5. Competition Tasks
Take a look at the official handbook (2024 version, will update with 2025 version as soon as it is available, but changes should be minor)
Prior to the on-site competition, teams may attempt to pre-qualify their vehicle. The vehicle used to pre-qualify must also be the vehicle that is entered into the competition. A team that successfully passes the prequalification will automatically qualify for Semi-Finals and is not required to qualify on-site during the practice days of the competition. A team that chooses not to attempt pre-qualification or does not successfully prequalify, is required to complete a qualification run onsite.
In a fully autonomous run, the vehicle must
- submerge and start 9.8 ft (3m) behind the Gate,
- pass through the Gate,
- circle around the Marker, and
- pass back through the Gate.
Before the start of a run, and for additional points, teams may request a coin flip which determines the heading of the AUV for the start. If the coin lands on Heads, the AUV is positioned parallel to the gate. If the coin lands on Tails, the AUV is positioned so its tail is pointed toward the gate (the AUV is backward).
The validation gate is buoyant, floating just below the surface and moored to the bottom. The vertical legs are colored BLACK and then RED. RED is on top on the right-hand side (Red, Right, Above). The AUV can pass through the gate at any depth from the floor to just below the gate.
A 2-inch RED corrugated flat plate is used to divide the gate in half. Abydos on one side, Earth on the other. The AUV chooses a destination by passing under either side.
Style points are extra points that can be gained by passing through the gate with “style”. For every 90° change in orientation, the AUV increases the multiplier, up to 8x. However, returning to the last previous orientation won’t count. I.e. an AUV that rolls 90° (+1 multiplier) and then back to 0° would not get +2 multiplier (remains on +1). A vehicle that yaws 720° would get 8x.
The path markers are ~4 feet (~1.2m) long by 6 inches (15cm) wide. The path is colored ORANGE. Each path marker is placed directly after the current task and points to the next task. The path is a straight segment. No points are awarded for following the path, the path is intended to help guide the AUV to the next task.
There are two path markers to aid in navigation. One path marker is positioned at the gate that points to the Start Dialing (buoy) task. From Start Dialing, the second path points to Location (bins). Those are the only path segments which can be used to visually orient the AUV to the next task.
The single “buoy” is moored to the floor by line in two places. The buoy has the first two glyphs for the dialing sequence for Abydos or Earth (four glyphs in total).
Points are awarded for touching the buoy anywhere. More points are awarded for bumping the correct glyphs for the side the AUV chose, based on the Gate task. The order does not matter.
This task consists of two bins. In one bin, there is one of two images of Abydos, in the other bin, there is one of two images of the entrance to the Earth Stargate. 1/3 of each bin is covered with a lid.
Points are awarded for dropping markers into either bin. Points are awarded for lifting off the cover. More points are awarded for dropping markers in the appropriate bin based on the Gate task.
This task consists of one vertical board with two images on the front side. One is the image of the open Stargate, and the other is the image of the Stargate with a closed iris. There is one circular opening for each of the images.
Points are awarded for firing torpedoes through either of the openings. More points are awarded for firing torpedoes first through the open Stargate and then through the closed Stargate.
A 9 ft (2.7m) diameter octagon floats on the surface and an acoustic pinger, located on the floor near the center of the octagon, guides the AUV to this task. Located in the center of the octagon is the Dial Home Device (DHD) platform. In the center of the DHD are four chevrons. On the perimeter of the DHD are 8 bins with glyphs. Four of the glyphs are the remaining dialing sequence for Abydos, and four are the remaining dialing sequence for Earth.
Points are awarded for surfacing inside the octagon and for surfacing with each chevron (stay inside the octagon to continue your run). Points are awarded for moving the chevrons to any of the eight bins. Maximum points are awarded for placing the chevrons in the correct bins based on the Gate task.
