RoboCupJunior 2003 SOCCER rules

last updated: Sun Jan 19 22:44:54 EST 2003 (thomas/sklar)

Note: These rules apply to both 2-on-2 and 1-on-1 Leagues. Differences are noted, where necessary.

Note: Changes from 2002 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.
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 and sides and floor of the goal (inside the field) and are painted matte grey: 75% matte white and 25% matte black.

1.5. Neutral Spots.

1.5.1.: For the 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.

1.6.1.: Teams must come prepared to calibrate their robots based on the lighting conditions at the venue.
1.6.2: Every effort will be made to keep ambient light to a low level with infra-red (IR) sources from incandescent lights and natural lighting minimized.
1.6.3: The organizing committee will release the range of light conditions to be expected, at least one month prior to the event.

1.7. Magnetic Conditions.

1.7.1: Every effort will be made by organizers to 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. Teams should come prepared to calibrate their robots based on the conditions at the venue.

2. Robots.

2.1. Diameter.

2.1.1.: For the 1-on-1 League, the upright robot must fit inside an upright 18cm diameter cylinder.
2.1.2.: For the 2-on-2 League, the upright robot must fit inside an upright 22cm diameter cylinder.
2.1.3.: Robots will be measured with all parts fully extended.

2.2. Height.

2.2.1.: The robot height must be 22cm or less.

2.3. Control.

2.3.1.: Robots must be controlled autonomously.
2.3.2.: Robots must be started manually by humans.
2.3.3.: The use of remote control any kind is not allowed.

2.4. Marking/Coloring.

2.4.1.: Competitors are required to mark or decorate their robots to identify them as belonging to the same team.
2.4.2.: Colors of robots and/or light transmitters must not interfere with the light sensors readings of other robots. Transmitters on LEGO light sensors must be covered. Blue Tac is recommended.

2.5. Team.

2.5.1.: For the 1-on-1 League, a team shall consist of one and only one (1) robot.
2.5.2.: For the 2-on-2 League, a team shall consist of no more than two (2) robots.

2.6. Construction.

2.6.1.: Any robot kit or building blocks 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).
2.6.2.: Construction from raw electronic and hardware components is also allowed, 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).
2.6.3.: Robot pieces may be permanently attached with glue, screws, etc.

2.7. Ball Capturing Zones.

2.7.1.: Ball capturing zones are defined as any internal space created when a straight edge is placed on the protruding points of a robot.
2.7.2.: The ball cannot penetrate the Ball Capturing Zone by more than 2cm.

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 have been tested by the RoboCupJunior Technical Committee. Both are similar in performance.

3.2.1.: IR Roboball MK2 made by Wiltronics (http://www.wiltronics.com.au/productindex.asp?c=54).
3.2.2.: RoboSoccer ball made by EK Japan (email: info@elekit.co.jp).
3.2.3.: Acroname Inc., USA is also supplying the EK RoboSoccer ball (http://www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R194-ROBO-BALL.html).

3.3. Competition ball.

3.3.1: For RoboCupJunior-2003 the official ball will be announced prior to the tournament.

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.

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.: (previously numbered section 4.3.2.) Commercial kits may be used but must be substantially modified by the students.
4.3.4.: (previously numbered section 4.3.3.) Robots must be predominantly constructed and programmed by the students.

4.4. Violations. (previously numbered section 4.5.)

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 make every effort to provide the teams access to the competition area at least two hours before the start of the competition.
5.1.2.: Organizers will make every effort to allow at least 10 minutes of setup time before each game.

Participants should be aware, however, that situations may arise where these conditions cannot be met; and so participants should arrive prepared to cope under conditions that are less than ideal.

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.
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 by human team members.

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 seated 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, it is a good indication that the ball is trapped.
5.6.2.: The ball cannot be 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.

5.7. Scoring.

5.7.1.: The ball must be free rolling to score a goal otherwise it will be deemed "pushed" by the referee and disallowed.
5.7.2.: The only exception to this is when a robot makes first contact with the ball less than 15cm in front of the goal.
5.7.3.: The referee will blow the whistle when a goal is scored.
5.7.4.: After a goal is scored, a kick-off will occur.
5.7.5.: The non-scoring team will be awarded the ball.
5.7.6.: "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 and the ball is deemed by the referee to have no chance of being freed.
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.: If the ball has not been touched for two periods of 20 seconds, all stuck 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 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 is fixed at the wall, because it has no sensors to detect the wall, the robot is not damaged.
5.10.3.: If a robot continually returns to the area within the goals, it will be deemed damaged by the referee.
5.10.4.: The referee or players may remove damaged robot(s) from the field.
5.10.5.: A damaged robot must remain off the field for at least one minute.
5.10.6.: 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.
5.10.7.: Goalies may be returned to the area in front of the goal.
5.10.8.: 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. Pushed Goal.

In the event of a pushed goal (see section 5.7), 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.

5.13. Fouls.

5.13.1.: 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").
5.13.2. If the robot continues to Foul, it will be permanently removed from the game. In 1-on-1, that team will forfeit the game.

5.14 Free Kicks. (previously numbered section 5.9.)

There are no free kicks.

5.15. Penalty Kicks. (previously numbered section 5.10.)

There are no penalty kicks.

5.16. Offside. (previously numbered section 5.11.)

There are no offside rules.

5.17. Timeouts. (previously numbered section 5.12.)

There are no timeouts in the game.

5.18. Substitution. (previously numbered section 5.13.)

Substitution of robots at any time during a tournament is strictly forbidden.

6. Conflict Resolution.

6.1. Referee.

6.1.1.: During game play, the referee's decisions are final.

6.2. Rule clarification.

Rule clarification may be made by members of the RoboCupJunior International Technical Committee.

6.3. Special Circumstances. (previously numbered section 6.4.)

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. Documentation.

7.1.: All teams must bring written documentation describing their preparation efforts.
7.2.: Teams will be given public space (approximately 1 by 2 meters) to display their materials on a poster board.
7.3.: Officials will review the documentation and discuss the contents with team members. A prize will be awarded to teams with outstanding presentations.
7.4.: Teams are encouraged to visit each other's posters.

8. Code of Conduct. (previously numbered section 7.)

8.1. Fair Play.

8.1.1.: Robots that cause deliberate interference with other robots or damage to the field or the ball will be disqualified.
8.1.2.: Humans that cause deliberate interference with robots or damage to the field or the ball will be disqualified.
8.1.4.: It is expected that the aim of all teams is to play a fair and clean game of robot soccer.

8.2. Behavior.

8.2.1.: All movement and behavior is to be of a subdued nature within the tournament venue.
8.2.2.: Competitors are not to enter setup areas of other leagues or other teams, unless expressly invited to do so by team members.
8.2.3.: Participants who misbehave may be asked to leave the building and risk being disqualified from the tournament.
8.2.4.: These rules will be enforced at the discretion of the referees, officials, conference organizers and local law enforcement authorities.

8.3. Mentors.

8.3.1.: Mentors (teachers, parents, chaperones and other adult team-members) are not allowed in the student work area.
8.3.2.: Sufficient seating will be supplied for Mentors to remain in a supervisory capacity around the student work area.
8.3.3.: Mentors are not to repair robots or be involved in programming of student’s robots.
8.3.4.: Mentor interference with robots or referee decisions will result in a warning in the first instance. If this recurs, the team will risk being disqualified.

8.4. Sharing. (previously numbered section 7.3.)

8.4.1.: 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.
8.4.2.: Any developments may be published on the RoboCupJunior web site after the event.
8.4.3.: This furthers the mission of RoboCupJunior as an educational initiative.

8.5. Spirit. (previously numbered section 7.4.)

8.5.1.: It is expected that all participants, Students and Mentors alike, will respect the RoboCupJunior mission.
8.5.2.: The referees and officials will act within the spirit of the event.
8.5.3.: It is not whether you win or lose, but how much you learn that counts!