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MAGIC 2010: Super-smart robots wanted for international challenge

MAGIC 2010

Teams are challenged to develop a cooperative of unmanned ground vehicles that can coordinate their activities such that they safely, efficiently and effectively explore and map an environment while detecting, locating, classifying, recognising, tracking and neutralising a number of potential Objects Of Interest (OOI). Key information concerning the environment and OOI should then be combined for transmission to the UGV operators and judges for evaluation relative to ground truth information.

A maximum of two operators will be allowed to supervise at least three UGVs., The team will be allowed a total of 3 hours 30 minutes to complete a series of increasingly complex phases, comprising a number of mission tasks designed to test the ability of the UGVs to autonomously and dynamically coordinate, plan and re-plan their task allocation, execution and sensing strategies in changing environments.

The challenge will be conducted in a mock urban environment of the order of 500m x 500m and will comprise sealed roads, paths, buildings, trees, grassed areas, sandy ground, trenches, holes, safety barriers, curbs, and fences. In addition to any natural obstacles, additional obstacles may also be inserted. The buildings will be mainly single or double storey and of brick construction, with tiled or tin roofs. A representative layout of the area depicting open, restricted and wooded areas, street and road layout, general topography, the location, number, and area of buildings, etc will be provided prior to the challenge in December 2009. However the precise coordinates of the area and location of the obstacles will not be available for distribution. The challenge will be conducted in daylight and illuminated indoor conditions and precipitation of as much as 1mm/hour.

Line of sight between the operators and the unmanned vehicles will not be possible at all times and teams may need to consider communications relay. The terrain may undulate slightly, but will essentially be flat. The UGVs may encounter positive and negative obstacles inside and outside buildings, but will not require special mobility or manipulation characteristics. Access to buildings will be through open doorways at least 0.9m wide. GPS will be available outside the buildings, but subject to the usual physical restrictions imposed by urban infrastructure. GPS will not be relayed inside buildings.

The location of OOI will not be known to teams a priori. These objects may be static or mobile and may be located inside or outside buildings. OOI will include humans. Mobile OOI will manoeuvre outdoors in unscripted patterns. Mobile OOI may be either hostile or non-combatants. All hostile OOI have the potential to “damage” and “destroy” a team’s vehicles if the UGVs are within their lethality zone. High resolution EO images of all OOI signatures will be made available to teams prior to the event.

During the challenge, the location of all detectable OOI outside buildings will be provided via a real time data feed to simulate the information provided by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Each UGV cooperative will contain two categories of vehicles: sensor UGVs, which can explore and map the area and detect OOI, and disruptor UGVs, which have the ability to neutralise** static OOI.

To complete the challenge the teams must: (i) accurately and compleely explore and map the challenge area; (ii) correctly detect, locate, classify, recognise and neutralise** all hostile OOI; and (iii) finish all tasks within 3 hours and 30 minutes.

** Please note: Neutralise - does not imply weaponise