Football Rules
Short description
Like in the real football games, the robots try to score in the opponent gate and to avoid getting penalty points.
Changelog
17.07.2017
2.1 Construction of the robot.
changed dimensions of the robot
1.05.2016
2.1 Construction of the robot
Appendix 1 - Team’s folder
1. General aspects
The contest is addressing to all students, and graduates who are passionate about robotics, from Romania and not only.
A valid team must have 1 or more members, and the competition must respect the rules of robotic football in terms of dimensions of playing surface and the rules of deployment and commitment. The robots must respect construction regulation (total mass: max 4 kg, 26 x 26 cm dimension, no height limit).
A match is played between two teams. In accordance with the game rules, each team compete on a stadium (playing surface) with a self-contained robot build by them in accordance with the specifications presented in this regulation. The match starts at the referee’s command and continues until the time runs out. The winner is the robot which by the end of the match scores the most points.
2. Implementation of the robots.
2.1 Construction of the robot.
A. The robot must be fully self-contained. Any design will be admitted which does not enter under the incidence of the limitations from chapter 2.2. The team who implements the robot can choose any material and any form of control mechanism as long as it doesn’t interact with an external control system.
B. Maximum dimensions: length: 26 cm (260 mm), width: 26 cm (260 mm), maximum mass: 4 kg (4000 g), no height limit.
C. The robot must move on the field, the robot can not stay without moving for more than 5 seconds in one place (for example the front of the gate) and the robot during a match must travel at least once the distance between the 2 gates. If the robots will not follow this rule they will be disqualified.
D. It is highly recommended that the robots be able to detect the presence of the opponent and the edges of the playing surface, but this is not mandatory.
E. The robots must be able to make a distinction between the two playable surfaces (black and white), and also to be able to detect the goals with the help of optical sensors.
F. The robot must stand still for 5 seconds before the start of the match.
G. It is recommended that the robot is equipped with modulated or filtered sensors so it cannot be influenced by sunlight, lighting systems or camera flashes.
H. The organizers are not to be held responsible for the incorrect functionality of the robots due to the surrounding environment.
I. The robots will be equipped with IR sensors for the detection of the color of the surface so they can establish if they are on their own surface or on the opponent’s one. Also, with the help of optical sensors, the goal will be detected and the robot will avoid the opponents and walls. Sensors can also be used for detecting the balls.
J. The robots must have displayed a number, offer by the organizers, on the outer casing of the robot in a visible place. The number it is used to identify the robot by the referee and can be found in the Team's Folder (details in appendix 1).
2.2. Robot limitations.
A. Devices for jamming the opponents, like radiation sources in order to overwhelm the IR sensors, ultrasound emitters or other devices with similar effect are strictly forbidden.
B. Robot components that can damage the game surface are not permitted. Do not use components meant to destroy the opponent’s robot. Contact and bumps between robots is allowed but not recommended.
C. Devices that can store liquid, dust, gas or other substances in order to be thrown at the opponent are forbidden.
D. Any flame throwing device is forbidden.
E. Devices that throw objects at the opponent are not allowed.
F. White LEDs on the robots in places that can influence the opponent are forbidden.
G. It is forbidden that the robot is controlled through wireless systems or any other kind of external communication (ex: Bluetooth, Internet).
H. It is forbidden that the robots have fans with diameter larger than 4 cm for blowing the balls. A fan of 10 cm will be accepted, on the condition that it does not blow the balls, just attract them. If the 10 cm fan will be used to blow the balls, the robot will be disqualified.
3. The game surface
The game surface is defined as a rectangle of 2.5m by 1.25 m (2500mm by 1250mm) with white, 6 cm (60mm) high board all around.
The field is made out of wood and covered with white glued paper on one half and black on the other half.
At each end of the field there is a gate 30 cm (300mm) wide and 12 cm (120mm) high which has a white, powerful LED in the middle at 16 cm (160mm) height. On the black half, the gate and the foursquare are white and on the white side they will be black. The foursquare is half a circle with 22 cm (220mm) radius.
3.1. Course of the competition
Important!!! One person can be operator for maximum 2 robots.
A. The robots will be split in groups according to the number of contestants. The contest will be played in a groups/ quarters/semifinals/final in order to allow as many rounds as possible to be played for each robot. Each match takes course in 2:30 minutes and will be supervised by 3 referees (1 principal and 2 assistants) except for the final where there will be 2 halftimes of 2:00 minutes each.
B. The order of the robots in the groups will be made random, it will be made after the official opening of the competition, will be available on the website for all the participants. The ones that pass the groups will play quarter/semifinals/finals.
If the number of the participants will not be enough for the groups, the competition will be played from the beginning using the pyramidal system. The position in the pyramid will be random.
C. The referees’ decisions must be unanimous and are final, objecting them leads to disqualifying the robot from the current match. After each match the team will take the robot to the specified place.
D. During the competition, a team has the right at 2 interruptions for reprogramming, 5 minute each. Other breaks are allowed only for mechanical problems and only with the referee’s approval. This rule is applied only during a match’s course. Outside the matches, changes and reprogramming are allowed.
E. The teams should be at the start as late as 2 minutes from the request, otherwise they will lose the match.
F. Until the homologation all the teams will stay in the room reserved for them (the room will be marked in the area map from the team’s folder). Each challenge will have a room. The team’s can leave the room only when they are called to the competition area. Each team will be called by a competition official, when they need to go to the waiting area which is near the competition area (details in appendix 1).
G. After the homologation, the teams which will follow at start, will remain at the competition area in the waiting area. The team’s will leave this area only if the referee agrees, or only for repairs and they must return in the time set by the referee. If the team doesn’t return at the first call, they will lose the match.
H. After a match is over, the teams must return in the room reserved for them.
I. Each team has the responsibility to follow the starting grid (schedule), displayed on the website and in the team’s room. PLEASE DON’T BE LATE, WE WILL NOT WAIT!!!
If you are called to play and you don't come in 5 minutes the robot is desqulified.
3.2. Homologation – takes place at the beginning of the challenge
Each team must pass the homologation stage in the competition day in order to sign in the robot in the contest.
The stages of the homologation process are:
a. Checking the dimensions: 26x26 cm (260mm x 260mm) and 4 kg (4000g) mass.
b. The 5 second delay will be checked.
c. It will be checked if the number exists on the outer casing of the robot.
The robot will not be retained after homologation.
After homologation the first 2 teams remain in the waiting area, near the competition area. The rest of the teams must return to the room reserved for them.
3.3. Match course
A. A match consists of a game of 2:30 minutes.
B. The team that scores the most goals till the time is up wins the match.
C. If the match ends with an even an additional halftime of 1 minute.
D. In the field there are 12 orange balls.
3.4. The start position of the robot
At the referees instructions, the two teams approach the field in order to place the robots on the game surface. The robots are placed in their own foursquare and cannot be moved.
3.5. Game regulations
A. The start, interruption and continuation of the game are called by the referee. When he calls the match’ end, the two teams pick their robots up from the field.
B. The football balls will be orange (ping pong balls) with a diameter of 4 cm (40mm) and there will be 12, 6 in each half of the field.
C. The match is played in a 1 on 1 system and the robot that scores the most goals wins.
D. Each goal is prized with 10 points and the auto-goal is not considered.
E. In the case the 2 robots get stuck one on another, they each will be turned 180o towards the position in which they got stuck and will be both taken 5 points.
F. In the case any robot is stuck against the wall, it will be turned with 180o and it will lose 10 points.
G. The match is stopped and the round is replayed when both robots move without making any progress for 1 minute, or if they stop (at the same time).
3.6. Repairs, modifications and unpredicted interrupts
A. If a robot gets broken during a match, the main referee will grant 1 minute time for repairs. This interval can be extended up to 3 minutes with the approval of the organizers. The repairs will be supervised by an assistant referee in order to avoid module changes with non-homologated ones.
B. If a robot cannot the fixed in the given interval, the match is won by the opponent’s robot and the broken robot’s team can continue the fixing until the next match the robot is involved in. The repairs are supervised by a referee/ organizer.
Replacement of the broken pieces can be made, and the accumulators can be recharged if necessary.
3.7. Referees
In the football match the referees have a very important role and the following attributions:
a. Note the score.
b. Give penalties if required
c. Decide if breaks for repairs are given
d. Can interrupt a match if a robot is badly broken and can resume it after the repairs.
4. Violations
It is considered a big deflection, if the participants will not follow the sections 2.2, 4.2 or 4.3 of the regulations.
4.1. Insult
It is considered a big deflection from the regulations, the fact that a contestant says offending word to its opponents or referees and placing audio devices in the robot having the same purpose. Also, gestures or offending words written on the outside case of the robot are considered regulations violations.
4.2. Minor contraventions
A minor contravention it is sanctioned with warning and is called when:
A. When the contestant gets in the ring during the game excepting the situation where the referee stops the match or gives the point and the contestant goes to pick up the robot. To enter the ring means:
a. A part of the contestant body is in the ring
b. If he introduces any objects in the ring in order to lean on them
c. If he enters specifically in the ray of actions of the sensors, violating the security delimitation space.
B. One or more of the team’s members do one or more of the following actions:
a. Require stopping the game without serious reasons.
b. They need more than 1 minute to resume the game if the referee didn’t give an extension of the time.
c. They make any action that stand against the fair-play spirit of the game.
d. If one of the teams will leave the waiting area without announcing the officials of the competition or the referee regarding the reason of leaving.
If a team has 2 warnings, a point will be given to the opposite team, or the team can be disqualified depending of the gravity of the action that they did.
5. Penalties
5.1. Penalties
A. Players who violate these rules by performing the deeds described in Sections 2.2 and 4.1 shall lose the match.
B. Each occasion of the violations described in Sections 4.2 shall be accumulated. Two of these violations shall give one point to the opponent.
C. The violations described in Article 4.2 shall be accumulated throughout one match.
6. Objections declaration
A. There won’t be objections on the decisions taken by the referees.
B. If there are objections they have to be told by the team’s captain before the finish of the game if there are objections to the rules. The objections are spoken to the organizers from the „ETTI ROBOCHALLENGE” team. If there is no organizer present, they can talk to the referees.
C. Any problem related to the regulation is discussed with the ETTI ROBOCHALLENGE organisers of with the referees.
D. If there are complaints or it is noticed a big violation of the regulations by another team , they will discuss with the ETTI ROBOCHALLENGE organizers .
APPENDIX 1
Team’s folder will have the following items:
The numbers for each robot
The participations diplomas for the team members
The badges for the team members
Informations regarding the rooms reserved for the teams and the competition area map
Promotional
Explanation regarding how the groups are formed
The map for the teams room and the competition areas
APPENDIX 2
Football field (example)
