Section 3 Game Specific Rules Introduction Over the years, BEST Inc. has ventured into a wide variety of industries: From underground mining to space exploration - and everything in-between. Throughout its diverse pursuits, BEST has kept safety the number one priority. In line with this, BEST has announced an organization-wide Fire Safety Initiative. Mostly the initiative involves fire prevention through new and improved safety policies, but BEST has also started a Research and Development program to explore robot intervention in industrial fire emergencies. Your company is invited to submit a robot prototype to be evaluated alongside other prototypes in a stateof-the-art Industrial Fire Simulator. Besides their performance in the simulations, companies will be evaluated based on the quality of their project documentation, sales presentation, company exhibit, and even their company culture and business ethics. Robots will not be able to touch the fire directly - in order to extinguish it, they need to launch simulated water from a distance. The highest priority is rescuing the test manikin from inside. Just like in a real rescue, every second counts; robots will receive more points if they complete the rescue in less time. Good luck! Objectives Design and build a prototype robot to rescue a fire test manikin, contain the dangerous chemicals, and extinguish the flames during a three minute match. A robot can score points by doing the following: (a) Rescuing the Manikin (b) Containing the Chemical Drums (c) Extinguishing the Flames Page 25 of 62
Game Field Description The field is comprised of three Zones: The No-Entry Zone, the Hot Zone, and the Cold Zone. The No-Entry Zone is where the flames are located. The Hot Zone surrounds the No-Entry Zone, and is divided into 4 smaller areas, each of which is only accessible by one team (Green, Red, Blue, Yellow). The Cold Zone surrounds the Hot Zone and is accessible by all four teams. Page 26 of 62
3.3.1 No-Entry Zone Details The No-Entry Zone is the 6 x6 x5 structure in the middle of the field and is the origin point of the fire. A combination of the extreme temperatures and partially collapsed structure prevent robots from accessing this Zone. Robots will not be allowed to enter or even reach into the No-Entry Zone. The No-Entry Zone is divided into four sections by Shields made from window screen. The Shields are designed to prevent game pieces from exiting the field. The fire has collapsed the structure, and the flaming debris is all over the place. Mostly it is concentrated in three areas called Shelves (Top, Middle, and Bottom). The Shelves are L-Shaped and 3 ½ deep. The Top Shelf is 18 long on each side. The Middle Shelf is 30 on the left side, and 18 on the right side. The Bottom Shelf is 18 on the left side and 30 on the right side. Flames are located on the shelves in stacks of three. The Figure 1 - No-Entry Zone Flames that touch the shelves directly are centered on tape lines to make placement consistent. The tape lines are all 4.5 apart. On all 18 Shelves, the first tape line is 5 from the Shield, and on all 30 Shelves, the first tape line is 3 from the Shield. The middle and bottom Shelves hold 12 Flames each of the home quadrant color, and the top Shelves hold 3 Flames of each neighboring quadrant color. As an example, the distribution of Flames on each shelf of the Green Team s No-Entry Zone is as follows: Top: 1 Yellow stack of three on the left, 1 Red stack of three on the right Middle: 4 Green stacks of three Bottom: 4 Green stacks of three (The Green team is not responsible for the Red or Yellow flames. The Green team is responsible for the Green flames located in the Red and Yellow quadrants.) The rubble has settled on the ground in such a way that it allows excess Water to filter through it and accumulate towards the side of the No-Entry Zone. Robots may access this recycled Water by opening the Water Return. Although some of the launched Water usually collects behind the Water Return, teams are not guaranteed to be able to re-use any amount of Water. Figure 2 - Water Return Page 27 of 62
3.3.2 Hot Zone Details The Hot Zone is the 3 wide area surrounding the No- Entry Zone. It is divided by walls into four smaller areas. Each of these areas is accessible by one team (Green, Red, Blue, or Yellow). Manny the Manikin is lying on the ground in the left side of each Hot Zone. His exact position is somewhat random, but he will be lying flat (all limbs touching the ground) and will be within the 3 square partially formed by the walls. There are three Chemical Drums in the right side of each Hot Figure 3 - Hot Zone Zone, stacked in pyramid formation. The Drums have different amounts of Chemicals inside, which alters their weight, but not their outward appearance. There is no specification on where the light, middle, or heavy-weight Drums will be in the pyramid. 3.3.3 Cold Zone Details The Cold Zone is the 6 wide area surrounding the Hot Zone. All robots are allowed all the way around the Cold Zone, except inside other teams Starting Boxes. This area contains the Starting Boxes, and the Containment Areas. The Containment Area is an 18.5 x7.5 x3.5 box located in the corner of the field and is the scoring position for the Chemical Drums. A 24 by 24 wall is the outside border of the field. Outside the field are the Driver Boxes, Spotter Boxes, Stretchers, Rescue Timer Buttons, and Water Hydrants. Figure 4 - Cold Zone The Spotter Box is four feet wide, two feet deep, and located four feet to the left of the corner of the field. The Driver Box is two feet wide, two feet deep, and located four feet to the right of the corner of the field. The Stretcher is a 24 x8.5 x1.5 box and is the scoring area for the Manikin. It is located to the immediate left of the Spotter Box outside the field. The Rescue Timer Button is a 4 diameter button on an 8 square platform located on the right side of the Spotter Box. The Water Hydrant is a 2-gallon bucket, located on the left side of the Spotter Box, beyond the Stretcher. The Water Hydrant is located within 2 of the outer wall, and no more than 6 away from the Stretcher. Note: The physical game field that robots compete on will be different from the exact dimensions described in the rules and field drawings. Teams will be more successful if they prepare for these differences by building robots that are flexible and robust ( minimally sensitive to factors causing variability ). Page 28 of 62
Game Pieces 3.4.1 Manny the Manikin The Manikin is a flexible object made from rope and small lengths of ¾ PVC pipe designed to simulate the behavior of an unconscious human body. The torso pipe is 9 long, and each limb consists of two 3 ½ long pieces of pipe. The head is a 1 ½ PVC endcap placed on a 1 ½ PVC plug. There are two pieces of rope - with knots tied on each end - holding Manny together. The first piece starts at the left foot, passes through the left leg and torso, connects to the head, then passes back down through the torso pipe and right leg, ending at the right foot. The second piece of rope passes through the right and left arms, and through a ½ hole located ½ from the top of the torso. Manny also has ⅜ flat washers at each of his hands and feet, which prevent the knots from slipping into the pipes. 3.4.2 Flames The Flames are upside-down 16-oz plastic cups. The Flames come in four colors: Green, Red, Blue, and Yellow. There are 30 of each color on a game field. 3.4.3 Water Water is simulated by hollow, dimpled, plastic, practice golf balls (not solid foam, and not wiffle-ball style). They are approximately 1 ¾ in diameter, and are much lighter than regulation golf balls. There are a total of 160 Water balls for each game field. 3.4.4 Chemical Drums The Chemical Drums are quart-sized paint cans with the lid securely in place. The Drums are 5 tall and 4.25 in diameter. The paint cans will have different amounts of regulation golf balls inside to simulate various amounts of chemicals. One can in each Hot Zone will have 3 golf balls, another will have 5, and the last will have 7. Page 29 of 62