27th Annual AMD Jerry Sanders Creative
Design Competition – 2014
Competition Rules & Design Restrictions
These rules are subject to change. Jerry Sanders Officials will make their best efforts to notify teams of
changes in the rules.
If you have any questions or concerns about the rules please contact the JSDC rules chair.
I)
Competitor Responsibilities
A) Participants must adhere to the rules of the competition at all times, and are responsible for
knowing the rules of the competition.
i)
A warning will be given for minor infractions of the rules.
ii)
A second warning will
consist of either disqualification and / or removal of that team member if he/she is a direct
problem
B) Participants must follow the verbal instructions of Jerry Sanders Officials, EOH Officials, and
Safety Officials at all times.
C) Participants are responsible for showing up for all competition times and inspections or any event
that requires their participation.
D) Participants are responsible for informing the appropriate Jerry Sanders Official of problems with
radios, robots, or any other factor (especially fire) that could affect that particular match as soon
as a problem is determined.
E) Jerry Sanders Creative Design Competition is a family oriented event. The use of foul or
inappropriate language is strictly prohibited.
F) Team Composition
i)
A team may have a maximum of six (6) members, consisting of a single team captain and up
to five (5) additional members.
ii) To be eligible to compete, each team member must be a registered student at a university
during the semester during which the competition takes place (Spring), the preceding
semester (Fall), or both.
iii) Only official team members will be allowed in the pit area during the competition – all others
associated with the team will be subject to the same restrictions as regular visitors.
iv) Other persons besides the official team members may aide in the construction of a robot, but
only the official team members will be recognized at the competition site.
v) Optionally a team may have a faculty sponsor, corporate sponsor or a parent as an advisor in
addition to the six official team members. A sponsor is meant to be a sponsor only. If there is
suspicion that a team is abusing the sponsor privilege at the competition proper, the extra
person will be asked to leave. The sponsor is not an extra team member. The sponsor is
allowed in the pit area during the competition but may not assist in the repair, modification or
construction of the robot.
G) Wristbands
i)
All team members will be issued wristbands upon checking in. All team members must be
present during check in so that they can receive their wristband. Team members must show a
student ID from their university to be issued a wristband.
ii) Wristbands must be worn and clearly visible at all times during the competition.
iii) A maximum of seven (7) wristbands will be distributed to each team; one (1) Team Captain
wristband, up to five (5) Team Member wristbands, and if a sponsor is present, one (1) Team
Sponsor wristband. If a team has no sponsor they can only receive at most six (6) wristbands.
iv) Wristbands cannot be interchanged. Note that wristbands are to be worn for both competition
days. There will be no reissuing of wristbands on the second day of the competition
H) At the beginning of each match a Jerry Sanders Official is assigned to each team. Teams must
follow all directions issued by their assigned official.
I)
All instructions given by those officials are final pending the approval of the Rules Chair or Jerry
Sanders Director(s). The Rules Chair and Director(s) reserve the right to review and/or alter the
rulings of other officials at any time when these ruling are not covered by the printed competition
rules.
J) In the case of an ambiguity in the rules or in a ruling made by a Jerry Sanders Official,
clarification should be sought immediately. The Rules Chair and Jerry Sanders Director(s) hold
sole authority to interpret the competition rules and officials’ rulings in the case of such an
ambiguity.
K) In the case of a dispute between two or more teams that cannot be reconciled to all parties’
satisfaction by action of the committee, in order to prevent any appearance of favoritism to one
team or another, the AMD representatives present at the competition may be called upon to settle
the dispute. Once they have come to a decision, their ruling is final and cannot be overruled by
anyone.
II)
Robot Specifications
A) Each team is allowed to enter one (1) robot into the competition. Robots may not be exchanged
during the competition.
B) No explosives, acids, bases, flammables, chemicals, liquids, animals, projectiles, combustibles,
lasers, buzz saws, drills, EMP’s, or unstable power supplies. In summary, nothing that will
endanger the contestants, spectators, officials or the course will be allowed. The Jerry Sanders
Design Competition Committee and Safety Officials have the final judgment on whether a device
constitutes such a danger. Any inquires on the degree of danger a certain design presents should
be directed to a member of the Jerry Sanders Design Committee.
C) For public safety and to prevent damage to the course, each robot, whether piloted or autonomous,
must have an easily accessible shut off switch on the robot or be able to stop on remote command.
D) Weapons – May only be used during demo rounds.
i)
For any device that could conceivably be used as a weapon, there must be a clear
indicator, either audio or visual, to tell when the device is armed. In addition, such devices
must have easily accessible kill switches so that the device may be disarmed in the event of
control failure. A kill switch for the weapon itself must be available in conjunction with the
kill switch for the robot.
(a) A weapon may only be armed in the competing arena or in a designated area outside of
Kenney Gymnasium.
(b) While outside of Kenney Gymnasium, robots can only test in the area designated by the
JSDC Committee. We ask that teams please respect the safety of fellow competitors,
spectators and visitors while testing robots outside.
(c) Weapons may not be armed in the pit area under any circumstances.
(d) If use of a weapon, either intentional or unintentional, causes damage to the course, the
robot will be disqualified.
(e) Any offensive weapons (such as spikes, teeth or hammers) shall not be permitted during
normal competition. Whether part of a robot qualifies as a weapon shall be at the
discretion of a JSDC Judge and shall be assessed at weigh in and any time changes are
made to the robot. During Demolition rounds, weapons shall be permitted, but must be
covered both when sitting in the pit as well as when being moved so as not to pose a
safety hazard to others.
E) Any batteries used in the construction of the robots must be fully sealed due to the high
probability of robot inversion. If violation of this rule results in damage to the course, the robot in
question will be disqualified.
F) Robots must be able to fit within a 3’x3’x3’ cube. During operation, a robot may extend beyond
this size, but the robot cannot extend to a length, width, or height greater than six (6) feet. Robots
must be able to return to the 3’ cube configuration without physical intervention of an operator.
There will be strategic advantages for robots shorter than 3’.
G) Robots must weigh no more than 145 lbs.
H) Robots must remain in one piece during normal operation.
I)
Airborne entries have special stipulations. They can weigh no more than 15 lbs. Any rotors must
be made out of plastic and should not be able to cut through the safety netting which will be
suspended over the course. The same battery rules apply to airborne entries as regular entries.
Since airborne entries could pose a greater safety risk, teams planning on submitting an airborne
robot must contact the JSDC Rules Chair and Director by December 1st with a description of the
expected weight, size, propulsion type, and any other specifications of their robot which will be
helpful in determining what kind of risk such an entry might pose to the safety of spectators,
competitors, JSDC officials and the game course. After the proposal has been received, the Rules
Chair and Director will either approve or deny the entry by January 1st.
J) If an airborne entry in any way escapes the course, it will be immediately disqualified from the
tournament. Officials reserve the right to disqualify airborne or ground robots on any day of
competition if they pose a safety threat for any reason.
K) Autonomous robots will compete in qualifying rounds with other autonomous entries;
autonomous robots remaining in the semi-finals and finals will compete with all robots, both
autonomous and non-autonomous. Due to this special circumstance, any autonomous entry must
contact the JSDC Director with intent to enter an autonomous robot no later than 1 month before
the competition. Localization aids for autonomous entries will be allowed inside the course and
outside the arena if and only if the aids do not interfere with the use of the walk-ring by officials
and other teams. Autonomous robots will also receive a 5x point multiplier.
L) Pressurized / Pneumatic System Specifications
i)
Any pressurized / pneumatic system needs to have two valves – one for the tank and one
for the mechanism.
ii)
The mechanism must be able to be purged. The tank is allowed to stay pressurized.
iii)
The mechanism can only be pressurized inside the course or outside of the gym.
iv)
The mechanism must be purged before leaving the arena after competing. NO
EXCEPTIONS.
v)
If any damage occurs to the tank, it must be replaced prior to being re-pressurized or
reentering the arena.
M) R/C specifications
i)
If your team uses a standard radio transmitter, the crystal inside the robot must be easily
accessible for change throughout the competition in order to avoid frequency conflicts. All
teams will be required to be able to use two or more different crystal frequencies. During
check-in, each set of crystals, both from the controller and robot, will be required to be
inspected and documented. Installation of crystals will be asked to be done in front of judge
during check-in.
ii)
Only one frequency (standard R/C or otherwise) may be used by each robot during any
given match. Teams may change frequencies by swapping out crystals in between matches, as
per the above rule. In the event that a change takes place, a JSDC Committee official must be
made aware of the change.
iii)
Teams are responsible for following all FCC laws regarding radio transmission. The
JSDC Committee accepts no responsibility for FCC violations. Any violations may result in
disqualification.
iv)
Teams who purchased an R/C aircraft radio control must switch the frequency crystal to
a ground frequency.
v)
Teams using ham radio frequencies must present relevant license.
vi)
No intentional signal interference of any kind will be tolerated. Teams found responsible
for intentional signal interference will be disqualified. Any unintentional signal interference
must be resolved before the beginning of each match.
vii)
In the event that two teams are using the same frequency, specifically the same R/C
frequency, when one team is competing, the other(s) team controller will be required to be
put into impound to prevent any potential interference, intentional or otherwise. NOTE: The
goal here is that teams do not have controller overlaps.
viii)
Please always remember to turn on the transmitter module before turning on the
receiver module.
ix)
At any time that a robot is active, the transmitter must remain on. The transmitter
module must only be turned off after the robot controls are off.
x)
Jerry Sanders Design Competition will only be responsible for controlling hobby radio
frequencies. Any other frequencies including but not limited to Wi-Fi frequencies will be the
responsibility of the teams.
N) Multiple control devices are allowed; however, such schemes must adhere to all rules concerning
R/C specifications and users of such schemes must adhere to all operator and crew restrictions as
given in a later section. A maximum of two controllers may be used.
O) The JSDC Committee reserves the right to recheck any robot for compliance with all of the above
rules (notably the weight and size restrictions) at any time.
P) Violations:
III)
i)
Violation of any of the above specifications must be corrected prior to entering the robot
into the competition.
ii)
If modifications are made to a robot between matches the robot must be re-certified
prior to entering their next match.
iii)
If it is discovered during or after a match that a robot was in violation of any of the
above specifications, all points accumulated in that match will be forfeit.
Pit Area Rules
A) Only team members and sponsors with wristbands will be allowed access to the pit area.
B) Each team will have two tables in the pit area. The tables measure ~2’x~6’ each and will be
pushed together along their long edges. The tables must remain pushed together at all times.
Therefore, each team will have a ~4’x~6’ working bench.
C) Each table will have one power strip. The power switch for the power strip must remain clearly
visible and accessible at all times. No additional power strips or extension cords may be added. In
other words, each tool / device requiring AC power at the table must be plugged in directly to the
provided power strip.
D) Each team will be given a three (3) foot “halo” of space around the edge of their tables. Each
team’s robot, building materials and any other items belonging to the team must remain within
that halo. Items that are not in use are encouraged to be stored underneath the table or be moved
out of the gym.
E) If a team’s robot is on the table, it must be propped up on blocks to prevent the robot from falling
off the table from any wheel / tread movement.
F) All equipment except battery chargers must be turned off and in a stored position when a team’s
pit area is unattended.
G) When soldering irons are hot, they must be either in use or in their stand. When soldering irons
are not in use they must be powered off.
H) No open flames are allowed in the pit area at any time. This includes sparks and welding.
I)
No standing on tables, chairs or any other furniture at any time.
J) Non competing team members will be required to stay out of the walkway surrounding the
competition platform.
K) Violations
i)
A warning will be given for minor infractions of the pit area rules.
ii)
Repeated infractions of the pit area rules will result in disqualification.
L) Team members must observe the designated no-walk zones on the course.
M) We appreciate your support in notifying JSDC Officials of individuals in the pit area without
wristbands.
IV) Match Rules
A) The Game
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
Each match will consist of four or fewer robots competing to create a contiguous shape of
“powered” territories. A territory will be considered controlled by a team and powered if:
(a)
The team’s color cone is the topmost in the stack of cones for control of a territory or
in the case of multiple stacks for a territory the team’s cone was the most recently placed.
(b)
A line can be drawn via only other same colored and powered squares between the
newly controlled territory and the team’s home corner.
Teams will start with their robot placed entirely within their home corner at the beginning
of the match.
Each match will be seven (7) minutes long
Control of powered territories will result in points awarded king-of-the-hill style for
time controlled, as well as a bonus at the end of the match for each powered territory.
Different numbers of points will be awarded for territories on each level of the course, with
the least points for first level territories and most points for the 3rd level territory.
v)
Teams cannot attempt to control a territory unless it would be contiguous with another
controlled and powered territory at the time of the attempt.
vi)
All scores are final five (5) minutes after a round ends.
B) Actions
i)
Each team will be assigned its own ramp. The ramp will be powered to move either
in the upwards or downwards direction. All ramps will start in the downwards
direction. The direction of a team’s ramp may be changed by placing that team’s
soccer ball on the pedestal next to their ramp.
(a) Teams may only drive up their assigned ramp when it is moving in the upwards
direction. Violation of this will result in a personal foul.
(b) Teams may drive down any ramp.
(c) The first time the state of a ramp is changed ten (10) points will be awarded to the
team responsible.
ii) Cones will be placed behind hinged doors which must be opened before cones can be
accessed.
(a) There will be one hinged door for each team.
(b) A team may only open their corresponding door.
(c) The first time a team’s door is opened will result in ten (10) points being awarded
to that team.
iii) Cones will be hanging from strings that span the corners of the course. The strings
will be four (4) feet from the first level of the course and cones will hang one (1) foot
down from the strings.
(a) The first time a team successfully removes a hanging cone from a string will
result in ten (10) points being awarded to that team.
iv) There will be moveable walls which will start each match by blocking caches of
assorted team cones and will drop under the course to reveal the teams cones by
removing two pins from the wall. There will be no way to raise these walls again
during the match.
(a) One pin will be in the vertical position and one pin will be in the horizontal
position at the start of the match.
(b) The first time the state of a wall is changed ten (10) points will be awarded to the
team responsible.
(c) Each team will have two (2) walls with their corresponding colored cones behind
the wall.
C) Cones
i)
Each team will be assigned a color and the cones of the corresponding color will be
used to score with.
ii) Teams may control as many of their own colored cones as desired.
iii) Teams may NOT control any of the cones of the other teams
iv) Territories will be considered controlled when a cone is placed on the corresponding
pin such that the cone remains on the pin without being held there by the robot.
v) Cones may NOT be removed from pins once they are on. Control only switches when
new cones are placed on top.
vi) Cones will be attainable by completing actions as well as by picking up cones located
in various places around the course.
vii) Cones caught within robots are dead for the rest of the match.
D) Soccer Balls
i)
Each team will be assigned a soccer ball corresponding to their team color.
ii) There will be four (4) soccer balls placed on the course one for each team.
iii) When placed on its corresponding pedestal, a soccer ball will reverse the direction of
a team’s motorized ramp such that it will run in the upwards direction.
iv) A team may only place their soccer ball on their own pedestal.
v) A ramp will only change to the upwards direction once the soccer ball is placed on
the corresponding pedestal such that it remains on the pedestal without being held
there by the robot.
vi) If a team’s soccer ball is removed from its pedestal there will be a fifteen (15) second
delay and then the ramp will return to the downwards direction.
vii) A team may only contact another team’s soccer ball when it is on its corresponding
pedestal.
E) Scoring
i)
Airborne robots have a constant x3 multiplier when scoring cones.
ii) Autonomous robots have a constant x5 multiplier when scoring cones.
iii) For each contiguous powered territory on the first level controlled at the end of the
match, a team will be awarded ten (10) points.
iv) For each contiguous powered territory on the second level controlled at the end of the
match, a team will be awarded thirty (30) points.
v) For each contiguous powered territory on the third level controlled at the end of the
match, a team will be awarded fifty (50) points.
vi) Every ten (10) seconds that a team controls a first level territory will result in one (1)
point
vii) Every ten (10) seconds that a team controls a second level territory will result in three
(3) points.
viii) Every ten (10) seconds that a team controls a third level territory will result in five (5)
points.
ix) Completion of an action for the first time will result in ten (10) points being awarded
to the team responsible.
F) Contact During a Match
i)
Robots may only make contact, aggressive or otherwise, in designated Contact Zones.
ii)
A robot is considered in a Contact Zone if any part of it is inside a Contact Zone.
iii) If robots making contact are pushed out of a Contact Zone, they must desist.
iv) To be legal contact, both robots making contact must be in the Contact Zone
v)
Airborne robots and ground robots may come in contact so long as the ground
robot is in a contact zone.
vi) For contact between two airborne robots, contact zones extend upwards vertically
from the boundaries on the floor.
G) Fouls
i)
Class I – Personal Fouls
(a) Harming another team’s cones will result in a Personal Foul.
(b) In the event that two robots accidentally hit, bump, nudge, etc. in a non-contact
zone the robot(s) that is/are moving will be assessed a Personal Foul.
(c) If a team intentionally moves another team’s cone, they will be assessed a
Personal Foul. This does not, however, mean that cones can be used as a sort of
barricade mechanism. If there are many cones in the way of a robot, that robot
may sweep other team’s cones to the side in a non-harmful way as coordinated
with that team’s designated JSDC official.
(d) Manipulating another team's action will result in a Personal Foul and will count
as a triggered action for the other team.
(e) Driving up another team’s ramp or attempting to drive up a ramp moving in the
downwards direction will result in a personal foul.
(f) If a team commits more than five (5) Personal Fouls, each Personal Foul
afterward becomes a Technical Foul.
(g) Autonomous robots are exempt from Class I fouls.
ii) Class II - Technical Fouls
(a) If a team scores for another team, those points will not count and a replacement
cone will be placed on the course. The offending team will be assessed a technical
foul.
(b) If a team attacks another team's robot outside of the designated Contact Zones, the
aggressive team(s) will be assessed a Technical Foul.
(c) A third Technical Foul will result in a Flagrant Foul.
iii) Class III – Flagrant Fouls
(a) In the event of a robot intentionally disabling another team’s robot during a match,
the team will be assessed a Flagrant Foul.
(b) In the event of a robot intentionally attacking a robot specified as “disabled,” the
team will be assessed a Flagrant Foul.
(c) If a team intentionally damages the course they will be assessed a Flagrant Foul.
H) Penalties
i)
If a team is assessed a Personal Foul, ten (10) points will be deducted from their score.
ii) If a team is assessed a Technical Foul, fifty (50) points will be deducted from their
score.
iii) If a team is assessed a Flagrant Foul, they will be disqualified from that particular
match and forfeit all of their points. They must immediately deactivate their robot and
hand the controller(s) to a JSDC official.
iv) If a team is assessed two (2) Flagrant Fouls over the course of the competition, the
team will be disqualified from the competition.
V)
Operator / Crew Restrictions
A) At most one operator per team is allowed to be present during each match on the outer
course walkway.
B) One other team member per team is allowed to spot for the operator from the walkway.
C) Each team may have a maximum of two controllers. If two controllers are used, the
team’s designated spotter will become the second operator. The operator is the only team
member allowed to use a controller. This means that a team may either have an operator
and a spotter or two operators during the match. Only designated operators are allowed to
use a controller. Violation of this rule will result in disqualification of the robot.
D) A spotter must always yield to the movement of an operator. If an operator asks a spotter
to move, the spotter must move.
E) Other team members are allowed to spot for the operator and spotter but must do so from
floor level or the spectator balcony without interfering with any actions taking place on
the outer course walkway as well as the floor area. Only one (1) spotter is allowed on the
upper spectator balcony and must remain stationary for the entire match. If the spotter has
been seen to be moving around during a round, that team will first be issued a warning. If
the problem persists, the offending team will lose the privilege to have a balcony spotter
for the rest of the competition.
F) There is no running on the outer course walkway, the floor, or any other part of the
gymnasium at any time.
G) No team member is allowed to enter the arena or be inside the arena during a match.
H) Robot operators or spotters must not physically aide, hinder, or come in contact with any
robot in any way during a match (e.g. pushing, pulling, tethers/wires, etc.).
I)
During each match, no team member may interfere with another team member’s control
of the robot, impede the movement of an Operator/Crew member of any team or distract
an opposing team member.
J) During each match, if an operator/crew member wishes to pass an opposing
operator/crew member, s/he must step behind the member that s/he wishes to pass, NOT
IN FRONT of that person.
K) Violations:
i)
First team violation of the operator / crew restrictions will result in a warning to the
team.
ii) Second and subsequent violations will each result in a Technical Foul.
iii) If a team abuses the spotting privilege, the team will lose the privilege of having a
spotter on the course walkway and on spectator balcony.
L) Match Reset: The JSDC committee reserves the right to change the rules during the
competition. If such a change is deemed necessary during a competition round, the round
will be immediately stopped and reset to starting conditions. All points gained during the
match will be considered void. Teams will be allowed five (5) minutes to replace
batteries but not time will be allotted for recharging.
VI)
Demolition Round (Optional)
A) Contact may occur in any zone at any time during the optional demolition round(s)
B) Course rules (integrity of the course and pit area rules, as an example) remain unaltered
for the optional demolition round.
C) Provided that all the rules from the standard competition are still met (weight, dimensions,
R/C specifications, etc.), robots may be altered for the demolition round. Provided no
tactical weapons (i.e. no parts or pieces of the robot may be launched or thrown).
i)
A half-hour period will be allotted for modifications.