Virtual University Rover Challenge 2021

The Virtual University Rover Challenge 2021 will be held June 3-5, 2021. The rules and instructions are
posted publicly so that any team may participate, however only teams who placed in the top 36 of the
URC2021 System Acceptance Review (SAR) will be scored live by judges.

Teams will compete in the 3 Missions outlined below, and will do so during two live judging sessions
(completing each Mission once). The Equipment Servicing Mission and Autonomous Navigation Mission
will be completed in a single session. The sessions will be scheduled in advance, and teams will only be
evaluated on their performance during the live judging, similar to the scoring for an in-person
competition.

The Virtual University Rover Challenge 2021 does not take the place of the URC2021 Finals. Rather, it is
an alternative event being offered to teams following the cancellation of the Finals.

Logistics

The competition sessions will take place via a video conferencing service. Teams are required to have at
least 2 cameras joining as separate participants: 1) a view of the operators from behind, looking at the
controls, and 2) a view following the rover performing the tasks. Camera operators must have the ability
to respond to directions from the judges, which will be provided in English. Video of the sessions will be
recorded, and may be live streamed and/or posted online at a later date.

Video sessions will start approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the first Mission of that session.
Prior to each mission, teams will be required to weigh-in their rover on camera to verify that it weighs
less than 50 kg, and confirm that the rover fits within a 1.2 m x 1.2 m box (unbounded in height). See
Section 2.a.ii of the URC2021 rules for more details.


Rules Applicability
The following sections of the official URC2021 Requirements and Guidelines document are applicable to
the virtual event:
    ● Section 1.b - Operations. Only the following statements still apply:
             ○ Teams will operate their rovers in real-time from designated command and control
                 stations.
             ○ Visibility of the course to the operators in the control station will be blocked.
             ○ All of the competition events will be held in full daylight.
             ○ The GPS standard shall be the WGS 84 datum. Coordinates will be provided in
                 latitude/longitude format (e.g. decimal degrees; degrees decimal minutes; degrees
                 minutes seconds).
            ○   Rovers shall be able to withstand light rain, but will not be expected to compete in heavy
                rain or thunderstorms.
    ●   Section 1.c - Team Members. This section applies in its entirety.
    ●   Section 1.d - Finances. This section applies in its entirety.
    ●   Section 2.a - Size, Weight, Power. This section applies in its entirety.
    ●   Section 2.d - Interventions. This section applied in its entirety.

The rover shall be operated remotely using wireless communications with no time delay. The operators
will not be able to directly view the rover or the site, and line-of-sight communications are not
guaranteed for all of the missions (will be determined by the team’s chosen test site). No aerial devices
are allowed. Specific communication frequencies and channels used are at the discretion of each team.
Always adhere to local regulations regarding allowed radio frequency protocols.


Extreme Retrieval and Delivery Mission
Teams will be given 40 minutes to complete the Extreme Retrieval and Delivery Mission (ERDM) course,
which consists of several tasks. The tasks must be completed in order. You may skip a task but you
cannot go back later. Scoring for each task is all-or-nothing; no partial credit will be given for tasks.

The start line must be clearly marked. The clock will start either on the judge’s command, or once the
rover passes the start line. There is no need to return to the start line. The mission is over when time
elapses or the rover completes the last gate, or as otherwise provided in the rules (hit kill switch, etc).

Task 1. The rover must traverse 10 m over flat terrain, in a straight line. The rover cannot stop during the
traverse until the entire rover, including wheels, passes the 10 m mark. The 10 m mark must be clearly
marked on the ground. (10 points)

Task 2. The rover must grab and lift a toolbox from a scale, carry it 5 m, and place it within a marked 1 m
square (1 m x 1 m). This task may be done on a flat surface. The toolbox should weigh at least 5 kg, as
indicated by the scale. The toolbox’s handle may be taped or fixed so that it is in the upright position to
be easily grasped. There are no additional specifications for the toolbox. (10 points)

Task 3. Pick up a screwdriver that is lying on its side on the ground, carry it 5 m, and place it in a 30 cm
square (30 cm x 30 cm). This task can be done on a flat surface. The screwdriver must be at least 15 cm
in length. (20 points)

Task 4. Grab a 6 mm diameter rope that is attached to a weight of at least 3 kg. Drag the weight by the
rope for at least 1 m and release the rope. This task can be done on a flat surface. The weight should be
mounted on a scale to show its weight. The 1 m mark must be clearly marked on the ground, and the
entirety of the weight must pass the line for full credit. (20 points)
Task 5. Demonstrate that the rover can climb a slope of at least 30 degrees above horizontal, to a height
of at least 1 m. After 1 m of vertical ascent, the surface may continue at an incline, or may continue with
no slope; the entirety of the rover must cross the line at 1 m of vertical ascent. An artificial incline (e.g.
ramp built by the team) may be used. An inclinometer is recommended to show that the incline is at
least 30 degrees. (20 points)

Task 6. Demonstrate that the rover can descend a 1 meter vertical drop. The rover must be flat with all
wheels on a horizontal surface at the beginning and the end of the move. The rover must be in its
upright and intended orientation after the descent, and must continue to drive an additional 3 m. The
3 m mark must be clearly indicated, and the entirety of the rover must pass this mark. (20 points)


Equipment Servicing Mission
Teams will be required to build equipment panels that meet the requirements below. Details that are
not specified are left to the discretion of teams. The equipment should consist of multiple sides with
panels arranged facing out from a central point, so that the rover has to physically move between panels
and not everything can be accessed by just moving the arm. Panels do not need to be physically attached
to each other.

Sub-Panel 1. Drawer: Open drawer; Insert a toolbox; Close drawer.
You will need a toolbox, or similar object to which you can add weight and a balance or scale to read the
weight. The toolbox needs to weigh at least 2.5 kg and the weight needs to be readable by the camera
following the rover. Toolbox must be placed on the scale at least 5m away from the panel, so the rover
needs to go retrieve it. There are no requirements on the size/shape of the toolbox or drawer, other than
the drawer must be big enough to close with the toolbox inside.

Sub-Panel 2. Keyboard: Type a 3 letter code on the keyboard.
You will need a keyboard and a display. A laptop or desktop computer sitting on a desk will work. There is
no required orientation/position of the keyboard or monitor. The codeword will not be specified in
advance (judges will provide it at the start of the task) and may include letters and numbers (will not be
case sensitive). Word must be clearly readable by camera following the rover. Word must be correct for
full points. Spelling mistakes or repeated letters may be corrected using the delete button, or ignored for
partial points.

Sub-Panel 3. USB stick: Pick up a USB memory stick and insert into a USB (Type A) slot.
This may be combined with Sub-Panel 2; i.e. you can use the USB slot on a computer if you use one for
sub-panel 2. However we do recommend a panel mounted USB receptacle not connected to any other
electronics, since a $10 sacrificial part will be more damage tolerant than a computer. Memory stick
must be initially placed at least 20 cm away from the slot, such as on the other side of the keyboard.

Sub-Panel 4. Switches: Flip 3 toggle switches.
Toggle switches must be placed horizontally in a row, and require a vertical motion to toggle them. You
may use standard metal toggle switches or ones with safety covers. No extra points will be given for
safety covers.

Sub-Panel 5. Screw: Tighten a 5/16” or 8 mm Allen (hex) head screw.
May be combined with Sub-Panel 1 or 4. Screw must require at least 4 complete turns (1440°) to
tighten and clearly move from several threads exposed to tight. May use hex driver built into rover or
pick up a screwdriver placed near the screw.

Sub-Panel 6. Joystick: Use joystick to move a gauge.
May be combined with any other panel. Gauge may be either analog (e.g. needle voltmeter) or digital
(e.g. multimeter). Bottom of gauge must be at least 10 cm above the top of the joystick. Any joystick will
suffice in any orientation. Gauge must respond to joystick. You may build any mechanism/circuit you like,
but we suggest using one of the 2 options in the Appendix using a momentary switch or potentiometer
joystick. Designs using other circuits and PWM or I2C joysticks are allowed but will be the responsibility
of the teams to implement if chosen.
Based on the minimum and maximum values on the gauge you will be given 2 successive values to move
the gauge to. Values will not be specified in advance, except that the first position will be at either
extreme and the second position will be somewhere in between. Gauge position/value needs to be
clearly observable by the camera following the rover.


Autonomous Navigation Mission
Teams will begin the Autonomous Navigation Mission 10 minutes after the conclusion of the
Equipment Servicing Mission, as they would have at the URC2021 Finals.

Mission will follow Section 3.e of the URC Regulations and Guidelines, the same as if it were to take
place at MDRS in Utah.

In advance of the virtual event, find a large open area where you can set up the posts, at least 80m x
140m in size (this is a little smaller than the size of a standard 400m running track or 2 soccer/football
pitches next to each other). A field or stadium will work fine. Terrain may be flat. When requested, send
the judges the GPS coordinates of the corners of the 80x140m area you will use. This will be at least a
week ahead of the competition. Descriptions or images from Google Maps or equivalent may also help
(e.g. the stadium/soccer-fields/car-park at GPS xxx N yyy E).

Any non-movable obstacles such as goal posts, lamp posts, etc, will not be taken into account when the
judges design the course, and are the responsibility of the team to deal with such as programming in
no-go zones or allowing the autonomous obstacle-avoidance to do its job.

Make the 11 posts as shown in the Q&A Autonomy Q.5. (http://urc.marssociety.org/home/q-a). Posts
must be capable of being driven into the field you select or freestanding on the hard surface, so they do
not need someone to hold them up. You may make the posts from whatever you like, but CAD files for
metal signs on rebar stakes are included in the Appendix.

Make or obtain 4 large obstacles at least 0.8m tall x 0.5m diameter. This is the size of a 50 gallon drum,
but you may find or make alternative obstacles including rectangular ones at least 0.5 x 0.5m across.

Designate at least 1 post placer who will place the posts and not otherwise take part in this mission.
Post placers will require a meter/yard stick/roller and a portable GPS device (most smart phones have
this capability these days, although free downloadable GPS navigation apps may help). We are relying on
academic integrity and the honor system that the post placer will not give the exact coordinates of the
posts or obstacles to the controllers. Please make this a fair and fun competition. Post placers may be
non-team members, and must have a separate e-mail connection to receive the GPS coordinates. You
will need to send the e-mail addresses of the post placer and the rover controllers to the judges when
requested ahead of the competition.

Post placers will be given the GPS locations of the obstacles at least 30 mins ahead of time so they may
be pre-positioned. Post placers may NOT give the location of the obstacles to the rest of the team.
Controllers will be given the GPS location of the posts at the conclusion of the Equipment Servicing
Mission, 10 minutes prior to the start of on-course time for this mission. For Legs with posts not at the
exact GPS coordinates the post placer will be asked to walk a given distance in a random direction from
the given coordinates. For gates the posts should be a given distance apart at a random orientation.
More details can be found in URC Requirements and Guidelines Section 3.e.v. and detailed instructions
will be given to the post placers. Only the GPS coordinates will be given to the controllers. The post
placers may continue to work beyond the start of the on-course time if for some reason they have not
finished set-up by that point. Practice setting up the obstacles efficiently is strongly recommended!
Appendix A - Extreme Retrieval and Delivery Mission Course
Appendix B - Suggested Joystick Circuit Design for Equipment Servicing Mission
Option 1: Momentary switch joystick to control charging/discharging of a capacitor with about a 10
second time-constant.




Option 2: Potentiometer joystick will need a bridge circuit to control the charging:
Appendix C - Autonomous Navigation Mission Marker Posts