OBSTACLE  RACE

⚠️ RULE ZERO – Zero Tolerance & Common Sense
In all sports, Rule ZERO applies, which states:

➤ "If you are not sure whether something is allowed, then it is probably NOT allowed."

All rules are based on common sense, the spirit of the sport, and the safety of all participants.

Any deliberate misinterpretation, violation of the meaning of the rules, or attempt to exploit gray areas for unfair advantage will not be tolerated and may lead to team disqualification from the competition.

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🎯 GOAL
The goal of Robot Athletes is to autonomously follow the black line on the white field of the track within 3 minutes, in the shortest possible time. The best time determines the winners.

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👥 TEAM – COACH

1. Participation in the competition is team-based, not individual.

2. Each team may consist of two (2) to three (3) members.

3. Each team must designate up to one (1) Robot Athlete Technician. Only the Robot Athlete Technician is allowed in the waiting area or competition area. The rest of the team must remain in the competition venue but cannot wait in line.              ➤In other words, they cannot occupy an additional spot. If a team fails to comply with this rule, it will be disqualified.

4. The team is allowed to change the designated Technician before each attempt on the track, to give all members the opportunity to be actively involved in the sport, although this is not mandatory.

5. All team members must be at least 10 years old (equivalent to 4th grade of primary school or above).

6. The team’s coach must be at least 20 years old.

7. To ensure smooth participation in the competition, the coach must have 1 assistant for every 3 teams they register in the competition.

8. Each team is allowed to have only one robot. Changing the robot during the competition is not allowed.                     ➤ Exception: In the Open category, up to two (2) robots may be registered per team for Senior and Adults age categories.

9. Teams are not allowed to share the same robot.

10. If a team encounters a serious technical issue with their robot, they are allowed to replace only the microcontroller or the electronic components, after obtaining permission from the Head Judges.

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🤖 ROBOT ATHLETE – ROBOT CATEGORY
Eligible Robot Athletes include Basic and Advanced type robots.

The competition is conducted separately based on:

• Age category

• Robot type (Basic / Advanced)

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⚙️ ROBOT ATHLETE REQUIREMENTS – SPECIFICATIONS​

1. The Robot Athlete must be autonomous.

2. The maximum dimensions must be 25 cm Width × 25 cm Length.

3. Weight: up to 1 kg.

4. The minimum height of the Athlete Robot must be 5 cm in order to be detected by the time control sensor, and maximum 15 cm.

5. The Robot Athlete will be weighed and must comfortably fit inside the control box.

6. The control box dimensions are 25 × 25 cm with a tolerance of two (2) millimeters.

7. The Robot Athlete must be placed inside the control box without applying pressure.

8. The Robot Athlete must not damage or wear down the track or pose any kind of threat to spectators.

9. The Robot Athlete must be equipped with a start and stop button.                                                                                               ➤In the Advanced category, the team is allowed to use a remote control ONLY for starting the robot.

10. The use of pneumatic devices/equipment is prohibited in any robot category.

11. In the Basic category, modified batteries, motors, and sensors are prohibited.

12. Pullback motors are strictly prohibited in any robot category, as the sport promotes engineering and experimentation to increase speed.

13. The use of gases (e.g., canisters or any equivalent) to increase speed is prohibited, as they are considered dangerous.

14. The use of a nominal electrical voltage greater than twenty-four (24) volts in any circuit or part of the Robot Athlete is prohibited.

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🧪 TECHNICAL INSPECTION

• The initial technical inspection takes place on the day of the competition, during the Robot Athlete’s first attempt.

• During the initial inspection, the team will be asked questions about the critical parts of the robot's program.
  ➤ The team must have their laptop with the robot’s program open.
  ➤ If it becomes clear from the answers that the team does not understand the program, they will receive a penalty equal to -20% of the time they achieve in the event.

• The technical inspection includes a robot examination based on the specifications described above.
  ➤ If the robot does not meet the requirements, it will not be allowed to compete and will be automatically disqualified from the event.

• After the completion of the initial inspection, the Robot Athlete is assigned its unique ID code.

• If a team is not present at the time of the initial technical inspection, it will result in automatic disqualification from the competition.

• A secondary technical inspection is also conducted before each attempt, performed by the assistant referee.

• If, during the competition procedure, the referee determines that a Robot Athlete is violating or failing to meet the prescribed specifications, the referee has the right to disqualify it immediately.

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🏟️ ARENA

1. The competition arena remains secret until the day of the competition.Participants are expected to take into account the following data and the image at the bottom of the rule page and to develop code/algorithm that can be executed on any arena.

2. The arena is white in color and made of PVC material.

3. The size of the arena can range from 5m² up to 35m².

4. The arena is "closed".

5. A "closed arena" is defined as an arena in which the starting point and the finishing point are located on the same side of the arena.

6. A line runs through the arena, which may form curves, right angles, etc.

7. The line is printed on the arena with black ink (or is marked with black-colored adhesive tape).

8. The line has a width of 1.8 cm.

9. At the intersection point, the Athlete Robot must follow a straight path.  It is not allowed to lose the line or follow the branching path.

10. The minimum distance of the line (axially) from the edge of the boundary of the arena is 25 cm.

11. The minimum diameter of a turning curve is 10 cm.

12. The starting and finishing point is defined as the point where the time measurement sensor is located.

13. The black line is surrounded by empty space measuring 18 to 20 centimeters on each side, except at the intersections.

14. The lines at the intersections are perpendicular, at least up to twenty (20) centimeters.

15. Some of the obstacles shown at the end of the sport's page may appear on the line. The Athlete Robot must either go over them or bypass them

16. For testing of the Robot Athletes before the start of the Competition, there will be trial rounds, where the Technicians will have access for a specific time period and according to a schedule that will be announced on the day of the competition.

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🏔️ OBSTACLES

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🚧 Wall or Obstacle in Line

Up to 2 obstacles in cube shape may appear on the line, with maximum dimensions of 25 x 15 x 10 cm.

The Athlete Robot must avoid the obstacle by driving around it and continue following the line.

The Athlete Robot is allowed to hit the obstacle, but this is not recommended for safety reasons.

The obstacle is NOT white in color and can be made of any material.

After the obstacle, there is a continuous line at least 20 cm long, which the Athlete Robot must follow normally, while staying within the track boundaries.

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🎢 Swinging Ramp

A ramp may be placed on the track.

The Athlete Robot must cross the ramp and continue following the line.

Avoiding the ramp is not allowed.

📏 Dimensions:

• Length: at least 50 cm

• Width: at least 30 cm

• Fulcrum height: up to 8 cm from the surface of the track

A continuous line is present on the ramp.

After the ramp, there is a straight continuous line of at least 20 cm.

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🗻 Mountain

A mountain may be placed on the track.

🔺 From the side view: it is an isosceles triangle
🔲 From the top view: a static rectangular obstacle placed on the line

📐 Dimensions:

• Height: up to 15 cm

• Slope length (triangle arm): at least 30 cm

• Width: at least 30 cm

The Athlete Robot must drive over the mountain and continue following the line.

Avoiding the mountain is not allowed.

A continuous line is present on the mountain.

After the mountain, there is a straight continuous line of at least 20 cm.

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🌉 Bridge

A bridge may be placed on the track, which the Athlete Robot must cross.

Avoiding the bridge is not allowed.

📏 Dimensions:

• Height: 20 cm

• Length of each inclined ramp (ascent/descent): 60 cm

• Incline angle: approximately 19.5°

• Length of flat top surface: 30 cm

• Width: at least 30 cm

A continuous black line runs across the bridge, starting from the ascent, passing over the flat surface, and continuing down the descent.

After the bridge, there is a straight continuous line of at least 20 cm, which the Athlete Robot must continue to follow.

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                                                     🏆 COMPETITION PROCEDURE​

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⏱️ PREPARATION

• The Technician who will run the round, places the Robot Athlete at the starting point, before the time control sensor.

• The Robot Athlete must be in standby mode, ready to start as soon as the start button is pressed or the button on the remote control is activated.

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🏁 START – RACE PROCEDURE

• The Technician of the Robot Athlete starts the Robot Athlete after the referee’s whistle, by pressing the Start button. The timer begins when the Robot Athlete passes in front of the time control sensor.

• The Robot Athlete must start within the next 5 seconds.

• If a Robot Athlete does not start within that time, the referee will allow only one restart.
  ➤ This will apply only to the first attempt.

• The Robot Athlete must begin moving as quickly as possible, following the black line.

• The goal of the Robot Athlete is to finish the course in the shortest possible time.

• If a Robot Athlete exceeds 4 minutes, the referee ends the round with a whistle and the time is recorded as 180 seconds (0 points).

• The Robot Athlete (or any part of it) is not allowed to exit the boundaries of the arena.
  ➤ If this happens, the attempt is considered failed.

• The robot is allowed to leave the track for a maximum of 3 seconds during the run
  (e.g., when making a turn or zigzagging while following the line).
  However, the robot must continue to follow the line in the correct direction.
  ➤ If the robot completely exits the track or loses its direction, the attempt is invalid.

• If the track is larger than the dimensions described in the previous section, the expected time will be increased.

• The Robot Athlete must continuously cover the line with its body throughout the course (with minor exceptions at turns) and must follow it using sensors placed in a central position on the robot, reading above or directly next to the line.
  ➤ If it is clear that the navigation does not rely on line detection in this way, the attempt is invalid, and the time is recorded as zero (0).

• If the Robot Athlete fails to start, the time is recorded as 180 seconds (0).

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🔁 ROUNDS – ATTEMPTS

• The duration of the sport is 2 hours.
  (This time may be extended depending on the number of participants).
  During this time, each Robot Athlete will make repeated attempts on the track, according to the order announced by the organizing committee.

• If a Technician is not present when it is their turn, they lose their attempt, and the next Technician in line will proceed.
  ➤ The Technician who missed their turn must wait until all other attempts are completed for their turn to come again.

• Before each attempt, the Robot Athlete must pass a secondary technical inspection conducted by the assistant referee.

• The referee records the time of the Robot Athletes for each attempt.

• It is the responsibility of the Robot Athlete’s team to ensure that they perform each attempt within the allocated time window.

• Between attempts, teams are allowed to make corrections to their Robot Athletes and their code/algorithm,
  ➤ however, no testing is allowed.

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❌ END OF A ROUND

A round ends in the following cases:

• When the Robot Athlete passes in front of the time control sensor.

• If the Robot Athlete exits the boundaries of the arena.

• If the Robot Athlete loses the line.

• If the Robot Athlete becomes immobilized for any reason.

• If the Robot Athlete exceeds the 3-minute time limit.

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🟥 TEAM DISQUALIFICATION

A team is disqualified from the event and must withdraw in the following cases:
➤ The team’s results will not be taken into account and will not appear in the official competition rankings.

• If a Robot Athlete does not comply with the specifications defined in the sport’s rules and the team refuses to make the required adjustments.

• If any of the Technicians behave inappropriately or disrespectfully, use offensive language, provoke, or verbally (or otherwise) attack fellow participants or referees.

• If it is discovered that a Robot Athlete is not operating autonomously, but instead is being remotely controlled via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or any similar technology.

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✅ ALLOWED / ❌ PROHIBITED

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✅ Allowed:

• Cleaning the wheels of the Robot Athlete only with wet cleaning cloths or cleaning liquid and paper.

• The use of a remote control ONLY to start the robot in the Advanced category.

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❌ Prohibited:

• Robot Athletes using parts or components that could harm other competitors.

• The use of glue to increase traction, including:

          ➤ Cleaning wheels with adhesive tapes that may leave glue residue.

          ➤ The use of suction cups.

          ➤ Any adhesion method that violates the regulations.

• Tires or parts of the robot that come into contact with the field must not be able to lift and hold a standard A4 sheet of paper (80 g/m²) for more than two (2) seconds.

• The use of gases (in any form, such as canisters) to increase speed.

• The robot breaking or falling apart into pieces during the match.
      ➤ Even if it finishes, the time is recorded as 180 seconds (0).

• Connecting the robot to external electronic devices (e.g. computers, smartphones, tablets) via:

          ➤ Bluetooth
          ➤ Wi-Fi
          ➤ Any other wireless technology

• The use of pneumatic systems in any robot category.

• The use of pullback motors in any robot category.

• Expanding the dimensions of the robot during the match (mechanically or actively).

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🏆 WINNERS

At the end of the sport, the winners are announced separately for each age category, as well as for the Obstacle Race Basic and Obstacle Race Advanced categories:

🥇 1st Place
🥈 2nd Place
🥉 3rd Place

🏁 The ranking is determined based on the shortest time achieved by the Robot Athletes.

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➤ In Advanced Category, if a team registers multiple robots and places in multiple positions (e.g., 1st and 3rd), only the highest ranking is retained. The next best teams move up accordingly.