General

1. TIME AND PLACE
   1. The 2025 Canadian International Rover Challenge (CIRC Summer 2025) will commence on August 8, 2025, at the Badlands Community Facility in Drumheller, Alberta.
   2. Task sites are not all located at CIRC Central (Badlands Community Facility). As such teams are responsible for transporting themselves and their rover between CIRC Central and the task sites located in and around Drumheller.
   3. Teams should arrive and register with competition organizers between 10:00 and 17:00 MDT.
   4. The first competition tasks will begin at approximately 21:00. CIRC Summer 2025 will conclude during the afternoon of August 11, 2025.
   5. One task occurs during nighttime, so all teams and participants should be appropriately prepared.
   6. A safety report, detailed in section 6 of the Rover Rules is due to organizers for review on June 19, 2025.
   7. All teams must have their equipment and rovers cleared from the building before the start of the celebration barbeque.
   8. Rescheduling of teams due to circumstances outside of the control of volunteers or event organizers will not be accommodated.
   9. Special requests to alter the timing of an individual team’s tasks because of preferences or travel requirements will not be accommodated.
   10. A sample high-level schedule and sample task schedule is seen at the end of this section. All times are local to Drumheller, AB. Depending on the number of teams, start/end times for tasks will be adjusted closer to the event.
2. INVITATION
   1. Entry into CIRC Summer 2025 is limited and subject to the approval of the organizing committee.
   2. Interested teams should submit a formal expression of interest using a form available on the CIRC website (circ.cstag.ca) to be considered.
   3. Invited teams may not take more than 25 members to CIRC Summer 2025. For questions or clarifications regarding the participant cap, please contact the CIRC organization team at [email protected].
   4. The registration payment for invited teams is structured as follows:
      1. All teams must pay a non-refundable registration fee of $600 CAD to confirm entry into the competition.
      2. Teams taking more than 15 members to the event must pay an additional non-refundable fee of $150 CAD. Teams may pay this added charge at a later date following payment of the initial $600 CAD registration fee in situations where their competition rosters have not been finalized.
         1. Teams may consist of more than 15 members. This fee only applies to the number of team members attending the event in person.
3. VISAS AND CUSTOMS
   1. International teams are responsible for ensuring that all team members and rover components are admissible into Canada.
   2. Teams requiring a visa to enter Canada are responsible for applying promptly. Apply early! Consult https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/apply-visitor-visa.html for more information.
   3. Teams requiring letters of invitation from CIRC must pay in advance for expedited or tracked delivery if requested.
   4. Information regarding border crossings can be found on the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) website (http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html).
   5. If in doubt, teams should contact CBSA in advance or plan on purchasing parts in Canada before the event begins.
4. TEAM ELIGIBILITY
   1. Competition teams consist of secondary or post-secondary students optionally accompanied by non-student advisors who may not directly participate in rover design, construction, or operation.
   2. Teams not composed of secondary, or post-secondary students are invited to reach out to the organizers ([email protected]) to discuss options for participation.
   3. Teams who feel their rovers are not ready are encouraged to attend and participate to test their rovers on-site and learn from other participants!
   4. Teams at the event can participate in tasks even if their rover does not comply with all rules to test and debug their rover at a task site. Points earned may not count towards the final rankings.
5. FACILITY USAGE
   1. All teams are required to adhere to the CIRC Central Facility Usage Guidelines
6. VIDEO AND PHOTOGRAPHY
   1. All participants and rovers may be photographed or recorded for use in art, promotional materials, or other purposes by the Canadian International Rover Challenge (CIRC), its organizing group: the Canadian Space Technology Advancement Group (CSTAG), or any of its sponsors.
   2. By participating in the event, you provide the above parties with approval to capture and utilize imagery. Exceptions will not be accommodated.
7. AIRCRAFT
   1. No aircraft may communicate with the rover or rover operators, or be used to aid completion of rover tasks.
   2. Pilots must remain outside of the base station during competition tasks.
   3. Any person operating an aircraft must understand and comply with all Canadian aviation regulations and local laws.
   4. CIRC takes no responsibility for teams’ aircraft use. The Government of Canada provides an informational guideline for flying aircraft safely and legally that teams must adhere to.
   5. Drones are not permitted at all task locations. Please consult with CIRC organizers if you wish to use a UAV to capture imagery.
8. LOGISTICS
   1. Refer to the logistics guidelines for more information on preparing for your trip to CIRC.

Sample Schedules

Rover

1. MASS
   1. Competition teams must attempt competition tasks using a single, self-contained, ground-based rover, which should have a mass below 50kg.
   2. The rover should be transportable by two team members without the use of a wheeled cart.
   3. Each full kilogram below 50 kg rovers weigh at the beginning of each task results in a 1% score bonus for that task; for each full kilogram above 50 kg, a 1% penalty will be applied.
   4. Rovers weighing over 70kg will not be permitted to operate at task sites
2. Size
   1. All rovers must be able to fit into the event centre either as a single piece, or in multiple pieces through a door of 0.8 m wide.
3. TIME
   1. Competition team rovers should be able to operate continuously for at least one hour (typical task duration) using onboard power. Tethered power connections are not permitted.
   2. Task durations may vary between 45 minutes and 3 hours. Servicing of the rover or swapping batteries is permitted as a major intervention unless otherwise stated in task rules.
   3. At least one hour will be provided between tasks.
4. CONDITIONS
   1. Competition team rovers must be capable of operating within the terrain and weather conditions which may naturally occur during a competition task, including rain, mud, snow, darkness, etc.
   2. Tasks may be postponed due to inclement weather at judge’s discretion. In some circumstances rescheduling of tasks may not be possible due to time constraints.
   3. A team that has not completed a task and cannot be rescheduled will receive 0 points for that task.
   4. Site terrains vary between naturally compacted soil and loose ground. Some sites may include vegetation.
5. DESIGN
   1. Rovers must be substantially designed, built, and programmed by team members. The use of complex off-the-shelf modules is discouraged.
      1. For example, a purchased motor controller is acceptable while an entire purchased robotic arm is not.
   2. Competition team rover systems must be conceptually suitable for operation on Mars.
   3. Rover components are not required to be space-grade.
   4. Rovers may be expected to do the following during tasks:
      1. Lift or manipulate objects with a weight less than or equal to 5kg.
      2. Drag objects with a weight less than or equal to 10kg.
      3. Grip objects with a width of 90mm or less.
   5. Refer to the CIRC Rover Design Guide for more information and tips on building your rover.
6. SAFETY
   1. The construction and operation of all rovers must comply with the CIRC Rover Safety Requirements unless an exemption has been granted.
   2. Exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis by submitting a request to [email protected], including the problematic requirement and proposed alternative.
   3. Rovers will be subject to safety compliance inspections by organizers whenever the rover is operational. Teams must resolve any issues to the satisfaction of the inspecting organizer before continuing operation.
   4. After modification to electrical systems, rovers are required to be re-inspected
   5. All rovers will be required to pass an initial safety compliance inspection at some point between registration and the start of their first competition task.
   6. Sufficient evidence (such as schematics, datasheets, calculations) of safety compliance must be provided to competition organizers by June 19, 2024.
   7. Teams are encouraged to submit partial or full documentation at any time before the deadline to be reviewed for compliance
7. COMMUNICATIONS
   1. All rovers must be operated remotely through a wireless connection. Tethered communication is not permitted unless otherwise noted by task specific rules.
   2. Tethered connections are permitted by teams opting to use their task for testing and development instead of earning an official score.
   3. All rover communications systems and use thereof must comply with all applicable Industry Canada Regulations (http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/h_sf06128.html).
   4. Any team found to be operating equipment in contravention of these regulations, or in a manner which maliciously interferes with other teams’ activities, will be disqualified.
   5. Rover communication systems must be stand-alone and not rely on external services such as cell or satellite.
   6. CIRC Central can experience significant noise and signal levels. At this time CIRC will not coordinate frequency spectrum use within the facility
   7. The use of interference-tolerating protocols and cooperation between teams is strongly encouraged.
   8. We will reserve some channels in the 5.8GHz band for use of competition related infrastructure. Teams are not to operate in these channels without prior approval from the organizers.
   
8. AUTONOMY
   1. Rovers are not required to operate autonomously.
   2. Some tasks will have a portion of the points allocated towards completing autonomous operations.
   3. Autonomous operation is defined as the rover fully completing a scored task requirement without any input from a rover operator.
   4. Refer to the Autonomy Guidelines section of the rules for specific details.

Task Participation

1. JUDGING
   1. Task site judges are the final authority on task rules and procedure, and may impose penalties for flagrant or repeated violations.
2. SCORING
   1. Each competition team will be scored for each task according to a rubric available from the competition website: CIRC Summer 2025 Scoring Rubric (to come).
   2. The lowest achievable score for each task is zero.
   3. The competition team with the highest total score after all tasks are over and all appeals are resolved shall be declared the winner of CIRC Summer 2025.
   4. Teams may submit a written appeal of their task score via their team Discord channel within two hours of receiving formal notification of their score for that task. The time of the Discord message will be used to verify this if the task’s head judge is unavailable at the time the appeal is sent.
      1. The appeal must include the following information:
         1. Identify the task.
         2. Identify which aspect(s) of the score they wish to appeal.
         3. State the team’s justification for appealing the aspect(s) of their score.
         4. Identify the team member who will be representing the team for this appeal.
         5. Tag the head judge of the task.
      2. The appeal may then proceed with one of the following actions:
         1. Be accepted and the score updated.
         2. Be declined for reasons that will be provided in writing.
         3. The team representative and supporting team members may be requested to provide further details via Discord before the appeal is accepted or declined.
         4. The team representative will be called to meet the head judge of the task in person for detailed discussion before the appeal is accepted or declined.
      3. The chosen course of action will be communicated to the team via their Discord channel. The team representative must remain accessible during the appeals process so that the judges can contact them. The written results at the conclusion of the appeals process will be final. No new appeals will be fielded after the two hour period.
3. SETUP
   1. Teams may not leave their vehicles at task sites until the scheduled set-up time starts
   2. While setting up the rover, operating team members may not enter the task area.
   3. Set up time is a minimum of 15 minutes. Teams may take longer, with no points penalty. Once rovers intentionally cross the starting line at a task, set up has concluded, and task rules apply.
   4. The end time of tasks will not be extended if teams take longer than 15 minutes to set up.
   5. During the set up time, rovers must be weighed at the task site, with a judge present. Rovers should fit on the weighing platform which is 1.2m per side.
   6. A brief site introduction by the judges may occur during set-up time.
   7. During set-up, teams may modify their rovers as necessary to compete. No intervention penalties will be incurred.
   8. At task sites with multiple teams competing, competitors are encouraged to negotiate wireless communication channel allocation.
4. TEAR DOWN
   1. Teams will have 10 minutes after the completion of their task, to tear down and load rovers and all equipment, tools, etc. back into their vehicles.
   2. A penalty will be incurred for teams going over the 10 minutes, at a rate of 1 point per minute.
   3. At the judges’ discretion, a re-weighing of the rover may be requested during tear down.
   4. Base stations must be returned to their original state.
5. BASE STATIONS
   1. Teams will operate out of a trailer or tent that does not have line of sight to the operating location.
   2. Teams will have access to a 120V, 60Hz, 800W power supply at each task site for operating their computers, and antenna.
6. ANTENNA SITES
   1. A location for the placement of team radio equipment at each task site will be designated.
   2. All equipment used for rover operation must be set up either within the team area at the base station or at the antenna site.
   3. CIRC will provide an ethernet cable (CAT5e) and an extension (power) cable at the antenna site that connects to the base station.
   4. Teams may supply and use their own cables.
   5. A simple antenna mast will be provided at this location, and its specifications may be found on the competition website at the links below. Teams may substitute their own antenna mast, but its height must not exceed 4m.
      1. A drawing will be provided at a later date
   6. Teams must not set up cameras at the antenna site or base station pointed at the Rover task for the purpose of using video or image data to aid in task completion.
7. SITE ACCESS
   1. Two team members are required to accompany CIRC organizers into the task area during task time. One of the team members will be asked to carry a fire extinguisher while following the rover. Additional team members may follow at a greater distance as spectators at the judge’s discretion.
   2. Team members following the rover should maintain a 5m following distance and refrain from any action one may interpret as communication with the rover operators.
   3. Rover operators must not communicate with spectators.
   4. Team members following the rover or otherwise present at task sites must be dressed suitably for the current weather conditions. Organizers may suspend any competition activities to resolve perceived health or safety issues.
   5. Teams may not spectate a task before they complete it.
   6. All participants must have their CIRC issued name tag on to be at the task site.
8. INTERVENTIONS
   1. An intervention allows competition teams to repair the rover during task time, or judges to interrupt problematic behaviour.
   2. Competition teams may not touch or interfere with the rover during a task except during an intervention.
   3. For descriptions of the types and procedures of interventions, see the Interventions Guide.
9. COMPETITOR CONDUCT PENALTIES
   1. Teams are required to follow the instructions given by task judges and event personnel. If instructions are not followed during the event, a penalty of up to 100% of points of their event score (i.e., the team’s total score summed from all tasks) may be deducted at the discretion of the judges or event staff.
   2. Teams must not intentionally interfere with other teams during tasks, such as blocking or damaging an opponent’s rover.
   3. If instructions are not followed, or intentional interference occurs outside of a task, the next or previous task points for the team may be penalized at the discretion of the event organizers.
   4. When possible, teams will be notified if they are about to receive a penalty and will be given a reasonable opportunity to comply or take corrective action. A warning is not required to occur prior to the application of a penalty.
   5. Penalties are final and will not be overturned.

Autonomy Guidelines

1. Some tasks will require some autonomous operation to achieve full points.
2. Teams must declare when entering autonomous mode for any actions taken autonomously to receive full points.
3. During autonomous operation, no team member may touch the rover controls or operations computers. After doing so, no actions will be considered autonomous until autonomous operation is stopped and restarted.
   1. This includes any form of input to the controls or operations computers, even if they do not affect the rover’s operation (eg. adjusting antenna steering, switching cameras, or mission planning).
   2. A separate computer not controlling the rover is allowed to be used during autonomous operations for mission planning or similar tasks. This should be identified to the judge in the operations tent before the task begins.
4. The operators should notify the judge whenever a period of autonomous operation is ending. Otherwise, Autonomy Guideline 3 will be used.
5. For tasks requiring rovers to travel to a waypoint, the waypoint will be provided as GPS coordinates using the WGS 84 datum in decimal degrees. Coordinates will be provided at the start of the tasks.
6. For the identification of objects, or interaction with objects, the waypoint or object will be designated using an Aruco machine vision marker.
   1. All ArUco markers will be from the 4x4_100 dictionary. They range from marker 0 to 99.
   2. Each marker will be a minimum size of 2” x 2” or 5cm x 5cm.
   3. Markers will be attached to surfaces that contrast the Aruco markers.
   4. For example, Marker 7 looks like the following:
   
7. For full points, the Aruco scanning software must run on the rover or base station computer and automatically output the result to a screen that the judge can see.
   1. Manually identifying the markers via a lookup table or other manual methods are not accepted.
8. Partial autonomy points may be available for some tasks.
   1. Partial autonomy is when the rover completes an autonomous operation using data that was not gathered by the rover or was gathered by the rover during non-autonomous operations.
   2. For example: a rover is manually driven to a waypoint and the GPS path of the journey is recorded. The rover may attempt to autonomously follow the path for partial autonomy points.
   3. For example: a rover uses scanning to gather information on an obstacle, which is then used to manually program an action that the rover will autonomously attempt.
9. Examples of actions that can be completed autonomously may include but are not limited to:
   1. Travel to within 3m of the waypoint at provided GPS coordinates.
   2. Travel to within 1m of the tower labelled with Aruco marker #3, located at approximately these GPS coordinates.
   3. Deposit the screwdriver into the bin underneath Aruco marker #4.
   4. Push the button located relative to Aruco markers #8 and #9 according to the supplied drawing
   5. Report a GO or NO-GO decision based on a supplied formula and the value of the scanned Aruco marker.
   6. Use the value of the scanned Aruco marker as a code or input for another part of the task.

Commentary and Changes

Autonomy

We would like to promote more autonomy in the competition, but we recognize that autonomous operations like driving are very challenging. Therefore, we plan to add some points for partially autonomous operations as a step towards developing full autonomy. Additionally, since we have seen good adoption of Aruco scanning technology, we want to add additional challenges to this section of the task by requiring your rover to interpret and make decisions based on the scanned marker.

Task Participation

This year, we do not supply the antenna mount located on top of the wooden antenna mast due to infrequent team use. The antenna mount is outlined in red in the below image. Teams must develop their own solution to mount their antenna to the wooden mast or bring a separate antenna support structure.

Change Log

Date	Changes
2024-09-24	Initial Publication
2024-09-28	Corrected Numbering of Rules 2.4, 2.4.1, 2.4.2
2024-10-19	Corrected a formatting issue that caused two General Rules to be numbered 1
2024-10-19	Clarified that General Rule 2.4.2 applies only to the number of team members attending CIRC and added Rule 2.4.2.1
2024-10-19	Inserted Rover Rule 5.4 describing the expected load and size of objects the rover may need to interact with
2024-10-19	Inserted Autonomy Rule 7 clarifying how to score full points while scanning Aruco markers