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 10 kg cargo container to the starting area.
  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 approximately 2G acceleration or 100N force 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. For examples of this type of added information, see the 2023 competition tasks.

  1. Instruction manual for operation of the GPO and Lander.
  2. Dimensioned diagrams of the GPO panels including locations of buttons, switches, and displays.
  3. Diagrams of the Lander 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 **to interface with the Lander GPO receptacle.
  5. Diagrams and weights of the provided hand tools.

Task-Provided Tools

  1. Hand tools normally used for accessing panels on the Lander.
  2. GPO connector to interface with the Lander.

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. 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 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.

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.