Research competition

Defend the Republic (DTR) is a force-on-force competition involving two teams, each deploying autonomous Lighter Than Air (LTA) vehicles. The objective is to capture and score helium balloons in the opponent's goals.

The challenge of the game lies in designing and controlling autonomous robot swarms that operate in difficult environments, constrained by limited sensing, actuation, and computation capabilities.

This event aims to drive research and innovation in vehicle design, multi-agent control, swarm behaviors, and communication. DTR becomes not just a competition but a platform for testing and advancing fundamental concepts in robotics. It underscores the importance of robust robotic systems and highlights the intricate balance required to operate within restricted resources.

The goal of this competition is to
"Advance in aerial robots research through LTA vehicle-based multiagent swarming, communication, and payload design testing."