Task 3: Equipment Servicing

Task Description

The research habitat has been punctured by shrapnel from a lander crash, and requires urgent repair. The habitat contains perishable vegetation, and a quick recovery will preserve more of this valuable resource. Your rover must use an emergency repair trailer to return the habitat to working condition. Unfortunately, your team was not trained on the use of the emergency repair trailer, but an operating manual is available.

Approximate dimensions and pictures of the trailer and towing interface are provided below. The actual operator’s manual will be provided at the start of the task, but a representative sample is available below.

All tasks within a stage must be completed in order. Teams may skip any stage of the task and reattempt it later for at judge’s discretion based on the state of the task area.

If an intervention is called while towing the trailer, the trailer will be disconnected from the rover and left in place.

Team Resources

Requirements

  1. Travel to the emergency repair trailer and move it to the habitat.

  2. Prepare the emergency repair trailer for use.

    1. Press a button to activate the solar panel cleaning procedure.

    2. Open an access door.

    3. Read the status of several indicator lights.

    4. Flip a series of configuration switches, according to the user manual.

    5. Press a Start Button.

  3. Repair a hole in the habitat caused by shrapnel.

    1. Apply a velcro patch (stored on the trailer, at a height <1m from ground level)

    2. Align the trailer so that the sealant spray nozzle faces the patch.

    3. Press and hold the button that activates the pump until the patch is coated in sealant.

  4. Reinflate the habitat using the trailer’s air supply.

    1. Identify the correct air supply hose using the manual.

    2. Unhook the air hose and connect it to the habitat’s air inlet.

    3. Press and hold the button that activates the air pump.

    4. Release the button when the pressure gauge is within the target range.

  5. Return the trailer to its storage location.

Scoring

  • 2019 Scoring Rubric (all tasks)

  • Additional points are awarded for autonomous travel.

  • More points are awarded for towing the trailer rather than pushing it, etc.

  • If all scored actions are completed fully (and autonomously where applicable), 2 bonus points will be awarded for each minute of task time remaining.

Judge’s Commentary

We have tried to break down the scoring as much as possible so there is no ambiguity about partial points for partially completing a scored action like turning a valve.

We are trying to add physical indicators, such as a light turning on, so teams don’t need to question the judges to determine if they have completed the action far enough to get points.

We are using custom connectors because it makes it much easier to plug in with a rover. We know this makes it harder to test so we will supply a drawing of the connector so you can make your own for testing.

Q&A

What qualifies as reading the trailer number autonomously? Can a camera onboard the rover be manually aimed at the number prior to automatic number recognition?

A camera may be manually aimed at the trailer number. You must be able to show the judge that the rover software outputs the number to earn the autonomy points.