The Soft Material Robot Challenge invites participants from across the world to demonstrate their robots actuated using soft materials. This challenge provides an international platform to showcase soft robotics research and aims to promote research in the field of soft robotics and applicability to on-field competence. The challenge includes 2 categories:
This section aims to showcase newly developed soft robot technologies, including new actuators, sensors or other component technologies that advance the field of soft robotics. The entries will be judged for significance, originality, functionality and quality of documentation. The shortlisted entries will be required to demonstrate their prototype at the competition venue in ICRA 2018 (8 minutes for presentation and 2 minutes for answering questions).
This section aims to pick the most effective soft robot for gripping tasks. Objects with various shapes, stiffness and weights will be set for the soft gripper to grip and transport.
The teams are required to abide by the following regulations in designing their robots:
(1) The gripper must be made of soft materials. Rigid parts and motors can be used to assist the movements of the soft gripper. Robots which are completely driven by soft actuators are highly encouraged.
(2) The dimensions of the robot cannot be larger than 0.5m×0.5m× 0.5m. Teams are free to use on‐board or off‐board power supply (bonus points for untethered robots ‐robots with on‐board power). Only inlet to 240 V power socket shall be provided. If a team chooses to use off‐board power sources, all the wires/conduits connecting to the robot should be slack at all times during the operations.
Any tasks are encouraged to show novelty, creativity, functionality, replicability of soft component technologies, and their overall significance to the field of soft robotics.
The robot needs to transport in a fixed time with the most objects possible.
(Various types of objects will be set with different scores, details of the gripping task and the score sheet will be annouced on Jan 20, 2018，check the attachment)
Handbook of the Challenge 2018 (installation, operation and Gripping Items)
In evaluating the performance of the soft component technologies, we may consider
1) Project idea
2) Novelty
3) Creativity
4) Functionality
5) Report
In evaluating a soft robot, we may consider
1. The length, width and height of the robot would be measured and the largest dimension of the robot would be noted as the body length.
2. Robots completely driven by soft actuators shall be awarded a bonus – 15% of the final score.
3. Robots with on-board power supply (untethered robots) shall be awarded a bonus – 15% of the final score.
1) Project significance (20 points)
The significance of the entry to the field of soft robotics will be evaluated. Projects contributing to solve any pertinent issues of soft robotics, development of general purpose actuators, sensors, and other component technologies are suitable contenders for this prize. The significance of the project should be clearly mentioned in the report submitted by the team.
2) Originality (20 points)
The originality of the design will be estimated based on comparison to existing literature.
3) Functionality (30 points)
Functionality of the component will be evaluated based on experimental data collected to characterize its performance or demonstrations that highlight their significance potential to advance the field of soft robotics. Teams are encouraged to bench mark their work against the state of the art and including key measured parameters for describing the performance of the component technology. Team will be asked to demonstrate the performance at ICRA 2018.
4) Documentation (30 points)
It should include text, pictures, videos that describe the design (including motivation, objectives and the significance of the project to the field of soft robotics), modeling (if appropriate), fabrication, and testing.
The total score for the above four criteria shall be used to determine the winners.
The robot with the highest score computed as described in the Task Performance Metrics shall be deemed the winner. The organizers reserve the right to disqualify any robot that is not deemed as a soft robot or poses any safety hazard during the event.