Subject
A3B99RO ROBOTS
in bachelor's
program Cybernetics
and Robotics
at the CTU FEE in
Prague
Subject A3B99RO Robots
The goal of the class is to encourage students interest in branch, show it's main thoughts and show the opportunities waiting for the Electrical Engineering majors. The class should also motivate students to be interested in the continuance of the studium. The gained motivation will help them to absorb demanding mathematical and expert classes they are going to go through in the future. Students in the teams will design and program simple autonomous robot from LEGO Mindstoms brick set, which is able to accomplish the given task. During this the essential thoughts of multiple branches are going to be introduced, which can help students to choose the study plan more easily. Right at the beginning of the studium the students will learn about the fundamentals of engineering and scientific work. The capstone of the class is the final robo contest, when just the best one will win. This class is a bit different form the others, because it's purpose is to be mainly the motivation appetizer.
Labs (laboratory KN:E-s109):
1.-
---2. Organization of the classes, the project no.1 intruduction (during the lecture), the introduction into Lego Mindstorms (during the lectute), team set up, lego sets pick up, working in a team on project no.1, instruction for local safety regulations.
---3. Working in a team on project no.1
---4. Working in a team on project no.1
---5. Working in a team on project no.1
---6. Consulting, software alterations and debugging
8. The project no.2 introduction, working in teams on project no.2
---9. Working in teams on project no.2
---10. Working in teams on project no.2
---11. Consulting, software alterations and debugging
---12. The competition and evaluation of project no.2, classified assesment
---13. Classified assesment, late submission of the project no.1 or no.2
---14. Classified assesment, late submission of the project no.1 or no.2
Credits conditions (classified assesment):
1. Participation in the competition of the two projects within the group in due time, ie. 7th week of the semester according to the proper exercise schedule and in the 12th week of the semester according to the proper exercise schedule.
1. Evaluation of the project no. 1 (Following line - maze):
Competition of individual groups in the 7-th week of the semester according to the schedule).
a) Participation in the competition = 10 points
b) Successful completion of the project = 20 points c) Points according to standings within the group:
1. place = 10 points 2. place = 9 points 3. place = 8 points 4. place = 7 points 5. place = 6 points 6. place = 5 points 7. place = 4 points 8. place = 3 points 9. place = 2 points 10. place = 1 point
After late presentation of the project each student from the team obtains half of the number of points for participation in the competition (5 points) and possibly the
points for successful completion of the project (20 points). In that case a student can obtain maximum 25 points.
6 best teams from all groups according to achieved time are qualified into the final competition.
2. Evaluation of the project no. 2 (Pick up the color balls):
Competition of individual groups in the 12-th week of the semester according to the schedule.
a) Participation in the competition = 20 points
b) Successful completion of the project = 20 points c) Points according to standings within the group:
1. place = 20 points 2. place = 17 points 3. place = 14 points 4. place = 11 points 5. place = 8 points 6. place = 5 points
After late presentation of the project each student from the team obtains half of the number of points for participation in the competition (10 points) and possibly the points for successful completion of the project (20 points). In that case a student can obtain maximum 30 points.
The winners of all groups are qualified into the final competition (maximum 12 teams). The teams on the second place according to achieved time in project no. 1 are qualified into the competition such that the number of all qualified teams into the final contest will be 24.
3. Participation in the final competition = 10 points bonus
and competition for valuable prices.
4. Classification (classified assesment):
less then 50 points => F
50 - 59,5 points => E
60 - 69,5 points => D
70 - 79,5 points => C
80 - 89,5 points => B
90 points and more => A
Project 1 - Following line – maze:
Goal of the project 1 (Following line – maze)
The aim of the task is to build and program a robot that will independently, without any further assistance (control using voice, Bluetooth or other communication channels is not allowed), pass the track marked by the black line without going off the board.
Equipment for solving the task
Every group of students will borrow a set of LEGO®
MINDSTORMS®Education (9797), set of additional parts (9648), power adapter (9833) and gyroscopic sensor (1044). Those sets must be returned to the Department of control engineering (the place where the set was borrowed) in original shape at the end of semester (January 31, 2014 at the latest). NXT brick must contain standard firmware LEGO® MINDSTORMS® while returned!
Construction of robots
Robots must be constructed from unmodified Lego parts from the sets mentioned above. The parts have to be named on the list of the corresponding set. Each robot may be composed from the parts contained in one set 9797 and one set 9648 only. Only standard Lego connecting parts can be used to connect parts together. Usage of belts and wrappings as well as glues, screws and other connecting materials is not allowed.
Robot should not exceed ground plan 30 x 30 cm. In justified cases this condition may be violated (the decision will be made by the leader of the exercises Dr. Hlinovský). Students must announce the requirement to exceed the prescribed size in time (2 days in advance).
It is strongly prohibited to equip the robot by a device making it possible to early cross the finish line by changing its starting ground plan.
WARNING: Using adhesives, screws and other connecting materials are not allowed.
During solving the tasks and competition it is possible to use any programming language for programming NXT brick (control unit of LEGO® MINDSTORMS®). Accumulator, your own batteries or net adapter may be used to supply the robot during its programming and testing. Either accumulator or batteries only are allowed to use during the competition!
Size of competition board
The size of the board is 250 x 150 cm. Robot must not leave the board during passing the maze. The board is covered by a white paper with marked black line. The black line marks the track from the starting area to the finish. The board has no walls preventing the robot from falling down. The axis of the black line marking the track is not closer to any edge of the board than 25 cm (except starting and finishing area).
Thickness of the black line is 2 cm. The line is plotted on segments 20 x 20 cm (see the following figures). Each segment can be represented by a straight line or a 90° curve with the radius 5 cm (measured from the axis of the line). In the starting and finishing area there are always two straight line segments behind each other.
On the board both starting and finishing area are marked by a yellow line (that does not impact an optical sensor). Both starting and finishing area are a square 30 x 30 cm. Starting and finishing line is constituted by those borders of the areas that are closest (measured along the track). Starting and finishing line are marked symmetrically to the axis of the black line with 30 cm width.
A light gate may be used for registration of the achieved time. The light gates are in that case placed on the edges of the starting and finishing line on the board (beam of the gate is in the height of 55 mm) and do not prevent the robot from passing along the line.
Arrangement of competition board
The competition board depicted below represents only one from possible arrangements for the competition. Position of starting and finishing area as well as composition of the black line may be changed.
Rules for passing the track
1. Robot may be placed to the starting position by hand and he may be activated by a man using a button (without moving the robot). Afterwards the robot has to move on without any external help (control using voice, Bluetooth or other communication channels is not allowed).
2. It is not allowed to instruct the robot how to pass the track. However the robot may pass the track at first and based on it optimize the trajectory for the measured pass. 3. On the request of the team the robot may pass the maze immediately before the
measured pass.
4. Before the measured pass it is not allowed to change the program by any means. 5. Before the measured pass it is allowed to tell that fact to the robot by one press of a
button (on NXT brick or e. g. using a touch sensor) or using any other adequate method (in this case we recommend to consult the method with the leader of the exercise).
6. If the robot does not use for passing the maze the possibility described above (items 2 to 5) he has to follow the black line either from the left or right side during whole pass through the maze.
7. During following the black line when passing the maze the robot is not allowed to leave the black line (by chance, by a mistake, intentionally). The maximum time for the pass is 2 min. If that time is exceeded the robot is disqualified from the heat and his successfully passed section is 0 m. The members of any team may whenever abandon the pass. In that case the successfully completed part (number of segments that were passed during the direct way from the start to the finish) is registered.
8. If the above mentioned rules are kept the robot may pass the track arbitrarily (only the total time of the pass matters).
9. The time of the pass is measured. The clock is started at the moment when the robot crosses the front starting line by any part (the light gate beam if used). The clock is stopped as soon as the robot crosses the finishing line (the light gate beam if used). If the robot does not pass the whole track successfully completed part (number of segments that were passed during the direct way from the start to the finish) is registered. The robots who do not pass the whole track will be classified according to the number of successfully passed segments and will be preceded by the robots who successfully complete the whole track.
10. Violation of any rule leads to disqualification of the robot in the respective heat. In the case of the first accidental violation of the rules repetition of the heat may be ordered. Systematic violation of the rules is considered as not fulfilling the task.
11. The maximum time for the pass is 2 min. If that time is exceeded the robot is disqualified from the heat and his successfully passed section is 0 m.
Competition
The competition will take place in two rounds. In each round one passage of every robot takes place. Each robot will have just one attempt to pass the path in each round. Better time or longer covered distance (number of segments that were passed during the direct way from the start to the finish) will be considered as the final result.
It will be allowed to test the robot on the competition board used in the first round 60 minutes before the start of the first round (exchange of the board in the case of its damage to the same one is possible).
20 minutes break will be scheduled between both rounds. During this period it is allowed to change (or charge) the accumulator or batteries, repair the mechanical construction of the robot or change its software.
General regulations
Violation of any rule leads to disqualification of the robot in the respective heat and his successfully passed section is registered as 0 m. Leader of the exercise decides about keeping the rules and disqualification.
Final ROBOCONTEST 2013
The final contest will be held on monday 16.12.2013 from 15:00 o‘clock in Zengr‘s lecture hall KN:E-107 in Charles square at Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech technical University in Prague.
Prices in competition:
1. place
3 x Tablet Samsung Galaxy TAB 3 (T3100) 8 Wi-Fi White 16GB CZ + Challenge Cup to the winner + 3 x 5l keg PILSNER URQUEL.
2. place
3 x Cellular phone Samsung Galaxy S Duos (S7562) + 3 x 5l keg PILSNER URQUEL
3. place
5. place
3 x USB Flash Disk Corsair Voyager GT 32GB + 3 x 5l keg GAMBRINUS
4. place
3 x External disk Western Digital 2.5" My Passport 1000GB Black + 3 x 5l keg GAMBRINUS
In addition, this year the competition category "Robot Design" promulgated and sponsored by Teco (http://www.tecomat.cz)
During the final competition will also be declared the winning team in the competition category "Design robot", which this year launched a sponsoring company Teco (http://www.tecomat.cz). Design robot will be evaluated as a separate category, the thing is, if in solving competition task team members came up with some interesting solutions both in the construction of the robot and its accessories, so when programming.
The winning team will receive 3 x certificate Segway Tour in Prague (www.esennce.cz/segway-tour-po-praze/). This is an unusual experience of a trip through Prague without strenuous walk, when you become comfortable and "glide" city on a Segway for a period of two hours.
