competing. See Section 2.8
on page 17 for more details.
The sample RIT Checklist on page 92 itemizes some

physical and performance requirements, but your
robot must comply with all the requirements of this
rules document.

Figure D.1: Sample RIT Checklist Form (Robot Inspection Table Checklist - Appendix Image.png)

Appendix E
Trial Options Sheet

The Trial Options Sheet species all of the Oper-
ating Modes that apply to each of a robot's Trial
Runs in a Contest arena.
Teams competing in the Junior, High School,

and Senior Divisions must present a Trial Op-
tions Sheet, similar to the sample on page 94, to
the Judge at the arena when they arrive for their
robot's trial. The sheet must contain the options
for the current trial; teams do not need to select
options for future trials.

Figure E.1: Sample Trial Options Sheet (FF Contest Trial Options - Appendix Image.png)

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Trinity College

Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest

Copyright 2013 Trinity College

September 22, 2013

Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 2 of 94

1.2 Eligibility and Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

1.3 Unique and Customized Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

1.4 Multiple Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

1.7 Construction Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

1.8 Qualication Trials and Elimination Rounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

1.9 Contest Location, Dates, and Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2 Basic Rules and Procedures 15

2.2 Language Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2.4 Dimensions and Accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2.5 Arena Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

2.5.1 Arena Environment Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

2.6 Practice Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

2.6.1 Damage During Practice Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

2.7 Power and Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2.8 Robot Inspection Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2.9 Trial Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2.10 Starting the Trial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2.10.1 Failure to Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2.10.2 Premature Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

II TCFFHRC: Junior, High School, Senior, and Walking Divisions 19

3.1.1 Division Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 3 of 94

4 Scoring and Awards 25

4.1.2 North American Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4.2 World Champion Prize for Best Unied Robot Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4.2.1 BURP Score Weighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4.2.2 BURP Scoring Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4.3 Special Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4.3.1 Spirit of an Inventor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4.3.2 Cost-Eective Robot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4.3.3 Tiny Robot Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

5.1.2 Materials and Finishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

5.1.3 Basic Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5.1.4 Standard Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5.1.5 Arbitrary Start Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5.1.6 Dog Obstacle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5.2.3 Start Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

5.2.4 Sound Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

5.2.5 Power Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

5.2.6.1 Sensor Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

5.3.1 Extinguishing the Candle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

5.3.1.1 Methods of extinguishing the ame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

5.4 Trial Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

6.2 Final Score (FS) Computation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

6.2.1 Junior Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

6.2.2 High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 4 of 94

6.3 Total Final Score (TFS) Computation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

6.4 Ranking Within Divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

6.5 Score Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

6.5.1 Operating Modes (OM.x) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

6.5.1.3 Sound Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

6.5.1.4 Arbitrary Start Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

6.5.1.5 Return Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

6.5.1.6 Non-air Extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

6.5.1.8 Coat Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

6.5.1.9 Uneven Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

6.5.1.10 Variable Door Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 2 of 94

1.8 Qualication Trials and Elimination Rounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 3 of 94

4.2 World Champion Prize for Best Unied Robot Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4.3.2 Cost-Eective Robot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

5.3.1.1 Methods of extinguishing the ame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 4 of 94

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Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 7 of 94

Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 8 of 94

Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 9 of 94

If you nd an error or inconsistency, please email

Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 11 of 94

Modied September 22, 2013 Copyright 2013 by Trinity College 12 of 94

open, nonprot events that require in- overall design is unique.

Are clearly dierent from any other robot en-