5.2 Safety Requirements

Safe operations are a priority for RoboNation. All considerations to maintain safety for team members, volunteers, spectators, staff, and the surrounding environment must be made. These guidelines are the minimum requirements for all teams and their vehicles during the competition.

1. All Radio Frequency (RF) equipment must be operated within the rules and regulations of the host country. This includes, but is not limited to, frequency, transmitting power, antenna height, etc.
2. Uncrewed vehicle power systems must follow the safety rules and regulations of the host country as well as the team’s home country.
3. RoboNation staff may suspend operations at any time for safety or security considerations. The staff is not required to advise the team prior to the decision to terminate the run attempt. In all matters of safety, the decisions of the RoboNation staff are final.

The sponsors and the host organization, their employees and agents, as well as the organizing committee, are in no way liable for any injury or damage caused to or by any vehicle.

5.2.1 Safety Inspections

Before operating in the water, each system must pass a safety inspection. This includes, but is not limited to:

1. A Safety Inspector completes a safety checklist, verifying successful operation of all safety features prior to deployment of each system.
2. Teams demonstrate compliance with all the requirements, to include identifying all actuators, and moving parts and their associated protection mechanisms (shrouds, etc.).
3. Verification of operation of system kill switch systems (remote and physical). This may be repeated each time a team enters the water.

Safety Checklist

• Vehicle Kill systems

  • Are they correctly placed for ease of access?
  • Do on-board Kill Switches function as required?
  • Does the Remote Kill Switch function as required?
  • Does the system revert to a killed condition when the remote transmitter loses link?
• Verify tele-operation link (remote control)
• Does the vehicle (USV and UUV only) have a clearly marked forward and/or aft tow line?
• Does the vehicle (USV and UUV only) have a clearly identified lift point?
• Do the USV and UUV have appropriate lifting harnesses?
• Is there a clearly marked area for safety illumination systems?
• Are there any safety issues related to the propellers?
• Any potentially dangerous protrusions?
• Is everything properly secured to the system?
• Is system properly protected from rain? (recommended)

5.2.2 Battery Safety Requirements

Teams are required to understand and follow battery safety best practices on the battery chemistry selected by the team. Lithium-ion chemistry batteries may become damaged and create a hazard if misused/abused, representing the greatest risk to people, facilities, and the environment. The following safety rules and requirements must be followed:

1. Teams will be required to attend a mandatory battery safety briefing prior to the start of the competition.
2. Teams must submit battery specifications, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and proper disposal procedures, sourced from the battery manufacturer for all batteries.
3. Teams must keep a hard copy of the battery safety documentation for all batteries in Team Village (onsite) at all times, for reference.
4. Teams using LiPo batteries must bring their own LiPo safe bag(s) adequate for the lithium batteries used. Team LiPo bag(s) must be available at both the competition site and at the hotel.
5. Li-Po (Lithium Polymer) battery packs must use cell level safety and balancing circuits.
6. Batteries must be shipped according to required shipping regulations based on battery weight/type. Note that most batteries are considered HAZMAT and must be shipped using HAZMAT regulations.
7. Each team must understand and follow their own country’s regulations as well as those of the host nation.
8. All batteries must be stored, used, and maintained in accordance with manufacturer guidelines.
9. Teams are required to inspect their batteries daily for signs of swelling, heat, leaking, venting, burning or any other irregularities.

   1. Lithium batteries that become too warm during use or have become swollen or malformed must be removed from use and reported to RoboNation.
   2. Lithium batteries that do not hold a charge must be removed from use and reported to RoboNation.
10. A team member must be present at all times to monitor charging batteries.
11. At the competition site, if any of the above battery conditions are observed, students must immediately notify RoboNation and provide the battery specifications and safety information.
12. At the hotel, if a battery irregularity occurs at any time, students must notify RoboNation’s Senior Events Manager, Cheri Koch immediately by phone at 850.642.0536 and provide the battery specifications and safety information.
13. Failed or failing Lithium-ion batteries must be handled in accordance with manufacturer’s safety and disposal guidelines. In the absence of specific guidelines, batteries must be placed in a LiPo safe bag, which must then be placed in a bucket, covered with sand, and placed in a designated safety zone.
14. Teams are not permitted to change or replace batteries while the system is in the water.
15. All pressure vessels containing batteries must have pressure relief valves.

5.2.3 Kill Switch (Emergency Stop) Requirements

The USV and UUV must comply with the kill switch requirements detailed below. The systems must have two emergency stop systems, also known as ‘kill switches’ or ‘E-Stops’.

• On-Board: A hard-wired, on-board, emergency stop system.
• Off-Board: A wireless remote emergency stop, located off-board and on its own frequency and link.

Both systems must operate in a failsafe fashion (if any part of the system fails, the battery dies or is removed, the system must enter emergency stop) and upon activation of either system (on-board or off-board), the switch must instantaneously disconnect power from the vehicle’s propulsion systems and actuator units. An example of how to implement this is shown in the figure below. The system should be designed such that power to the propulsion systems and actuators cannot be restored until the emergency switch is reset.

The Technical team will conduct a detailed engineering and safety inspection of all safety systems, including tests to verify the proper operation of kill switches. This includes the removal of the remote kill switch battery to prove it fails safe. Teams must be prepared to discuss the design and implementation of their fail-safe systems in detail.

Sample Emergency Stop System

Onboard Emergency Stop System

All uncrewed surface and underwater systems must have an onboard emergency stop capable of being actuated by personnel from a support craft. For personnel safety, the switch may be triggered from a distance by a wooden or plastic pole/paddle. Keeping this in mind, teams should select rugged and reliable components for their safety system.

Onboard Emergency Stop Button

A kill switch should be installed in such a way that safety personnel, either from the support craft or in dive gear, can easily actuate the kill function. The engage/disengage switch should be red in color and function in such a way that it can be quickly actuated, but requires intentional effort to disengage. Examples of this are switches that have a ‘press to activate and twist/pull to reset’ feature or magnetic switches that engage (kill) when a device is removed and re-energize the system only when the device is placed back on the system.

This button, momentary contact switch or not, should cut power to the propulsion systems and actuators immediately on actuation. The propulsion systems and actuators must remain in a powered-down state until the course manager gives permission for the team to reinitialize the system.

Wireless Emergency Stop

All uncrewed systems must be equipped with a portable, handheld, Wireless Emergency Stop controller that operates while the system is not underwater.

• This controller must immediately (less than 2 seconds) disconnect power to the system's propulsion systems and actuators when activated or when power/battery is removed from the transmitter.
• This system must also meet the host country RF guidelines for frequency and transmit power.
• This system may NOT be a laptop, tablet, or phone.