Embedded Files
Fig. 1
Aim:
Aim:
The aim is to attain the highest possible score by using one or more robots to move balls from a play field and deposit the balls into scoring boxes.
Details:
Details:
Each team can deploy as many robots as can be fitted into a 1 m x 1 m square, such that there is no stacking of robots onto each other and the robot bodies do not exceed the square boundaries as viewed from above. All robots must be resting on the floor fully with no part lifted off the floor.
Each robot must be able to fit into the 1 m x 1 m square at the start of the game (together with the other robots), but it is allowed to expand after the game starts.
The play field comprises a 4 m x 4 m square with four scoring boxes located at the four corners of the square (see Fig. 1). The field boundaries are demarcated simply using floor-marking tape (example) or any other method.
Two front-facing scoring boxes are placed at diametrically-opposite corners (see Fig. 1). These are just A4 printing paper boxes resting on their sides.
Two top-facing scoring boxes are placed at the other two diametrically-opposite corners. These are just A4 printing paper boxes with their covers removed and placed in the upright position.
To facilitate the successful scoring of thrown balls, a vertical panel made of corrugated board will be mounted inside the box, so that the top of the vertical panel is 60 cm above the ground. The thrown balls can then bounce off the vertical panel, increasing the likelihood of the balls falling into the boxes successfully. Thrown balls which do not enter the box and fall out of the field boundaries are removed from the game. (updated: 2 Apr 26) Thrown balls which do not enter the box and fall out of the field boundaries must be manually brought back to the 1m x 1m square in the centre of the field. (updated: 6 Apr 26)
At the start of the game, the following types and numbers of pickle balls are deposited randomly in the centre of the field within the 50 cm x 50 cm square.
5 blue pickle balls
4 green pickle balls
3 yellow orange pickle balls [updated: 1 May 2026]
2 orange yellow pickle balls [updated: 1 May 2026]
1 red pickle ball
An A4 paper box containing the balls is placed in an inverted fashion in the middle of the field and gently lifted off the floor so that the 15 balls inside are deposited in a random fashion within a 50 cm x 50 cm square (rulers may initially be used to keep the balls within the square).
There are no weight limitations on the balls, but they must clearly be recognisable as pickleballs. See Fig. 2 for pictures of such balls. The diameter of the pickleballs is 74 mm. Teams are allowed to bring and use their own balls if the sizes are almost the same as those provided by the organiser.
At the start of the game, all robots are deployed at any point outside of the field.
The robots are allowed to cross the boundaries of the field during the game.
To successfully score points, balls must be moved or projected/thrown into the scoring boxes. See the Scoring section for details.
The balls can only be moved into the boxes in the following sequence:
The 5 blue balls are collected and scored first, followed by
the 4 green balls, then
the 3 orange balls, then
the 2 yellow balls, and finally
the 1 red ball.
The balls must be placed or thrown into the boxes one at a time. Robots cannot deposit multiple balls into the boxes at one go. (i,e., by pouring or dumping them all at once into the boxes (updated: 6 Apr 2026))
For throwing, the balls must be launched individually. The launching mechanism must not launch multiple balls at the same time (shotgun style), (updated: 2 Apr 26)
"Throwing" is defined as the ball being projected from the robot by a force exerted by the robot's internal mechanism. Therefore, a simple release of the ball by the robot, such as the ball being dropped from a claw or rolling off a conveyor belt, is not considered to be a throw. [Clarification on 3 July 2026]
After being thrown, the ball is allowed to come into contact with the floor before reaching the scoring box. [Clarification on 3 July 2026]
For depositing of balls into boxes, the robot cannot just dump multiple balls into the box at one go, so as to allow the colour sequence stated in rule 12 above to be followed properly. (updated: 2 Apr 26)
If the team decides to throw the balls from the robots, then the robot must throw the ball at the box that is at a greater distance away and not use the nearer box.
So, if a robot is aiming at a front-facing box, it must choose the front-facing box that is farther away.
Similarly, if a robot is aiming at a top-facing box, it must choose the top-facing box that is farther away.
This effectively means that the robot must be at least half the field length away from the box it is aiming at, and a diagonal field line must lie between the robot and the box it is aiming at.
Robots must pick up the balls on their own. No manual loading of balls onto the robots is allowed.
Balls that are dropped on the floor can only be picked up by the robot(s).
If a ball has rolled out of the field, it must be manually brought back to the 1m x 1m square in the centre of the field. (updated: 6 Apr 26) it is removed from the game. (Updated: 20 Mar 26) it may be manually moved back to any point in the 50 cm x 50 cm centre square.
If a ball resting inside a robot crosses the field boundary, it must be removed from the robot and manually brought back to the 1m x 1m square in the centre of the field. (updated: 6 Apr 26)
The maximum duration of each game is 3 minutes. Timing will begin from the instant any of the robots on the field start moving. Teams can choose to end the game early.
A whistle or some other clear audio cue is sounded to start the game and the timing. A second whistle or some other audio cue is sounded to stop the game and the timing. These audio cues are used to allow the timing of the game to be calculated accurately.
Team members can only control their robots using remote control. They may not physically handle the robots while a game is ongoing.
If a robot malfunctions during the game, it can be manually brought out of the field for repairs before being redeployed from any base from any point outside of the field boundaries. [correction: 10 July]
Fig. 2: Pickle ball / Floor ball
Scoring:
Scoring:
At the end of the game, the scoring will be done according to the following method:
Balls which are deposited directly into the front-facing boxes by robots will each score 1 x their base points.
Balls which are projected into the front-facing boxes from at least half the field width away will each score 2 x their base points.
Balls which are deposited directly into the top-facing boxes by robots will each score 3 x their base points.
Balls which are projected into the top-facing boxes from at least half the field width away will each score 5 x their base points.
The base points of the balls are as follows:
Blue balls: 1 point each
Green balls: 2 points each
Yellow balls: 3 points each [updated: 15 May 2026]
Orange balls: 4 points each [updated: 15 May 2026]
Red ball: 10 points
Please send any enquires to the organiser via kwek.engyeow@vjc.edu.sg.
FPV bonus to total score
Teams which are able to incorporate an First-Person View (FPV) system into one of their robots will be awarded with a 1.5 times multiplier bonus to their total game score. This means that one of the robots in the team must be fitted with one or more cameras and the robot is controlled remotely by the operator using the FPV video feed only; the operator will be seated behind a screen will not allowed to view the field, though he will still be allowed to receive verbal information from his team mates (only) via a headset and phone or walkie-talkie. He cannot communicate with anyone who is not a team mate in any way.
To qualify for the1.5 times multiplier bonus, the team must demonstrate that it is able to control the robot via the team player who is viewing the video feed from the camera on the robot. Furthermore, the robot under FPV control must deposit at least 3 balls into the scoring boxes. (updated: 20 Mar 2026)
Teams which are able to incorporate an First-Person View (FPV) system into all of their robots will be awarded with a 3 times multiplier bonus to their total game score. This means that all of the robots in the team must be fitted with one or more cameras and the robots are controlled remotely by the operators using the FPV video feed only; the operators will be seated together behind a screen and will not allowed to view the field. They will still be allowed to communicate with their team mates (only) verbally or via headset and phone or walkie-talkie. They cannot communicate with anyone who is not a team mate in any way.
To qualify for the 3 times multiplier bonus, the team must demonstrate that it is able to control all of the robots, via the individual team players who are viewing the video feeds from the camera on the robots under their control. Furthermore, each robot under FPV control must deposit at least 3 balls into the scoring boxes. (updated: 20 Mar 2026)
If any of the robots stop working during the game, other team members who are not controlling the robots are allowed to manually remove the malfunctioning robots from the field for repairs. Repaired robots can be redeployed from any position outside of the field.
Teams incorporating FPV into their robot(s) will also be allowed to deploy a mini-quadcopter drone to serve as an FPV observation platform to improve their situational awareness of the field. This drone can only be piloted by a team member. The drone operator will also be seated together behind the screen with the other team members who are FPV robot operators, and is allowed to communicate with them.
At the start of the game, the drone will be resting on the ground outside the field.
The mini drones used must conform to the specifications used in the Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition (SAFMC) First Person View Flight - Novice category, as described in their Challenge booklet found at: https://www.safmc.com.sg/about-the-competition/ . The drones must conform to the following specifications:
Frame : Ducted
Motor : Brushed / Brushless
Propellers : Diameter < 45 mm
Weight : < 80 g (with LiPo battery installed)
Battery : Maximum 2S LiPo
FPV : Must have FPV camera installed and able to transmit video data to a screen or goggles.
The drones can only be used as observation platforms and must not come into contact with any part of the field or balls. They must also not come into contact with any person or objects outside of the field. If this occurs, the drone will be removed from the game.
Video submission (for preliminary rounds):
Video submission (for preliminary rounds):
For the purposes of scoring, two (2) video files of the best preliminary round game of each team are to be submitted to the organisers by the deadline. The two video files should be uploaded onto an online video hosting platform such as YouTube, and their internet addresses (URLs) are to be sent to the organisers. The videos should not be available to the public so as not to reveal the teams' game strategy. For example, in YouTube, the videos should be set as "unlisted" so that they cannot be found by a public search.
The submission of the URLs to the videos must be made at: https://forms.gle/9waanZa7ctnZVwt6A.
The teams must ensure that the videos are accessible by the organisers.
The team should use two (2) video cameras to record video footage of one game simultaneously from different directions which can be decided by the team (see Fig. 3). The aim is to ensure that all important occurrences during the game are recorded, so that scores can be awarded by the judges accurately and unambiguously. This means that the videos must show all of the robots as well as the entire field for the entire game. A video submission that contains ambiguity or lack of clarity may not be acceptable and may cause the team to be disqualified. The students controlling the robots must also be visible in the videos.
Teams should submit the videos early so that the organisers may alert them of any problems in the footage before the deadline. No video submissions will be accepted after the deadline.
Any video camera of acceptable resolution can be used to record the video footage. It is expected that teams will use the cameras on smartphones. Teams are advised not to use cameras with poor clarity or resolution (e.g. from older smartphones), as they may produce footage which do not show the game proceedings clearly. On the other hand, there is no need to use very high-end and expensive cameras for recording the videos.
Each video must run continuously with no breaks. No editing of the videos is allowed. The raw video footage must be submitted.
The time taken by the team to complete the game will be calculated using the running time in the video between the starting and finishing audio cues. The timing will start at the sound of the first whistle (or some other audio signal) to start the game. Robots must be outside of the playing field before the starting audio cue. The timing will stop at the sound of the second whistle to stop the game. If the audio cue is missing in the video, the judges will assume that the time taken for the game is the time taken from the moment the robots start moving until the last ball is deposited, or until the 3-minute time limit is reached.
After the game has concluded, the cameras maybe moved around the field to record the final number of balls in the six scoring boxes, so as to allow the judges to have a clear view of the final placements, which will allow for clear and unambiguous scores to be awarded.
In the event of a tie (equal scores between two competing teams), the timing will be used to decide on the winner.
Fig. 3: Suggested positioning of two cameras used to record video footage of game.
Report abuse