5.3 Vehicle Requirements

The following is a list of minimal requirements for a vehicle to be permitted access to a course. Teams that arrive at the competition failing to meet the vehicle requirements will not be permitted on the course until the vehicle is modified to meet all requirements.

5.3.1 ASV Requirements

• Autonomy: Vehicle shall be fully autonomous and shall have all autonomy decisions made onboard the ASV.

• Buoyancy: The vehicle shall be positively buoyant.

• Communication: The vehicle cannot send or receive any control information while in autonomous mode (to and from Operators Control Station).

• Towable: The vehicle must have a multi-point tow harness installed at all times to allow staff to attach a rope and tow the vehicle through the water. Underslung harnesses will NOT be permitted.

• Energy source: The vehicle must be battery powered. All batteries must be sealed to reduce the hazard from acid or caustic electrolytes. The open circuit voltage of any battery (or battery system) may not exceed 60Vdc.

• Kill Switch: The vehicle must have at least one 1.5 inch diameter red button located on the vehicle that, when actuated, must instantaneously disconnect power from all motors and actuators. (Section 5.2.3: Kill Switch Requirements)

• Wireless Kill Switch: In addition to the physical kill-switch, the vehicle must have at least one remote kill switch that, when actuated, must instantaneously disconnect power from all motors and actuators. If the remote kill switch system is powered off or battery removed, vehicle must default to a state in which power is disconnected from all motors and actuators. (Section 5.2.3: Kill Switch Requirements)

• Propulsion: Any propulsion system may be used (thruster, paddle, etc.). However, all moving parts must have protection. For instance, a propeller must be shrouded.

• Remote-controllable: The vehicle must be remote-controllable (tele-operated) to be brought back to the dock. If the remote controller is turned off (or power is interrupted), vehicle must default to a state in which all motors and actuators are automatically commanded to 0% thrust or an off state. Driving the vehicle through a laptop is STRONGLY discouraged.

• Safety: All sharp, pointy, moving or sensitive parts must be covered and marked.

• Size: The vehicle must fit within a six feet, by three feet, by three feet "box". (Any extensions from the hull can exceed these dimensions during a run.)

• Surface: The vehicle must float or use ground effect of the water. Mostly submerged/flying vehicles are forbidden for use as primary autonomous platform.

• Weight: The entire maritime system shall weigh less than 140 lbs.

5.3.2 Multiple Vehicle Requirements

A team may enter up to two vehicles into the competition. Along with the 5.3.1 ASV Requirements, teams who enter multiple vehicles must follow these specifications as outlined in this section.

• Weight and Size: Each vehicle must adhere to the weight and size requirements. The thrust and weight of each vehicle is measured separately, and the scores are calculated per vehicle then combined for total score (Section 3.1 Weight and Thrust Scoresheet).

• Gate: At the start of a run, each vehicle must pass through the entry gate first before heading off for its desired task.

• Run Time: A team may elect to kill one vehicle and bring it back to the shore. If one (or more) vehicles are still out on the course, the competition time continues to count down (think of them as a swarm). Any vehicle that has been killed is returned to the start location and can be redeployed at any time.

• Time Stop: The competition timer is only stopped when the last vehicle out on the course is under remote control and returning to the shore. The timer starts again once this last vehicle has returned to the shore, or the first vehicle leaves the shore (starting its new run).

• Inter-Vehicle Communication: Teams wishing to have communication between each vehicle are asked to post their method and frequencies on the RoboBoat Discord’s rb-technical-forum channel. Inter-vehicle communication and cueing of one vehicle by another is an advanced behavior that merits special points. If such behavior is executed, teams are required to present post-run supporting documentation (e.g., vehicle logs) to the judges.