TIN CAN RALLY

Game Rules

1. The objective of the game, called Tin Can Rally, is to race around a track, avoiding tin cans along the way.
2. Before a match begins, participating teams must:
   • Present their robot in the staging area, adjacent to the arena, before the scheduled close of staging time. The staging area will be clearly marked on the day.
   • Attach a robot flag. Robot flags will be provided by match officials in the staging area.
   • Place their robot in the starting area that they are assigned. The robot must be placed such that it is entirely within this starting area, with no parts overhanging its boundary. Its orientation does not matter.
   • Vacate the arena before the scheduled start time. At this point there must be no interaction with the robot.
   • Follow the directions of the match officials.
   Teams that fail to comply with these rules – such as by arriving late – may forfeit the match, at the discretion of the match officials.
3. The game is played between two robots.
4. Each match lasts for 150 seconds.
5. Robots will be started at the direction of match officials.
6. Game points are awarded as follows:
   1. 2 points are awarded each time a robot crosses a scoring line in the anti-clockwise direction.
   2. A robot is deemed to have passed a scoring line when the entire robot has passed the line.
   3. If a robot passes backwards (i.e: clockwise) over any scoring line it must "undo" these before any further forwards line crossings will be counted.
   4. If a robot avoids knocking over any cans since its last forward scoring line crossing, the crossing is worth an additional 1 point.
7. At the end of the match the robot with the most points wins.
8. The arena is a square of the design specified in the specifications section.

Regulations

1. All robots must be safe.
2. Decisions by match officials are final.
3. Teams must conduct themselves within the principles of good sporting conduct.
4. Robots must be fully autonomous. No remote control systems or receivers are permitted.
5. Robots must pass a safety inspection before they can compete.
   1. Robots must not have any sharp edges or points.
   2. Robots must have all electronics securely mounted.
   3. Robots must provide adequate protection to the battery and its wires.
   4. A robot's battery must be in the provided battery box, which must be securely mounted.
   5. The power board must be mounted on the top of the robot, with its buttons easily accessible.
6. While accidental bumps and scrapes are inevitable, the sport is non-contact.
7. Robots must not intentionally damage anything inside the arena. At the discretion of match officials, teams who deliberately engage in collisions or take insufficient precautions against collisions may be penalised, including disqualification from rounds and deduction of league points.
8. Robots must have a spare USB slot accessible to match officials, so that a dongle can be connected to enable competition mode on the robot.
9. Robots must fit within a 500mm ⨉ 500mm ⨉ 500mm cube.
10. Robots must have a mass of less than 10kg.
11. Robots must not deliberately drop any part of themselves onto the arena.
12. Any assistance from staff is provided without guarantees.
13. Robots must have a flag mounting.

Violations of these regulations will result in penalties, including deductions of points or outright disqualification.

Specifications

Markers

The arena is labelled with fiducial markers. Each marker pattern encodes a number. Each marker number is associated with a particular feature within the arena, and also has an associated size.

Sixteen arena wall markers are positioned around the arena as shown in the arena specification. Marker codes are repeated on each side of the arena.

Wall markers are placed such that the bottom of the marker is 20±5mm from the arena floor.

Arena

1. The above figure represents, to scale, a birds eye view of the arena. The arena is a square with side length 5400mm.
2. The floor of the arena is covered with a closed-loop, short pile carpet.
3. The perimeter of the arena floor is delimited by the arena wall, which has a minimum height of 250mm.
4. The inner walls of the arena have a minimum height of 170mm.
5. Scoring lines are marked using tape with width 50±5mm.
6. Starting areas are 1000±50mm squares and will be marked by tape which is considered part of the starting area. Robots may start anywhere inside their starting area facing any direction.
7. SRO reserves the right to have match officials in the arena during games.

Robot flags

1. A "robot flag" is a removable identifier that will be attached to a robot throughout a match. It allows spectators to easily associate a robot with its starting area.
2. Flags are not counted when considering the size of the robot.
3. The identifying part of the robot flag must be visible when attached to the mount.
4. The mounting cylinder must be permanently affixed to the main chassis of a robot, and vertical when the robot is in its typical stopped position.

Line follow guide

1. The line follow guide is marked with tape on the arena floor.
2. The guide is marked using black tape with width 12±1mm. The black tape is positioned centrally on a piece of white tape with width 50±5mm.
3. Where the line follow guide passes another taped line, the guide and surrounding contrast will always be on top.

Competition Structure

The competition is structured in two phases: the main league and the knockout.

Matches

1. At the end of a game, league points will be awarded as follows:
   • The team with the most game points will be awarded 4 points towards the competition league.
   • The team with the second most will be awarded 2.
   • Teams whose robot was not entered into the round, or who were disqualified from the round, will be awarded no points.
2. If a match ends in a tie, both robots will be awarded 3 points.
3. At the end of the leagues, positions in the leagues are used to seed a knockout. The knockouts will be used to determine the final 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd awards.
4. In the event of a tie in a knockout match, the team that ranked highest in the league will go through. In the event of a tie in league points, the team which has the most game points in the league will go through.

Additional points

1. An additional 4 league points are awarded for each team who completes the entire Electronics Lab before the end of Wednesday.
2. An additional 4 league points are awarded for each team who completes the entire Robotics Lab before the end of Wednesday.
3. At the end of the Lightning Talks, league points will be awarded as follows:
   • 4 points for the highest scoring team.
   • 2 points for the second highest scoring team.
   • 1 point for the third highest scoring team.