Arm Dexterity

Description

A Lander carrying crucial medical supplies for supporting the settlement has failed during descent and crashed just outside the landing zone. We are unable to remotely access it, and don’t know exactly what damage has occurred, but we have a Ground Power and Operations (GPO) unit that may be able to enable critical systems on the Lander to extract the cargo.

The GPO and the Lander were originally designed for human operation, however, due to the potentially dangerous conditions at the crash site, we are not able to get close enough ourselves. Another transport robot has already moved the GPO close but it did not have a dexterous arm able to complete the rest of the mission.

Without knowing the state of the lander, we may only have a few hours to retrieve this cargo. 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. Extract the crucial supplies from the Lander. This is completed by:
    1. Following steps in the instruction manual and instructions given by the GPO Status Panel display to enable the required systems on the Lander.
    2. Connecting the GPO to the Lander using the GPO connector.
    3. Removing bolts to open the Lander access panel.
    4. Returning the up to 10 kg cargo container safely to the starting area. The container may be carried, pulled, or pushed as required.
  2. Avoid damage to the GPO, additional damage to the Lander, or damage to the cargo by avoiding use of excessive force. This includes impacts and other movement greater than 2G acceleration or approximately 100N force impact on the controls or equipment.
  3. Clean up the site by returning any tools or components back to the starting area, so the utility robot can later remove the GPO from the site.

Documentation Provided

Documentation will be provided as it is created in advance of the event.

  1. Instruction manual for operation of the GPO and Lander: (Ground Power Operations Manual) (Email about the Lander)
  2. Diagrams of the GPO Panels (PDF) (DWG) including locations of buttons, switches, and displays.
  3. Diagrams of the Lander (PDF) (DWG) including location of the access panel and GPO receptacle and specification of bolts which must be removed to open the access panel.
  4. Diagrams for use of the GPO connector (PDF) (DWG) to interface with the Lander GPO receptacle.
  5. Diagrams and weights of the provided hand tools
    1. GPO Connector (Cable)
    2. Hex Wrench

Team-Provided Tools

  1. Teams may bring any other tool into the field at their own discretion. This includes any tools they have created themselves to assist with the task or to assist the rover’s operation, even a compatible GPO Connector. The weight of any additional tools or equipment is included in the total rover weight.
  2. Provided tools must start in the starting area, however any additional tools provided by the team may be placed anywhere in or on the rover or at the starting area at the team’s discretion before the task begins. No team-provided tools may be placed in the task area.
  3. An intervention may be used to re-place tools, including the task’s provided tools, on the rover after the start of the task. This is associated with the normal intervention penalty.

Special Communications Conditions

Due to the proximity of the task site to CIRC Central, the rover may be operated over a cable to the task base station instead of the wireless link as required by other tasks. This is at the discretion of the team and a wireless link is still strongly recommended. This option is provided as a backup should teams find their system sensitive to interference from indoor WiFi.

The distance from the base station to the rover will be under 100m, but no guarantees will be made about how practical this solution may be for driving around the site. Fixing a tangled or detached cable or other similar scenarios will be counted as an Intervention.

The total weight of the cable or any other mechanism also attached to the rover is considered a team-provided tool and will be included in the total rover weight.

GPO Diagnostic Port

A diagnostic port is available on the GPO Diagnostic Panel, will allow the teams to bypass some steps or read diagnostic information more quickly than the display or other status lights. The connector is a 3 pin female connector (specifically, a common “XLR” type found in audio equipment). The signalling is 3.3V TTL serial (115200 bps 8N1) and is compatible with the port used in the 2023 Arm Dexterity Task.

Teams may use a cable or create a wireless device to stay connected to the diagnostic port as they work on other panels. Please be aware:

  1. The port does not supply power.
  2. The connector features a latch which can be disconnected by pushing a tab. A custom connector may omit the mating latch if desired.
    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.
  3. An Example of the diagnostic interface providing data readouts and the ability to apply key settings to speed up the task progression.
  4. Drawings of the connector are fouind in the diagrams of the GPO Panels.

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. Autonomy points will be awarded for three sub-tasks:
    1. Automatically identifying and reading an Aruco marker serial number to decode relevant instructions for the task.
      1. The robot must orient itself toward the marker and identify its value without intervention from any member of the the team.
    2. Automatically authenticating with the GPO Diagnostics screen without manually positioning or controlling the arm.
      1. The robot must carry out the steps indicated on the diagnostics screen without an operator directly controlling the robot. The operator may position the robot manually as required to begin this step and execute pre-programmed movements.
    3. Navigating to and manipulating panels (e.g. press buttons) without manually positioning or controlling the arm or robot.
      1. *As the team may not align the robot to the panel to begin this sub-task, use of computer vision or more complex pre-programmed movements may be required.
  3. The team must inform the task judge when they will attempt autonomous sub-tasks and the judge will determine if rules are properly followed.
  4. Unlimited attempts at autonomy points will be allowed for each sub-task as long as task time is available.
  5. An intervention may not be used to position the rover anywhere except the starting position.
  6. Refer to the provided documentation including diagrams with positions of buttons and controls for planning autonomous steps.