5.3.3 UAV Requirements
The following is a list of minimal requirements for a UAV to be permitted flight during competition and access to a course or practice area.
UAV General Requirements
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) serves as Singapore's national aviation authority, responsible for safety and air traffic management.
Teams must meet all requirements mandated by the CAAS for their UAV. Compliance with CAAS regulations will be collected in the UAV Proof of Readiness and UAV Safety Check.
Only licensed pilots will be allowed to operate UAVs during the competition. (UAV Pilot Requirements)
Only UAVs that have successfully passed airworthiness testing may be operated during the competition. See sections below for additional information.
Weight: The UAV must have a maximum all up flying weight of 7kg or lower.
The maximum all up flying weight will be verified during safety inspections.
The UAV must be capable of carrying a water-activated emergency safety light, to be provided on site by competition organizers.
Altitude: The maximum allowable flight altitude is 60m above mean sea level. This allowance is subject to change, as defined by CAAS.
Heavier-than-Air Flight: The UAV must be capable of heavier-than-air flight and be free flying without any ground encumbrances such as tethers.
Battery-Powered: The UAV must be battery electrical powered (non-fuel based). Exotic batteries will not be allowed. Any option deemed by RoboNation as high risk will be denied.
All batteries must be brightly colored for easy identification in a crash, and it is preferred if they are wrapped in bright colored tape.
Batteries must be located on the UAV so that they can be easily removed/added without any vehicle deconstructions (e.g. batteries cannot be embedded into the UAV airframe); this is to allow for rapid removal in the event of battery failures.
Communications: The UAV must be able to transmit the required telemetry messages as specified in Section 3.4 Communications Protocol. If this requirement is not met, the UAV will not be allowed to operate during the competition.
Airworthiness Test: The UAV will be subject to airworthiness tests before being granted permission to fly by licensed pilots. The airworthiness tests will include submissions in the UAV Proof of Readiness submissions and the on-site UAV Safety Check and testing of the system.
UAV Safety Systems
Each UAV must be able to float in fresh water. This will enable recovery in the case of an emergency and will minimize damage to onboard systems.
Each UAV must have clearly marked safe handling areas so that recovery personnel may safely retrieve the system, if necessary.
Each UAV must be capable of operating safely in sunny, rain, and varying wind conditions.
Each UAV must carry an emergency recovery light that operates independently from all other platform power systems and is capable of functioning underwater for at least 12 hours. Activation of this light must be demonstrated prior to each launch of the system.
At the start of the competition each team with a UAV will be provided with a water-activated flashing light to attach to their UAV.
The selected water activated light is available at Amazon: https://a.co/d/0g1AjKYO
UAV Manual Control Systems
The UAV must have a dedicated remote controller.
If the remote controller is turned off (or power is interrupted), the system must default to a safe state in which one of the following occurs:
All motors and actuators are automatically commanded to 0% thrust or an off state.
The UAV autonomously returns to its original launch location and lands safely.
A dedicated, licensed safety pilot must be assigned and available to takeover any UAV operating in the air via its dedicated remote controller.
Piloting the UAV using a laptop is NOT allowed.
The UAV must be capable of autonomous and manual takeoff and landing.
UAV Pilot Requirements
All teams will be required to have at least one (1) licensed pilot for the UAV that will be used during the competition. Teams are recommended to have at least one additional licensed pilot available.
Pilot Tests (in country): At a minimum, pilots will be required to pass a theory test and a practical piloting test, both of which will be be administered by event organizers in country prior to the competition.
Note: The pilot tests are not easy. If students are not able to pass the pilot licensing requirements on the first attempt, they will not be able to fly any UAVs during the competition.
Competition organizers will cover the licensing costs for up to two (2) licensed UAV pilots per team. Teams are responsible for the additional costs for any additional pilot licensing.
Last updated