Arm Dexterity

Description

The new settlement needs a reliable power source. New components are on the way, but it will take months or even years to arrive. Spares and parts of the old power source have been salvaged, and luckily there appear to be enough components to configure a new system. These panels were originally designed for human operation, however, due to the earlier damage, it is no longer safe for humans to manipulate the controls. It is up to your team to use their rover to complete the task and configure the system to get power for the settlement back online.

Requirements

  1. Complete all phases of the task by following steps in the instruction manual and instructions given by either the System Monitor Panel display or System Monitor Panel diagnostic port to return all control panels to operational status.
  2. Confirm all panels are operational by interpreting the control panel readouts and displayed information or by optionally reading the System Monitor Panel diagnostic port data.
  3. Avoid damage to the panels from using excessive force with the controls. Impacts and other movement greater than approximately 2G acceleration or 100N force will trigger sensors which will initiate a safety shutdown.

Documentation Provided

  1. Dimensioned diagrams (PDF) (DWG) of the control panels
  2. Example of how to optionally interface with the diagnostic serial port on the System Monitor Panel. The diagnostic port may be used to download status reports, instructions, and use the onboard diagnostics to bypass steps. For electrical information see the Notes below.
  3. Instruction manual explaining how to initiate each phase of the task and interpret status lights. Note that complete instructions will be shown on the System Monitor Panel display during the task and this manual will also be available on paper during the task.
  4. Diagram of provided tools found by the salvage team.

Tools Provided

  1. Simple tools to manipulate buttons as required. See documentation for information. Teams may provide their own tools suited to the task.

Notes

  1. General:
    1. The rover must be able to move between all 4 control panels to complete the task.
    2. Panels will be separated by at least 1m. The rover must be able to traverse relatively smooth and level terrain between panels.
    3. Controls will be located at heights between 0.3m and 1m above the ground. Detailed positions of controls are shown in the documentation.
    4. Some controls require tools to operate. For example, some steps may require two buttons to be pressed at once or may require a safety guard to be lifted. In order to facilitate this for most rovers, simple tools are provided on the ground at the starting area which may be picked up by the rover. Teams are welcome to bring their own, but these will be counted towards the weight of the rover. As these are counted in the weight, teams have freedom in how the tools are positioned or attached to the rover at the beginning of the task.
    5. All panels have an accelerometer which will reset the panel if excessive movement greater than approximately 2g or 100N force is measured.
  2. System Monitor Panel (Located in the top-right of the Fuel Control Panel)
    1. A 200x100mm display to show the current system status and provide instructions for proper operation of the other panels.
    2. 2 buttons for menu interaction with the display.
    3. 3.3V TTL serial Diagnostic Port (115200 bps 8N1) on a 3 pin female connector. Note: this connector is the common “XLR” type found in audio equipment. Be aware, some off-the-shelf XLR cables may not be appropriate due to the grounding of the cable.
      1. The diagnostic port on the System Monitor Panel will allow the teams to bypass some steps or read diagnostic information more quickly than the display or other status lights.
      2. Teams may use a cable or create a wireless device to stay connected to the diagnostic port as they work on other panels.
      3. The port does not supply power.
      4. The connector has a latch which can be disconnected by pushing a tab.
        1. Disconnecting from the receptacle will not be required to complete the task, but completing the task with all equipment returned to a clean state is worth a small amount of points. See the overall task rubrics for information.
        2. Custom connectors on the robot do not need to use the latch if desired.
      5. See here for a diagram of the connector.
  3. Startup Panel
    1. 9 pushbuttons in a grid, with status lights.
    2. This panel was designed to be operated by a human, and will require pressing multiple buttons simultaneously. This may optionally be completed by using the provided tool.
    3. Instructions to correctly manipulate the panel will be provided on the System Monitor Panel display.
  4. Fuel Control Panel
    1. 4 ON-OFF Toggle Switches with status lights
    2. 15 pushbuttons arranged in a triangle with status lights.
    3. Instructions to correctly manipulate the panel will be provided on the System Monitor Panel display.
  5. Performance Tuning Panel
    1. Joystick with status light
    2. Rotary Switch with status lights arranged in a circle around the panel
    3. Pushbutton with status light
    4. Instructions to correctly manipulate the panel will be provided on the System Monitor Panel display.

Autonomy Points

  1. Autonomy points will be awarded for automatic completion of individual steps within the task. These steps will be noted in the task rubric. It is not expected to complete the entire task autonomously from start to finish.
  2. There will be 3 attempts at autonomy points allowed.
  3. To be eligible for autonomy points, teams must navigate to and manipulate panels (e.g. press buttons) without manually positioning the robot or the robotic arm. For example, a team may use computer vision to identify and press buttons or more simply execute pre-programmed movements.
  4. The team must inform the task judge when they will attempt autonomously interacting with the panels.
  5. No points will be awarded if the rover must be manually positioned to interact with the panel. The task judge can clarify if they feel the rover has been positioned in a way that invalidates the autonomy attempt. Also note, an intervention may not be used to position the rover anywhere except the starting position.
  6. No points will be awarded for unnecessary steps, such as pressing buttons that are not required for that phase of the task.
  7. Refer to the provided documentation including diagrams with positions of buttons and controls for planning autonomous steps.