Last updated: Monday Feb 28th 2004
by Brian Thomas, Gerhard Kraetzschmar, Gianpaolo Pucci, Giacinto Spina
Note: These rules apply to both 2-on-2 and 1-on-1 Leagues. Differences are noted, where necessary.
Note: Changes from 2004 rules are highlighted in red .
1. Playing Field.
1.1. Size.
1.1.1. The playing field for the 1-on-1 League is 87 cm by 119 cm (oversize A0).
(
1-on-1 field diagram)
1.1.2. The playing field for the 2-on-2 League is 122 cm by 183 cm.
(
2-on-2 field diagram)
1.1.3. As shown in the diagrams, each corner is a triangle of 8cm on each of the sides parallel to the walls.
1.2. Floor.
1.2.1. The floor of the playing field is covered with a printed, matte
greyscale. See your national web site for local suppliers or order
on-line from:
http://www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R204-ROBOCUPJR-MAT.html.
1.2.2. The playing field should be placed so that it is flat and level. The field may be placed on a table or on the floor.
Hint: It is recommended that teams design their robots to cope with slight imperfections up to 3mm on the surface.
1.3. Walls.
1.3.1. Walls are placed all around the field, including behind the goals.
1.3.2. The walls are 14 cm high.
1.3.3. The walls are painted matte black.
1.4. Goals.
1.4.1. The width of each goal for the 1-on-1 League is 29 cm, centered on the shorter end of the field.
1.4.2. The width of each goal for the 2-on-2 League is 45 cm, centered on the shorter end of the field.
1.4.3. The back, sides and floor of the goal (inside the field) are painted matte grey: 75% matte white and 25% matte black.
1.5. Neutral Spots.
1.5.1. For both leagues, there are five (5) neutral spots defined in the field.
1.5.2. One (1) is in the center of the field.
1.5.3. Four (4) are adjacent to each corner, located a goal width along
the long edge of the field, aligned with each goal post; i.e., for the
1-on-1 League, 29cm towards the middle of the field from each goal post
(see drawing in 1.1.1); for the 2-on-2 League, 45cm towards the middle
of the field from each goal post (see drawing in 1.1.2).
1.5.4. The neutral spots are positions on the field where the referee
can place robots or the ball in case play is interrupted (see
Interruption of Game Play).
1.5.5. The spots are marked by a small blue cross on the floor of the field.
1.5.6. The ball is to be placed on the goal neutral spots if an
interruption occurs while it is in the goal area. The ball is placed in
the central neutral spot if an interruption occurs while it is in the
Centre Area. See the diagram in 1.1.1 or 1.1.2.
1.6. Lighting and Magnetic Conditions
1.6.1. Teams must come prepared to calibrate their robots based on the
lighting and magnetic conditions at the venue. Every effort will be
made by organizers to keep light levels as low as possible and locate
soccer fields away from magnetic fields such as under floor wiring and
metallic objects. However sometimes this cannot be avoided.
Hint: It is recommended that teams design their robots to cope with
variations in lighting and magnetic conditions, as these vary from
venue to venue.
2. Robots.
2.1. Dimensions.
2.1.1. Robots will be measured in an upright position and with all parts fully extended.
2.1.2 For the 1-on-1 League the robot must fit inside an upright 18cm diameter cylinder.
2.1.3. For the 2-on-2 League, the upright robot must fit inside an upright 22cm diameter cylinder.
2.1.4. The robot height must be 22cm or less.
2.2. Control.
2.2.1. Robots must be controlled autonomously.
2.2.2. Robots must be started manually by humans.
2.2.3. The use of remote control any kind is not allowed.
2.3. Marking/Coloring.
2.3.1. Competitors are required to mark or decorate their robots to identify them as belonging to the same team.
2.3.2. Colors of robots and/or light transmitters must not interfere with the light sensors readings of other robots.
2.4. Team.
2.4.1. For the 1-on-1 League, a team shall consist of one and only one (1) robot.
2.4.2. For the 2-on-2 League, a team shall consist of no more than two (2) robots.
2.5. Construction.
2.5.1. Any robot kit or building block, either commercial or from raw
hardware may be used, as long as the robot fits the above
specifications and as long as the design and construction are primarily
and substantially the original work of the student(s) (see
section 4.3).
2.5.2. Robot pieces may be permanently attached with glue, screws, etc.
2.6. Ball Capturing Zones.
2.6.1. Ball capturing zones are defined as any internal space created
when a straight edge is placed on the protruding points of a robot.
2.6.2. The ball cannot penetrate the Ball Capturing Zone by more than 2cm.
2.7. Goalies (2-on-2)
2.7.1. If a goalie is used in 2-on-2, it cannot limit its movement to a
single direction on the field. It must be programmed to move in all
directions.
2.7.2. The goalie must respond to the ball in a
forward direction in an attempt to intercept the ball ahead of the
goal. If required, its movement should be able to take some part of the
robot past the Neutral Spots (45 cm from goal).
The goalie cannot respond sideways and then with a forward movement.
2.7.3. Failure to respond to the ball with
forward movement down the field will result in the robot being classified as "Damaged." (Section 5.10)
2.8. Kickers
2.8.1. If a robot damages a ball, it will be removed from play and treated as a damaged robot.
2.8.2. Adjustments must be made to that robot to prevent this from recurring.
2.8.3. If the robot infringes again it will be disqualified from the game.
3. Ball.
3.1. Specification.
3.1.1. A well-balanced electronic ball shall be used.
3.1.2. The ball will transmit infra-red (IR) light.
3.2. Suppliers.
There are two electronic balls that have been approved by the
RoboCupJunior Technical Committee. Both are similar in performance and
either can be used at RoboCup Junior tournaments.
3.2.1. IR Roboball MK2 made by Wiltronics
(order on-line from:
http://www.wiltronics.com.au/catalogue/shop.php?cid=339).
3.2.2. RoboSoccer ball made by EK Japan
(email:
info@elekit.co.jp
or order on-line from:
http://www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R194-ROBO-BALL.html)
4. Inspection.
4.1. Schedule.
4.1.1. The robots will be examined by a panel of referees before the
start of the tournament to ensure that the robots meet the constraints
described above.
4.1.2. It is the responsibility of teams to have their robots
re-inspected if their robots are modified at any time during the
tournament.
4.2. Robot configuration.
4.2.1. While being inspected, each robot must be upright and at its
maximum size; i.e., anything that protrudes from the robot must be
fully extended. If a robot has a moving part that extends in two
directions, it will need to be inspected with this part operating. The
robot must be able to operate without touching the measuring cylinder.
4.3. Students.
4.3.1. Students will be asked to explain the operation of their robots
in order to verify that the construction and the programming of the
robot is their own work.
4.3.2. Students will be asked questions about their preparation
efforts, and they will be requested to answer surveys and participate
in video-taped interviews for research purposes.
4.3.3. Commercial kits may be used but must be substantially modified by the students.
4.3.4. Proof must be supplied that robots are constructed and programmed by the students.
4.3.5. Any team that has original construction of robots or sensors
(not commercially available ) must supply full documentary proof that
the developments were wholly the work of the students according to
Section 4.3.1. This will be in the form of a log book describing all
stages of design, development and construction.
4.3.6. It is expected that all teams should attend a short verification interview prior to all events.
4.4. Violations.
4.4.1. Any violations of the inspection rules will prevent that robot competing until modifications are effected.
4.4.2. However, modifications must be made within the time schedule of
the tournament and teams must not delay game play while making
modifications.
4.4.3. If a robot fails to meet all specifications (even with
modification), the robot will be disqualified for that game (but not
the tournament).
4.4.4. If there is excessive mentor assistance or the work on the
robots is not substantially original work by the students, then the
team will be disqualified from the tournament.
5. Game Play.
5.1. Pre-game setup.
5.1.1. Organizers will provide access to the competition area for
calibration and testing prior to the competition and according to a
schedule that will be made available at the start of the event
5.1.2. Organizers will make every effort to allow at least 10 minutes of setup time before each game.
5.2. Length of Game.
5.2.1. The game will consist of two 10-minute halves.
5.2.2. There will be a 5-minute break in between the halves.
5.2.3. The game clock will run for the duration of the game (two
10-minutes halves), without stopping (except as noted in Damaged
Robots).
5.2.4. The game will run on a central time clock.
5.2.5. Teams can be penalized one goal per minute at the referee's discretion if they are late.
5.2.6. If a team does not report within 5 minutes of the game start, it
will forfeit the game and the winning team awarded a 5-0 score line.
5.3. Start of Game.
5.3.1. At the start of the first half of the game, the referee will
toss a coin and the team first mentioned in the draw shall call the
coin while it is in the air.
5.3.2. The winner of the toss can choose either (a) which end to kick to, or (b) to kick off first.
5.3.3. The loser of the toss will decide the other option.
5.3.4. The team not kicking off in the first half of the game will kick off to begin the second half of the game.
5.4. Kick-Offs.
5.4.1. Each half of the game begins with a kick-off.
5.4.2. All robots must be in located on their own side of the field.
5.4.3. All robots must be halted.
5.4.4. The ball is positioned by the referee in the center of the field.
5.4.5. All robots on the team not kicking off must be at least 30cm away from the ball.
5.4.6. The team not kicking off places their robots on the field first.
Robots cannot be placed nor remain behind the goal line. Robots cannot
be moved once they have been placed.
5.4.7. The team kicking off will place one robot near the ball.
5.4.8. The referee may adjust the placement of the robots.
5.4.9. On the referee's command, all robots will be started immediately by human team members.
5.4.10. Any robots that are started before the refereewill be removed
from the field and treated as a damaged robot. (See 5.10.5)
5.5. Humans.
5.5.1. In general, movement of robots by humans is not acceptable.
5.5.2. Humans can only move robots at the instruction of the referee.
5.5.3. Before the start of each match, teams should designate one human
who will act as "Captain", and be allowed to start, place, remove and
replace robots during the game, based on the stated rules and as
directed by the referee.
5.5.4. Other team members within the vicinity of the playing field are
to remain at least one metre from the field while the ball is in play,
unless otherwise directed by the referee.
5.6. Ball Movement.
5.6.1. A robot cannot "hold" a ball.
Hint: Holding a ball means taking a full control of the ball by
removing all of its degrees of freedom. For example, this would mean
fixing a ball to the robot's body, surrounding a ball using the robot's
body to prevent access by others, encircling the ball or somehow
trapping the ball with any part of the robot's body. If a ball stops
rolling while a robot is moving ,or a ball does not rebound when rolled
into a robot, it is a good indication that the ball is trapped.
5.6.2. The ball cannot be held underneath a robot.
5.6.3. The ball must be visible at all times.
5.6.4. Other players must be able to access the ball.
5.6.5 The only exception to rule 5.6.1 is the use of a rotating drum
that imparts dynamic back spin on the ball to keep the ball on its
surface. This is called a "dribbler".
5.6.6. A dribbler must comply with Rule 2.7 Ball Capturing Zones; i.e.,
the ball cannot penetrate under the dribbler for more than 2cm. The 2cm
is measured from the contact point of the dribbler on the ball.
5.7. Scoring.
5.7.1. A goal is scored when the whole of the ball crosses the goal
line. This coincides with the ball striking the back wall of the goal.
5.7.2. The ball must be free rolling to score a goal otherwise it will
be deemed "pushed" by the referee and disallowed. In the event of a
pushed goal, play will be stopped with the referee's whistle. The
referee will explain the decision. The goal will not be allowed. The
ball is replaced on the nearest available neutral spot before play is
resumed.
The robot must make a visible effort to kick or release the ball
otherwise a goal will be deemed a made to release the ball and it
momentarily rolls free while in the control of a robot travelling
towards goal, it will still be deemed a pushed goal.
5.7.3. The only exception to this is when a robot makes first contact,
or a collision occurs with another robot with the ball less than 15cm
in front of the goal.
5.7.4. The referee will blow the whistle when a goal is scored.
5.7.5. After a goal is scored, a kick-off will occur. The non-scoring team will be awarded the ball.
5.7.6. A penalty goal will be awarded if a ball
deemed to be travelling towards the goal strikes a robot that has some
part of it over the goal line and in the "in goal" area.
5.7.7. "Own goals" will be treated as a goal to the opposition, even if the ball is "pushed" into the goal.
5.8. Interruption of Game Play.
5.8.1. The situations listed in sections 5.9-5.12 may cause play to be
interrupted, usually resulting in the movement of the ball to a neutral
position while play is allowed to continue.
5.8.2. Play may also be stopped by the referee blowing a whistle, but
the game clock is not stopped, all at the discretion of the referee.
All robots must be stopped immediately and returned to their position
when the whistle was blown.
5.8.3. After a stoppage in play, play will resume on the referee's command and all robots are started simultaneously.
5.9. Lack of Progress.
5.9.1. This occurs if the ball is stuck between
multiple robots or between robot(s) and the wall, consequently the ball
is deemed by the referee to have no chance of being freed.
The referee can call "Lack of Progress" at any time and will call
"Lack of Progress" immediately when a "pushing" situation arises.
5.9.2. Lack of Progress also occurs if the ball has not been touched by
any robot for at least 20 seconds and it appears that no robots are
likely to hit the ball.
5.9.3. In the case of Lack of Progress, the ball will be moved to the
nearest unoccupied neutral zone according to section 1.5 (Neutral
Zones).
5.9.4. When robots will be freed using minimal movement by the referee. Goalies should be maintained with the same alignment.
5.9.5. When Lack of Progress is called, any robots sitting behind the goal line will be moved forward out of the in goal area.
5.10. Damaged Robots.
5.10.1. If a robot does not move for a period of at least 20 seconds
and/or it does not respond to the ball, it will be deemed damaged by
the referee.
5.10.2. If a robot continually returns to the area within the goals, it will be deemed damaged by the referee.
5.10.3. The referee or players may remove damaged robot(s) from the field.
5.10.4. A damaged robot must remain off the field for at least one minute.
5.10.5. A damaged robot may be returned with the referees permission to
the neutral spot that is closest to the position on the field from
where the robot was removed and does not advantage that robot.
5.10.6. Goalies may be returned to the area in front of the goal.
5.10.7. Play may continue during removal, repair and replacement. Note
that the referee may choose to interrupt play if robot damage occurred
because of a collision with an opposition robot.
5.10.9. If a robot turns over on its own accord, it will be treated as
a damaged robot and removed. If the robot is tipped over after a
collision with another robot, it can be righted by the referee and
continue playing.
5.11. Multiple Defense (2-on-2 only).
5.11.1. Multiple Defense occurs if more than one robot from the
defending side enters the region near the goal and substantially
affects the game.
5.11.2. For a "Multiple Defense", the robot having the least influence
on play is moved to the nearest neutral spot. In the case where a
goalie is involved, the other player will be moved.
5.12. Fouls.
5.12.1. If a robot utilizes a device or an action which continuously
attacks or charges a robot not in possession of the ball, the referee
will call "Foul". The team captain must then remove the robot from the
playing field for at least one minute and correct the problem; play
will continue (as in 5.10 "Damaged Robots").
5.12.2. If the robot continues to Foul, it will be permanently removed
from the game. In 1-on-1, that team will forfeit the game.
5.12.3 If a robot is damaged by a foul, the referee will stop the game and stop the clock while repairs are made.
5.13. Free Kicks
There are no free kicks.
5.14. Penalty Kicks.
There are no penalty kicks.
5.15. Offside.
There are no offside rules.
5.16. Timeouts.
There are no timeouts in the game.
5.17. Substitution.
Substitution of robots at any time during a tournament is strictly
forbidden. Any team or teams that knowingly substitute robots will be
disqualified from the tournament.
6. Conflict Resolution.
6.1. Referee.
6.1.1. During game play, the referee's decisions are
final. Any argument with a referees decision will result in a Yellow
Warning Card. If argument continues, the referee will give a Red Card
resulting in immediate forfeit of the game.
6.1.2. If Team Captains are satisfied with the result
of a game, they are to sign the score sheet at the conclusion of game
play.
6.1.3. Any protest after the game should only be if the scoring is believed to be incorrect.
6.2. Rule clarification.
6.2.1. Rule clarification may be made by members of the RoboCupJunior International Technical Committee.
6.3. Special Circumstances.
6.3.1 Specific modifications to the rules to allow for special
circumstances, such as unforeseen problems and/or capabilities of a
team's robots, may be agreed to at the time of the tournament, provided
a majority of the contestants agree.
7. Code of Conduct.
7.1. Fair Play.
7.1.1. Robots that cause deliberate interference with other robots or damage to the field or the ball will be disqualified.
7.1.2. Humans that cause deliberate interference with robots or damage to the field or the ball will be disqualified.
7.1.3. It is expected that the aim of all teams is to play a fair and clean game of robot soccer.
7.2. Behavior.
7.2.1. All movement and behavior is to be of a subdued nature within the tournament venue.
7.2.2. Competitors are not to enter setup areas of other leagues or
other teams, unless expressly invited to do so by team members.
7.2.3. Participants who misbehave may be asked to leave the building and risk being disqualified from the tournament.
7.2.4. These rules will be enforced at the discretion of the referees,
officials, conference organizers and local law enforcement authorities.
7.3. Mentors.
7.3.1. Mentors (teachers, parents, chaperones and other adult team-members) are not allowed in the student work area.
7.3.2. Sufficient seating will be supplied for Mentors to remain in a supervisory capacity around the student work area.
7.3.3. Mentors are not to repair robots or be involved in programming of student robots.
7.3.4. Mentor interference with robots or referee
decisions will result in a yellow card warning in the first instance.
If this reoccurs, a red card will be awarded and the mentor will be
asked to leave the venue.
7.4. Sharing.
7.4.1. An understanding that has been a part of world RoboCup
Competitions is that any technological and curricular developments
should be shared with other participants after the competition.
7.4.2. Any developments may be published on the RoboCupJunior web site after the event.
7.4.3. This furthers the mission of RoboCupJunior as an educational initiative.
7.5. Spirit.
7.5.1. It is expected that all participants, Students and Mentors alike, will respect the RoboCupJunior mission.
7.5.2. The referees and officials will act within the spirit of the event.
7.5.3.
It is not whether you win or lose, but how much you learn that counts!