CIRC 2026 Interventions Guide

These rules govern how Judges and competitors may interact with a rover during a task. They are intended to balance two competing priorities of CIRC:

CIRC as a Mars mission simulator:

  • Rovers are operated remotely, and operators cannot directly touch or fix them, mirroring real interplanetary exploration constraints.

CIRC as a technical and learning environment:

  • The competition also exists to maximize rover use, reduce “dead-ends,” and give teams opportunities to learn even if their rover encounters difficulties.

The goal is to reward teams that design and operate robust rovers while ensuring meaningful participation without undue stress. This balance is implemented using two categories of Intervention.

Intervention Categories

Repair Interventions:

  • Used to restore malfunctioning or broken components to original specification.
  • Examples Include:
    • Replacing a part with an identical part, such as replacing a motor controller or broken bolt
    • Replacing a fuse, reconnecting or taping/tying a connector or component which has become loose.
    • Removing a part only if it does not provide a competitive advantage.
    • Plugging in a computer for software changes
    • Asking for information about the state of the rover (i.e. “Is the wheel rotating”).
  • Penalty: One-time 10% reduction to all subsequent points earned. Further Repair interventions do not incur additional penalties.

Modification Interventions:

  • Applied when a rover was never capable of performing a task activity, or when actions go beyond the rover’s designed operation.
  • Examples Include:
    • Manually moving or gripping an object with the rover arm.
    • Repositioning the robot or a camera to bypass terrain or radio limitations.
    • Installing different parts not present at task start.
    • Removing any parts which provide a competitive advantage such as reduced weight to facilitate climbing a slope.
    • Battery replacements or charging, including of the same battery type.
  • Penalty: 15% reduction to all subsequent points earned. Applies cumulatively each use.

Non-Interventions

  • Teams may act without restriction to prevent unsafe situations that could harm people, the rover, the facility, or the area.
  • Teams have full access to the rover prior to their announced task start.
  • Remote software changes are always allowed.

Intervention Procedures

Calling An Intervention

  1. Any team member must inform a judge that they wish to begin an intervention period.
  2. Verbal confirmation is required from both field and base-station judges before work can begin. Beginning intervention work without confirmation is prohibited.
  3. The team may discuss the details and type of intervention with the judge, or they may carry out their intended work and ask the judge to determine the appropriate category and penalty.

During An Intervention

  1. Task time continues during the intervention.
  2. Communication may only occur using radios provided by the judges.
  3. If an operator chooses to leave the base station, they must remain in the field for the remainder of the task time.
  4. Team members in the field may only answer questions or respond with clarifying questions when asked by team members at the base station. No information about the task site is to be shared by the field team.
  5. Judges will stop or correct communication that violates this rule. This can include a judge asking for a team member at the base station to rephrase a question.
  6. Multiple repairs or modifications may be carried out in one intervention period.

Ending An Intervention

  1. Any team member must inform a judge when the intervention is complete.
  2. Both field and base-station judges must confirm before the task resumes.
  3. If no progress is made towards the task, a new intervention period may be considered as part of the previous intervention period for scoring purposes. This decision is strictly at the discretion of the task judges. “Calling An Intervention” procedures must be followed.

Judge Decision Authority

The Head Judge of a task has final authority to determine which Intervention category applies. Some degree of subjectivity is unavoidable as small differences may arise at each site due to the context of the individual task. Competitors are expected to act in good faith, and Judges are expected to apply rules consistently and fairly.

Teams may face conduct penalties (General Rules, Section 9) during an intervention if actions are taken which are outside of the spirit of the rules. Teams are always welcome to ask if the change they intend to make is considered legal.

Change Log

Date Change Note
2026-09-30 Initial Publication