Canadian International Rover Challenge

Contents

1. Background
2. Task Summary
   2.1. Reactor Patrol Route: Traversal Task
   2.2. Disaster Response: Search & Rescue Task
   2.3. Pontifex Perplexus: Collaborative Task
   2.4. Land Speculation: Prospecting Task
   2.5. Reactor Servicing: Arm Dexterity Task
   2.6. Rovelympics

1. Background

The UVic Robotics Club competes in the Canadian International Rover Challenge (CIRC). This year, the challenge takes place in Drumheller, Alberta during August 7th-10th, 2020.

CIRC has a great video featured on their website that shows what other clubs have done.

2. Task Summary

There are six competition tasks that are listed on the CIRC website.

We recommend that you read the actual task summary on the CIRC website. Below is a brief overview of each task from a software-team perspective to get you started.

2.1. Reactor Patrol Route: Traversal Task

The nuclear reactors require frequent monitoring and inspection. A patrol route has been made to inspect the reactors. It is your task to travel this route and do a routine inspection.

• Traverse 8 GPS locations of reactors in a given order
• Identify the status of each reactor autonomously by reading in a code

2.2. Disaster Response: Search & Rescue Task

An explosion at the power reactor complex has injured an astronaut and is spreading radioactive material. We must complete the following tasks while minimizing our radiation dose. If the rover or the astronaut exceeds the maximum radiation dose, then we fail.

Phase 1 - Save the astronaut

1. Locate astronaut by visual
2. Attach astronaut to rover with tow-hook
3. Carefully return astronaut to starting position, taking care to avoid exposure to ‘radioactive debris’ and injuring them further

Phase 2 – Containment and Assessment

1. Drive to the reactors and read from the panels any error messages
2. Provide an annotated map of the area with our measured radiation dose rate
3. Consolidate large chunks of radioactive material into a small number of piles

2.3. Pontifex Perplexus: Collaborative Task

The settlement’s central cooling systems have sustained extensive damage as a result of the reactor explosion, and the lack of climate control is seriously hampering repair efforts. Cooperate with other rover operations crews operating simultaneously to repair the systems as quickly as possible.

• Cooperate with another rover crew to repair the settlement’s central cooling system.
• There are 3 tasks (Heat Exchanger Assembly, Install Drive Gear, and Refill Coolant) which each have many steps. They all begin with locating the manual pages, taking a photo of them, and sending them to the Judges via Slack or USB drive.

2.4. Land Speculation: Prospecting Task

Following the catastrophic failure of the power supply at your current settlement, a new outpost must be constructed. A potentially suitable but unexplored area nearby has been identified from orbital surveys.

• With a map, investigate at least 3 sites and evaluate them for settlement according to metrics:
• Record GPS coordinates
• Take a panorama photograph (at least 180 degrees)
• Document the site’s compliance
• Collect a soil sample.
• Submit a report (up to 3500 words)

2.5. Reactor Servicing: Arm Dexterity Task

A catastrophic seismic event has caused a critical failure at the nearby nuclear reactor facility. All systems in the region have switched to emergency power, but will only stay active for one hour.

• Rover is stationary and only the arm will be used to repair a reactor.
• Only one person will have a detailed repair manual, and they will only be reachable via radio.
• Arm will need to read text, flip lever, flip switches, press buttons, read ohmmeter display, apply ohmmeter probe

2.6. Rovelympics