Welcome!

Click here for details of the 2024 World Championships!

Welcome to the new home of the RoboCupRescue Rapidly Manufactured Robot Challenge (RMRC)! This will be the official repository of information starting with the 2024 competition season. We are in the process of migrating information across to this site. The previous site is still up at https://comp.oarkit.org/ for historic info, and, in particular, the previous rules discussion.

This competition is intended for high school students, between 14 and 19 years of age (on July 1st of the competition year), plus their mentors. If you are a university team, please consider the Major RoboCupRescue Robot League.

NOTE: Junior RMRC teams must register according to the instructions on this page to be eligible for reduced Junior registration fees. Please do not register for the Major RoboCupRescue Robot League ( https://rrl.robocup.org ) if you intend on competing as a Junior team in the RMRC.

About the RoboCupRescue Rapidly Manufactured Robot Challenge

The Rapidly Manufactured Robot Challenge (RMRC) is a research competition for low cost, rapidly manufacturable small (30 cm width) robots and robotic components that will, one day, enable responders to more safely and effectively perform hazardous mission tasks. It is based on Standard Test Methods for Response Robots, the same tests used to evaluate robots for emergency and hazardous response all over the world.

Quick Links:

Who should consider RMRC?

RMRC is for teams who:

  • Want to work on real world problems and develop solutions for gaps in current capabilities.
  • Would like to build on

Rapidly Manufactured, Low Cost of Entry

3D printing, laser cutting, and low cost, common sensors, computation and other electronics lower the barrier of entry and encourage rapid, iterative development.

Details of the Open Academic Robot Kit, a basic starting point robot, are available here!

As the competition changes incrementally from year to year, teams can build on past work, of their own as well as of other teams, to advance the state-of-the-science.

Bridging Between High School and University

High school students compete in their own bracket alongside undergraduate and graduate students.

By tackling the same challenges as the university students, in the same space, high school students can gain a first-hand experience of where their work may progress and how it relates to their future studies.

For details of the university competition, the RoboCupRescue Robot League, click here!

A Genuinely Collaborative Environment

Competitions, teaching camps, and workshops advance the state of the science in response robotics.

Team scores include their contribution to a growing library of open source resources to help other new and existing teams.

Download them here!

A Competition Based on Real World Needs

  • Quantitative evaluation of capabilities using Standard Test Methods for Response Robots provide repeatable, quantifiable evaluation of capabilities, reliability and operator proficiency.
  • Tests chosen reflect gaps in real-world capabilities. Teams who do well have developed capabilities that can actually save lives.
  • Tasks include mobility, manipulation, sensing, and autonomy.
  • Tests and combinations of tests are developed alongside a committee of first responders to ensure relevance.
  • First responders are also involved in the competition itself, providing opportunities for students to understand and appreciate the real world challenges while providing responders with the opportunity to see what may be possible in the future.

Support for Building, Improving, and Sharing Robot Designs

  • The Open Academic Robot Kit (OARKit) provide 1-day-build starting points for teams.
  • Teams’ open source documentation, using 3D printing, laser cutting, and off-the-shelf parts, based both on the OARKit and other designs, form a growing resource library for new teams to quickly come up to speed and collaborate with each other.
  • Teams can easily build the arena with standard shop tools; a basic practice arena is also a 1-day-build.

History

The RMRC World Championship has been held in the following locations so far.

  • 2023, Bordeaux, France
  • 2022, Bangkok, Thailand
  • 2021, Online, as part of RoboCup Worldwide
  • 2020 (Cancelled due to the pandemic)
  • 2019, Sydney, Australia
  • 2018, Montreal, Canada
  • 2017, Nagoya, Japan
  • 2016, Leipzig, Germany
  • 2015, Hefei, China
  • 2014, Joao Pessoa, Brazil

Logistical Info

When and where does the competition happen?

The RMRC World Championship is held annually, generally in late June or July each year, as part of the RoboCup World Championships. Please see https://www.robocup.org/ for the details.

Some RoboCup Regional Committees also hold local RMRC competitions. Please check the mailing list at https://list.rrl-rmrc.org for announcements of regional competitions in your area.

How do I get involved?

The summary below is a general description. Details about the specific process for the 2024 World Championships are available here! Join our mailing list to be kept up to date.

Follow these steps to participate in the World Championships! These steps are also similar for the Regional Committee competitions although the timings and details may vary.

  • Find out about the robots and the arena by reading the rules, construction guide, and the excellent Team Description Materials that have been produced by past years.
  • Identify something cool you would like to do, a gap in capabilities you would like to fill, and what interests you about the competition!
  • Build and test your robot!
  • Ask questions on the mailing list.
  • Find a regional competition to participate in, if practical.
  • Respond to the Call for Team Participation, generally closing around February of the competition year. Watch for an announcement on the mailing list.
  • Submit your Qualification Team Description Materials, generally closing in March of the competition year. Watch for an announcement on the mailing list.
  • Continue to build and test your robot!
  • Register for the World Championships! Watch for an announcement on the mailing list.
  • 2 weeks before the World Championships, submit your Updated Team Description Materials, which will be judged based on how well they teach another team something cool or interesting that you’ve done. This contributes to your score in the competition!
  • Come and compete at the World Championships!

What is the competition based on?

The RoboCupRescue Rapidly Manufactured Robot Challenge was designed to allow high school students to join university students in addressing the challenges of emergency response robotics. It contains many of the Standard Test Methods for Response Robots, developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology and international collaborators, implemented at 30 cm (12 inch) scale.

Note that this isn’t a scaled down problem! It is a real scale problem, the world needs robots that can tackle collapsed structures and other such confined spaces.

For more info:

Latest Updates

  • Hello world!
    We are working on the new home for the RoboCupRescue Rapidly Manufactured Robot Challenge! In the meantime, please see the old page at https://oarkit.intelligentrobots.org/home/the-arena/ for all the info.

Scroll to Top