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European Rover Challenge 2015 Rules
1. The Challenge
2. Teams
3. The Rover
4. Tasks
5. Reports & Documentation
6. Awards
7. Concluding Remarks
Prepared by European Space Foundation
Stay tuned for more updates on www.roverchallenge.eu
1. The Challenge
1.1.
The European Rover Challenge (ERC) is a contest for Student Teams. A Student
Team has to design and build a Martian rover analogue and use that rover to
complete various Tasks at a designated location. To be eligible, a Team must design
and build their own rover, but off-the-shelf components are allowed. The Challenge
Tasks take place before an audience. The Challenge is meant to give the participants
a chance to expand their knowledge of Martian exploration and provide valuable
professional experience, while also popularizing the topic among the wider public,
including the Challenge audience.
1.2.
The European Rover Challenge is organized by European Space Foundation and
Planet PR Agency, also referred to as the Organizers. Mars Society Polska, a Polish
non-governmental organization, is a Partner of the event.
1.3.
The ERC will be held September 5-6, 2015 in Regional Science-Technology Center
at Podzamcze near Kielce, Poland.
1.4.
The Challenge website address is: www.roverchallenge.eu
1.5.
The Challenge lasts two days. On the first day, Teams shall register at the Challenge
location and may test their rovers on site, before the field tasks.
1.5.1
On the first day, representatives of each Team shall register with the Organizer
staff at the designated location (see 1.3.) before 10:00 AM local time.
1.5.2
Field tasks are held on the first and second day, according to a detailed schedule,
to be announced by the Organizer reasonably in advance and provided on the
Challenge website.
1.5.3
The non-field Presentation Task is held at some point during that two day period.
The exact scheduling will be announced by the Organizer.
1.5.4
On the second day, at the end of the Challenge, Team total scores are computed,
winners announced and awards given.
1.6.
The Challenge Location, the location where field tasks are held, will be landscaped
artificially specifically for the Challenge. Low-growing vegetation could be present and
sandy, non-cohesive soil as well as hard, dry terrain should be expected. The rover
should be built to handle such terrain in late Polish summer or early autumn weather
conditions, including appropriate dust resistance and a temperature tolerance of at
least 5 to 30 degrees Celsius. It should also be able to handle drizzle or light rain,
since the tasks may take place in such conditions.
1.7.
In the event of a heavy rainfall, the field tasks will be transferred to an area sheltered
by a special tent structure and the Organizer will modify the tasks accordingly. Should
an extremely heavy downpour occur, such that provisions for heavy rainfall will be
insufficient, the Organizer may, at their sole discretion, interrupt or shorten the
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Challenge. This may include computing the total scores and selecting the winner
without completing all of the planned tasks. Should it happen that all the Challenge
tasks will be cancelled, no awards will be given.
1.8.
Teams will control their rovers from rover control areas designated for them on site, in
the base tent. The areas will be set up so that Team Members will not see their rover
during the tasks. Each Team can send an Observer, who will be allowed to follow the
rover at a safe distance to ensure the machine’s basic safety, but the Observer will
not be allowed to communicate with the Team Members in the control area.
1.9.
During tasks only judges and team’s Observer can access field of the task. No
manual intervention is allowed except events for which task rules stand different.
1.10.
The Organizer furnishes each team tent with tables, chairs, and a power strip with
four 230V, 50Hz standard Polish sockets. The spaces will be numbered and assigned
to Teams through a draw. The Teams will draw area numbers once, before the
Challenge begins, for the whole duration of the contest. Distance between team tent
and Challenge Location will be up to 1 km for separate Challenge Location from RF
interferences.
1.11.



Schedule - the exact time window for each task will be specified by the Organizer:
an initial schedule will be provided one week before the Challenge,
a detailed schedule will be provided on the first day of the Challenge,
in general, each Team will have approximately up to 30 minutes to complete each
task,
schedule is rigid - no Team is allowed to exceed the permissible time limit or
postpone task's time window,
a certain amount of time will be scheduled in between tasks to allow Teams to
modify, repair and optimize their rovers.


1.12.
Organizer will provide a map of the Challenge area in the first day of competitions
with georeference points.
1.13.
Points will be shown on a dedicated scoreboard after each task.
1.14.
The Challenge Jury consists of a number of specialists selected by the Organizer.
While judging the Challenge the Jury acts independently of the Organizer, but they
will adhere to the schedule provided by the Organizer. In case of an unforeseen by
the Competition Rules issue, Jury will adhere to the rules to be announced
reasonably in advance and provided on the Challenge website.
Stay tuned for more updates on www.roverchallenge.eu
2. Teams
2.1.
The 2015 edition of the Challenge is planned for a maximum of 12 Student Teams.
The Organizer and the Challenge Jury will choose which of the registered Teams are
allowed to field their rover at the Challenge. The choice will be made based on
Reports that the Teams are required to send to the Organizer. The Reports required
are described in detail in section 5. The deadline for their submission is April 30th
2015. The Organizer will announce which Teams have qualified for the Challenge
proper by May 7th 2015.
2.2.
Team Registration will be open from January 9th 2015 till March 31st 2015.
Registration details shall be sent to the Organizer in English, to the following e-mail
address: [email protected]. If these document is not submitted in the form and
within the time laid down, Team will not be allowed to participate in the Challenge.
The Organizer has the right to extend the deadline for submission of documents and
announce it reasonably in advance and provide on the Challenge website.
The Team Registration e-mail shall include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Name of the higher education institution with which the Team is affiliated (if
the Team is affiliated with more than one institution, please list all the names,
in descending order of involvement)
Team name
Rover name (may be the same as Team name)
Letter of intent - up to 10 sentences explaining the reasons for proposing the
Team to the Challenge.
Approximate number of Team Members who plan on coming to the Challenge
(i.e. appearing on site)
Team Coordinator name and surname, telephone number and e-mail address
Team website address or/and Facebook fanpage
The following declaration, in English:
“By sending this message and registering the Team to the European Rover
Challenge we fully accept all terms and provisions of the European Rover
Challenge Rules and all final decisions of the European Rover Challenge
Organizer.”
2.3.
Student Teams must consist of higher education students and recent graduates only.
Specifically: undergraduate and graduate Masters-degree level students (with no
limitations), PhD students (optionally, but no more than half the Team), and
graduates who have received their Bachelor or Masters level diplomas in the
calendar year in which the Challenge is held. Teams may ask their institution’s faculty
for help, but must prepare and sign all the required rover documentation themselves.
2.4.
A Team may consist of students of more than one higher education institution. An
institution may also affiliate more than one Team. Team membership is exclusive –
each person can be a Member of only one Team.
2.5.
Each Team Member will be issued an ID with the following details:
•
Name and surname
•
Team name
Stay tuned for more updates on www.roverchallenge.eu
•
2.6.
Academic affiliation (name of their higher education institution).
Each rover may cost at most 15 000 Euro. If expenses are paid in another currency,
the exchange rate from September 1st 2015 will apply. The cost limit applies to
payments for rover parts, equipment and any paid work done on the project (e.g. paid
services, paid work hours). It does not include tools, volunteer work and team travel
expenses. Teams may have sponsors or donors who provide them with money, tools,
parts or equipment. Such donations and sponsorships must be properly documented
and included in the rover cost balance. If a Team receives tools, parts, equipment or
any other asset that is not cash, standard market value must be used when
calculating its worth.
3. The Rover
3.1.
The rover has to be a stand-alone, mobile platform. No cables or tethers will be
allowed for connection to external sources during its operation.
3.2.
Challenge Tasks are independent. Teams will be permitted to change rover
configuration between tasks. A certain amount of time will be scheduled in between
tasks to allow Teams to modify, repair and optimize their rovers.
3.3.
The weight limit for the rover during a Task is 50 kilograms. The limit applies to every
Task (i.e. task-relevant rover configuration) separately. Equipment used for rover
maintenance and preparation, unused spare parts, and elements not mounted during
a particular Task are not included in this limit. A separate limit of 20 kilograms applies
to all spare energy sources and rover equipment that is not mounted during a
particular Task (combined). There is no weight limit on equipment used to steer and
control the rover from the rover control area, communications equipment in that area,
or maintenance equipment. If the relevant weight limits are not reached, a 0.5 point
will be added to the score for every kilogram of weight not used, but no more than 10
points. If a limit is exceeded, 1 point will be subtracted for every kilogram, but no
more than 20 points. For scoring purposes, kilograms will be rounded upwards.
3.4.
The rover should be radio controlled, in real time. Each Task will require the rover to
travel a certain distance, but never more than 0.5 kilometers from the starting point.
The starting point will be no farther than 20 meters from the control station tent.
3.5.
Rover autonomy is not required but bonus points, specified in task description, will be
awarded for it. In order to achieve full autonomy, teams can not touch the controls
once the task attempt begins. The only exception is to send start and stop
commands. If team members touch the controls, then the autonomy points for that
competition attempt will not be awarded. However, teams may revert to manual
control to complete that competition attempt. Telemetry to monitor the health of the
rover is allowed during autonomous operations.
Stay tuned for more updates on www.roverchallenge.eu
3.6.
The rover shall be equipped with an easily accessible red emergency stop button. It
must be highly reliable and immediate. Therefore, an unmodified, commercial off-theshelf, red button is required. If an unsafe event occurs, judges will push the
emergency stop button. The button action has to isolate the batteries from the active
subsystems.
3.7.
Radio communication with the rover must use legally available frequencies and legal
power levels. A more detailed description of the relevant norms will be provided
separately on the Challenge Website.
Typical frequencies accepted by ERC (check Challenge website for updates):
Up to 50W EIRP (radio amateur bands)
0144.000-0146.000 MHz
0430.000-0440.000 MHz
1240.000-1300.000 MHz
2300.000-2400.000 MHz
5650.000-5850.000 MHz
Additionally up to 100mW EIRP
WiFi 2.4 GHz channels: 1-13 (2412 MHz - 2472 MHz)
WiFi 5.6 GHz channels: 52, 56, 60, 64, 100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 120, 124, 128, 132,
136, 140 (5260 MHz - 5700 MHz)
If you use WiFi frequencies (for example for RF video transmitter, of for WiFi
communication), you should be ready for changing frequency to other channel.
If you use WiFi technology your SSID name should be set to “erc_teamname”.
For voice communication using 500 mW PMR licensed transceivers:
Channel
Frequency (MHz)
1
446,00625
2
446,01875
3
446,03125
4
446,04375
5
446,05625
6
446,06875
7
446,08125
8
446,09375
Any other frequencies are possible if you have licences for they and this licence will
be accepted by RF communication judge.
Before competition, rovers and ground stations must be checked and accepted by
radio communication judge after EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) test.
During competition, rovers and ground stations will be randomly EMC tested.
Unauthorized changes to the RF configuration can cause disqualification.
Stay tuned for more updates on www.roverchallenge.eu
3.8.
No rover can intentionally harm another team’s rover. This includes radio jamming,
denial of service to network, ground manipulation, ramming, flipping, pinning,
conveyance of current, or other forms of damage as decided upon by the judges.
Immediate disqualification will result if judges deem any maneuvers by a team as
being offensive in nature. Erratic behavior or loss of control of the rover as
determined by the judges will be cause for immediate disqualification. A judge may
disable the rover by pushing the red emergency stop button at any time.
3.9.
A rover shall be able to take part in all of the tasks, which means that relevant
equipment shall be present and operating at the ERC 2015. Teams which don't
present their rovers ability to perform tasks will not be allowed to participate in
competitions.
4. Tasks
4.1. Science Task – sample retrieval (total: 100 points)
4.1.1. During this task, the rover must obtain three samples, each from a different location
selected by the Organizer, and transport them back to the start line. The rover must
have three sample containers mounted. Samples must be delivered in dedicated
containers, one container for each sample. Containers can be manipulated and
removed from the robot only in the company of judge. Every additional manipulation
of the containers/samples (like adding material, shaking/hitting rover etc.), not done
by the rover tools during task, will be the basis to cancel all points for this task.
Teams are not required to follow the sample extraction method suggested in the
Rules. After the rover returns to the start line, each sample will be judged and
weighted.
4.1.2. The first sample should be a piece of rock (a stone), weighing at least 100 grams.
The Team will decide which rock will be collected, set of various sizes will be present
on site. For every full 10 grams less, a 1 point will be subtracted from the relevant
score pool. Suggested extraction method: grip.
4.1.3. The second sample should be a piece of loose surface soil, weighing at least 200
grams. For every full 10 grams less, a 1 point will be subtracted from the task score
pool. Suggested extraction method: scoop.
4.1.4. The third sample should be a piece of deeper soil, extracted from a layer at least 15
centimeters below the surface. Judges will verify sampling depth based on the
sample’s color (soil color will differ depending on depth), according to a reference
key. The sample should weigh at least 25 grams. For every full 1 gram less, a 1 point
will be subtracted from the task score pool. Recognizable amount of the sample
collected, will be awarded by 5 points. Suggested extraction method: drill.
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4.1.5. Points will be awarded for:
•
Placement of the first sample in the container – 10 points.
•
Placement of the second sample in the container – 10 points.
•
Placement of the third sample in the container – 20 points.
•
Return to start line location before task time ends, with at least one sample
collected – 10 points.
•
Sample #1 score pool: sample #1 has correct weight – 10 points.
•
Sample #2 score pool: sample #2 has correct weight – 15 points.
•
Sample #3 score pool: sample #3 has correct weight – 20 points.
•
Presentation of any recognizable amount of deep-layer material - 5 points.
4.1.6. Bonus
Description of samples - each team will have 50 minutes from task finish to prepare
sample descriptions in writing, to obtain bonus points. The descriptions should be
reasonably concise and list the information the sample can provide to Mars
researchers. The file must be delivered in time mentioned above to the task Judge on
usb flash disk in pdf file - up to 15 bonus points.
Photos of each sampling location will be worth 5 bonus points, totaling at 15 bonus
points (for all three locations).
Secured/closed/sealed containers - up to 10 points.
Collection of additional data related to samples measured in-situ or in container - up
to 10 points.
4.2. Terrain Traversal Task – „blind” traversal (total: 100 points)
4.2.1. In this Task, Teams must guide their rovers to the specific locations, by a partly
planned route, with no input from rover cameras, relying solely on the rover’s
navigation system. The set of subsequent location coordinates in a DMS format (e.g.
N52 40'23.06"; E20 22'13.34") will be presented in the map (issued during
registration). The DMS format for location coordinates will be the only one used
throughout the Task. Teams must then guide their rovers from the starting point to the
first, second and third location, respectively. Teams can choose any route they wish
when leading the rover to the first and second location, but the route from the second
to the third location has to be an almost straight line. However, between the 1st and
2nd location there will be a 2 meters wide obstacle which has to be bypassed by the
rover in any way. Arrival at a location will be considered successful if the rover’s
position differs by no more than 10m from the coordinates given. The distance will be
measured after Team stops the rover and declares that it reached the given location.
4.2.2. After arriving at the start gate and positioning the rover properly, i.e. facing the Task
terrain, Team must turn off the rover camera signal transmission. From that point
rover shall rely solely on a navigation system that provides numerical coordinates or
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shows the rover’s position on a virtual map. The Teams may use a GNSS receiver
(only single frequency receivers are allowed) and/or any autonomous navigation (or
aiding) technique. It means that all raw data shall be processed on-board without
sending them to the rover control tent. Only rover’s coordinates shall be broadcasted
in order to allow the Judges to see the rover position (raw coordinates or moving
point in the map) throughout the Task. Any artificial landmarks, beacons or external
infrastructure are not allowed.
4.2.3. A Judge and an Observer will follow the rover. If the rover crosses the border of the
designated Task area, the Judge will ask the Team to stop the rover and the
Observer will be asked to turn the machine around, Task terrain inwards, and, if
possible, at right angles with respect to the border the rover was crossed. However,
on Team’s request the Judge can either allow to move the rover to the starting point
again (possibly to the last successfully reached location) or let the rover
independently go back to the designated area.
4.2.4. In the part where the approximately straight path is required the rover will have to
pass along the 15 meters wide area (will be marked in the map). Traversal will be
considered as a fully successful, if the rover does not cross the border of the given
area. In case of the border crossing event the procedure as described in the previous
point will be applied.
4.2.5. Points will be awarded for:
•
Traversal to the location (1st and 2nd) – 2*(10-floor(d)) points, where d is a
distance (in meters) from the given location to the nearest element of the rover
structure. The rule is only applied if d<10m.
•
Traversal from the second to third location - 30-(5*n) points, where n is a
number of border crossing events. No additional penalty points if n>6.
•
Return to base tent location before task time ends – 10 points.
4.2.6. Bonus #1
If the rover operates autonomously during traversal from the second to the third
location, the Team will be awarded 25 bonus points. However, judges must be informed
about the attempt at an autonomous traversal before the Task begins.
4.2.7. Bonus #2
If at least two navigation techniques (including aiding techniques) are efficiently
combined and team is able to justify an improvement of the localization information
(by presenting the test results and idea of data fusion) up to 25 bonus points will be
scored.
4.3. Maintenance Task – the reactor (total: 100 points)
4.3.1. During this Task, the Teams have to use their rovers to operate two devices, located
at some distance from the start line. One of the devices is a mock-up reactor for the
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base’s life support system and the other is the reactor control panel. The objectives:
get the life support reactor working again and measure its power parameters. Teams
must use (with the rover’s arms) a set of switches to start the reactor and measure
the current and voltage on the reactor panel terminals. The reactor will start working
again only, if all the switches are in the correct positions.
4.3.2. To measure reactor voltage and current, the Team will first have to successfully turn
the reactor on and then turn on an additional switch on the reactor panel. The exact
reactor power parameters will be announced before the Task begins, but the voltage
will be in a 0-30 volts range. The terminals on which the measurement is to be
conducted will be two pins of a standard European AC 230V power socket. To be
considered successful, the measurement must have an error of at most 0.5 volt.
4.3.3. The correct switch setting to “run” the reactor will be different for each Team and will
be announced right before the Task begins. The order in which the switches are
turned on will not matter. However, if a wrong switch is accidentally turned on
together with the right switch, that part will be considered unsuccessful. To turn such
a switch on successfully, the Team will have to switch off the wrong switch first, then
switch the right switch off and on again. The switches will be standard, industrialgrade elements, set in an industrial-grade casing, placed somewhere between 0.2
and 1.5 meter above ground level.
4.3.4. The next task will be to adjust the correct value, specified for each Team with use of
typical knob. The value will be indicated on LCD display located near-by. The
adjusted value must be set with tolerance of 1 unit.
4.3.5. Points will be awarded for:
•
Turning on the required switches – 10 points per switch, 4 switches, 40 points
total.
•
Turning on the power measurement switch – 10 points.
•
Plug into the socket - 10 points.
•
Voltage measurement – 10 points.
•
Adjustment of specified value with use of the knob - 20 points
•
Return to base tent location before task time ends – 10 points.
4.4. Assistance Task – emergency repairs (total: 100 points)
4.4.1. During this Task, the Teams shall drive the rover and handle a spare part from a spot
and transport it to a repair site.
4.4.2. The spare part will be a solid and irregular body with a stick-like handle. The handle’s
dimensions are: 30 mm in diameter and at least 100 mm long. The maximum mass
will not exceed 200 g.
4.4.3. The spare part has unknown physical properties (unknown CoG, moments of inertia,
etc.).
4.4.4. The spare part shall be taken from its position and transported to a repair site.
4.4.5. The team shall use only remotely controllers (for example: cameras and related
equipment). No team member is allowed to inform a driver about a situation in the
field.
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4.4.6. A team shall perform all of the tasks within the assistance task and fulfill following
requirements:
● drive a rover remotely from a start line to a spot, where a spare part is located (5
points)
● catch the spare part. No damage is allowed. (10 points)
● hold the spare part (with no rover movement) for at least 10 seconds. Every second
below 10 charges 1 point (i.e. 7 seconds of holding the spare part gives 7 points for
the team; max 10 points)
● transport the spare part to the repair site. If the spare part is dropped, the team shall
return to a start/end line and start a task from a beginning. (20 points)
● put the spare part on a designated spot:
○ in a correct attitude (20 points)
○ in an incorrect attitude (5 points)
○ the spare part is not placed on a spot (0 points)
● take a photo of a spot with the spare part (5 points)
● return to the start/end line (5 points)
● if above tasks are performed, then the team is allowed to access to an extra task:
○ drive a rover remotely from a start line to a bonus spot, where a bonus spare
part is located (10 points)
○ grab the bonus spare part and return to a start/line with this part (10 points).
4.5. Presentation Task (total: 70 points)
4.5.1. A presentation task is on to give an opportunity to present a rover and a team to the
Judges. The presentation will be performed on challenge days (the exact spot and
time will be provided by the organizer).
4.5.2. The organizer provides a facility for a presentation which contains: a room, a
projector (with at least VGA connector, more detailed technical information will be
provided later), a microphone and a speaker system.
4.5.3. Each presentation shall be done within 25 minutes and in English only. Further
discussion with each team will be done in English only and it will take 10 minutes.
The overall time for a presentation task is 35 minutes and it cannot be extended.
4.5.4. A presentation shall cover following topics (max: 35 points):
● name of the project (1 point)
● a list of team members and their affiliations (4 points)
● a description of a motivation for development of the rover and attendance the
challenge + mission statement (5 points)
● a description of an engineering approach (10 points)
● a description of a management methods applied to a project (10 points)
● a description of a promotion activity conducted in a project lifecycle (5 points)
4.5.5. Extra points might be earned if following information are provided (max: 35 points):
● detailed description of the computer-aided design methods applied to development of
a rover such as CAD, CAM, FEM, etc. (5 points)
● application of a unique designs/solutions which makes a rover and/or control
equipment innovative (5 points)
● scientific and educational approach (what kind of scientific knowledge and/or IPR was
gathered/generated during a development of the project; 20 points)
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●
a unique presentation style (interesting style of presentation, innovative methods, etc;
5 points)
4.6. Judges’ Opinion
While announcing the final Challenge results, the Judges will also give short, subjective
opinions about each of the Teams. No points will be awarded in connection with the opinions.
5. Reports & Documentation
5.1.
Each Team shall send a draft of a rover design to the Organizer’s e-mail
address by April 30th 2015. The e-mail address is: [email protected] The design
draft shall be written in English, and be 6 A4 pages long, with a maximum word count
of 2500. The file format must be PDF. If these document is not submitted in the form
and within the time laid down, Team will not be allowed to participate in the
Challenge. Quality of this documents will be considered building final list of
competitors. Rover design draft shall contain the following elements:
● A title page with the heading “European Rover Challenge 2015”, the higher
education institution name, Team name, rover name, and the title “Draft
Design”
● A description of the Team
● A basic description and a specification of the Team’s rover, rover control
system and additional equipment, including predicated technical parameters
● Planned technical budgets and parameters: mass, dimensions, operational
ranges, working time
● Dimensional drawings: main dimensions and ranges specified
● A detailed description of fulfilling each of the technical and environmental
requirements pointed in Chapter 3.
5.2.
Each Team shall prepare a promotional video, which must be completed and
submitted by July 30th 2015 The file should be submitted in a standard and format
appropriate for Internet distribution. The Organizer will provide an FTP server to
which the video file must be uploaded. If the promotional movie is not submitted in the
form and within the time laid down, Team will not be allowed to participate in the
Challenge.
Promotional video shall present rovers capability to take part in the ERC2015 and it
shall contain following elements, for which Challenge bonus points will be awarded
(total: 40 points):
● introducing Team name, Rover name, and the higher education institution
name – 1 points,
● introducing the Team members and a description of who is responsible for
what in the project – 3 points,
● introducing the reasons for proposing the Team to the Challenge - 5 points
● a presentation of a safety button performance - 7 points,
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●
●
●
5.3.
a presentation of remote control ability - 7 points,
a presentation of rover’s ability to ride and operation of manipulator - 7 points,
quality and proper visual aesthetics value of the movie – 10 points,
Each Team should fill radio communication system form for any RF module. It shall
be send to the Organizer’s e-mail address by August 25th 2015. The e-mail address
is: [email protected] It has to be written in English. If these document is not
submitted in the form and within the time laid down, Team will not be allowed to
participate in the Challenge.
RF Form shall contain:
● Team name:
● Country:
● How many different communication system you will use?:
● Name of the person responsible for communication system:
● Contact to the person responsible for communication system (email address):
● System information (multiply this part for any RF system)
○ RF system name:
○ Frequency:
○ Bandwidth:
○ RF transmit power:
○ Modulation:
○ Short description:
5.4.
Each Team shall submit a full Technical Specification of the completed rover, control
system and additional equipment. It shall be send to the Organizer’s e-mail address
by August 25th 2015. The e-mail address is: [email protected] It has to be
written in English, with a maximum length of 20 A4 pages and a maximum word count
of 40 000. It has to be also provided in printed form and as a PDF file on a CD while
registering on the first day of the Challenge. If these document is not submitted in the
form and within the time laid down, Team will not be allowed to participate in the
Challenge.
Technical Specification shall contain the following elements, for which Challenge
points will be awarded (max 100 points):
•
•
•
•
•
•
A title page with the heading “European Rover Challenge 2015”, the higher
education institution name, Team name, rover name, and the title “Technical
Specification” – 1 point.
A short description of the Team – 4 points.
Design assumptions – 10 points.
Technical budgets and parameters: mass, dimensions (with drawings),
operational ranges, working time etc. – 10 point.
A description of the rover’s structure, materials and technologies used – 5
points.
A description of the mounted equipment – 5 points.
Stay tuned for more updates on www.roverchallenge.eu
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A description of the control equipment (rover operation console) – 5 points.
Radio connection specification (listing frequencies used etc.) – 5 point.
System architecture (interfaces, signal and power buses) - 8 points.
Software architecture and used technologies - 8 points
Operational scenarios (steps how hardware, software and operator must
cooperate to finish tasks) - 7 points.
Safety systems and operations - 5 points.
Rover budget – 10 points.
Project progress description and review milestones, with photos – 7 points.
Field test description: method, results, conclusions – 10 points.
By providing the Organizer with the design draft, technical specification, other data,
promotional materials and visuals (e.g. photos and videos), the Teams indicate they
agree to any and all of this data being stored and processed in the Organizer’s
computer systems. Teams grant permission to the Organizer to use promotional
materials and visuals (e.g. photos and videos), as well as any additional photos,
videos, portraits, documents, interviews and other materials resulting from
participation in the Challenge (using the name of the Participant or not) on all media,
in any language, anywhere in the world, in any manner, for advertising and
promotional purposes. On the other hand, the Organizer will keep all technical
documentation confidential and will not publish or disclose it to third parties without
the express approval of a Team’s representatives. The sole exception to this is the
Challenge Jury – technical documentation will be disclosed to the Judges for scoring
purposes only.
6. Awards
The award for 1st place, Grand Prix ERC, is a cash award. Smaller cash awards will
be given for the 2nd and 3rd place. The award amounts will be announced on the
Challenge Website.
The Organizer will also give a separate Special Bonus Award to the Team with the
highest number of bonus points. The form of the award will be specified on the
Challenge Website.
The Organizer may also announce other awards and allow awards funded by third
parties. Third party award funders must have the Organizer’s approval.
Stay tuned for more updates on www.roverchallenge.eu
7. Concluding Remarks
7.1.
The Organizer has the right to extend the deadline for submission of documents and
provide essential but inevitable changes to the Competition Rules. However,
introduced changes cannot concern the key issues for the rover’s design. All
introduced changes will be reasonably announced in advance and provided on the
Challenge website.
7.2.
The Organizer will provide 'European Rover Challenge 2015 Questions & Answers'
as a part of the Competition Rules. All arrangements contained therein are ultimately
binding - even if they change the Competition Rules. FAQ will be reasonably
announced in advance and provided on the Challenge website.
7.3.
Any and all issues with scoring during the Challenge shall be resolved solely by the
independent Jury (i.e. Challenge Judges). Teams may not appeal to any other party.
7.4.
Organizational issues, including: Team eligibility, Challenge organization and the
execution of Jury decisions, shall be resolved by the Organizer.
7.5.
Should there arise any conflict related to the Challenge, the Organizer’s decision shall
be considered final and binding.
7.6.
The Organizer may disqualify a Team, in the event of a serious breach of Rules or
fair play.
7.7.
Answers to any Challenge related questions that arise will be provided on the
Challenge website. If you have questions, contact the Organizer at:
[email protected]
7.8.
Team Members agree to their personal data being stored and processed in the
Organizer’s computer systems. They also give the Organizer, parties designated by
the Organizer and the audience, the right to disclose and publish any photos, videos
or other visuals; their names and surnames, identifiable pictures of themselves and
any other persons, as well as pictures of machines, devices and equipment in any
and all of the available formats, by any and every known method, in any and every
known medium. Personal data and information about Team Members other than their
names and surnames will not be published.
7.9.
Teams and Team Members accept sole responsibility for securing and insuring the
safety of their equipment and luggage in the Challenge location. They indemnify and
release the Organizer of any responsibility in the event of damage, destruction or
theft of any property.
7.10.
The Organizer’s civil liability is limited solely to the responsibility for organizing a
mass event in accordance with Polish law and local regulations.
Stay tuned for more updates on www.roverchallenge.eu