Droid Racing Challenge 2017

The race has ended! DRC 2017 Wrap Up

We’ll be releasing event images and a short professional soon so keep an eye out! If you have enquiries about the event or would like to register your interest in participating or sponsoring DRC 2018, please send an email to qutroboticsclub@gmail.au.

Also check out the MathWorks Demos that were presented on the day

Our winners

• 1st Place: University of New South Wales, Team 2
• 2nd Place: University of Queensland, Team 1
• 3rd Place: Macquarie University
• Best Design: Queensland University of Technology, Team 1 (aka “Highly Flammable”)

Teams’ Portal & Resources

Rules | Technical Advice | 2016 DRC Wrap Up | FAQ

Introduction

Why do we need robots that can see?

IMG_20170703_155542 — *View of the Kidney Lawn beside the Old Government House at QUT Gardens Point Campus on the testing day before the race. Droids raced around the paved surface surrounding the lawn.*

The QUT Droid Racing Challenge (DRC) is a project QUT Robotics Club launched in 2016. After the great response and success of last years DRC, the QUT Robotics Club is bringing back the event bigger, stronger and with more competition. The DRC is a student robotics challenge focusing on the development of ground-based autonomous robotic racing platforms. The “droids” that take part in this competition will feature autonomous operation, robotic vision, navigation and obstacle avoidance, and mechanical design optimised for speed. The Challenge has been set so that a small team of undergraduate students should be able to complete a capable robot in one semester. The final competition will take place on the 4th of July around the Kidney Lawn at QUT Gardens Point Campus, in front of Old Government House. Prizes will be at stake for winning teams. Universities from across Australia and New Zealand were invited to participate.

The Challenge:

9 of the 11 “droids” grouped at the start line for the final design analysis and assessment. In this instance, Daniel Castillo talks about the robots created by the two teams from the University of New South Wales

Task – Race around the paved path surrounding the Kidney Lawn at QUT Gardens Point.
Computer Vision – Use computer vision to detect track lines and obstacles.
Obstacle avoidance – Avoid any obstacles in the droid’s path and other droids.
Creativity – Come up with novel designs and approaches to create the fastest droid racer.
Aesthetics – Make your robot look awesome!

Participating Universities

End of event photo of the students that participated in Droid Racing Challenge 2017

7 Universities from across Australia and New Zealand participated in the challenge, presenting a total of 11 teams!

2 Teams – Griffith University (QLD)
1 Team – Macquarie University (NSW)
3 Teams – Queensland University of Technology (QLD)
1 Team – University of Auckland (New Zealand)
2 Teams – University of New South Wales (NSW)
2 Teams – University of Queensland (QLD)
1 Team – University of Wollongong (NSW)

[Withdrawn] 1 Team – Western Sydney University (NSW)
[Withdrawn] 1 Team – University of Technology Sydney (NSW)
[Not present on the day] 1 Team – Edith Cowan University (WA)
[Not present on the day] 1 Team – University of Queensland (QLD)

Key Dates:

1st March: Introduce the competition, invite teams, and applications opened for the challenge.
2nd March: Detailed competition requirements and rules published, the challenge is officially open.
10th April: Applications due
12th June: Progress update due
3rd July: Practice and testing day for teams on the race track at QUT
4th July: Final Challenge at QUT

Participation in the final will be subject to meeting all rules and requirements. The progress update is simply a check up to make sure that these will be met by the day of the challenge.