The I.U. Grand Challenge

The IU Grand Challenge will take place on Saturday, October 23 (2004) in Dunn Meadow - in front of the Indiana Memorial Union of Indiana University. Time trials will begin at 2:00 pm and the main event, a fully autonomous GPS-based robot race-challenge, will begin at 3:00 pm. This is a rain or shine event.

The Challenge originates on the stage of Dunn Meadow (checkpoint A), procedes to checkpoint B, then to checkpoint C and back to the stage again (see figure). Each checkpoint is marked in bullseye fashion with two rings. Each outer ring is six meters in diameter and each inner ring is three meters in diameter. Roadwork-style orange cones are placed at the centers of each checkpoint. A robot making it into an outer ring is worth 1 point, the inner ring is worth 2 points and a bullseye is worth 3 points. Robots will have 10 minutes to do laps and score as many points as possible. Additional "style points" may be awarded by judges. Participants are invited to place any other robot-navigation devices in the meadow they may require, so long as such devices do not create safety concerns, hazards for competing robots on their runs, or interfere with the autonomy of the bot (e.g. guide wires).

• Hazards:
  
  Aside from its bumpy grass terrain, there are various hazards in Dunn Meadow. There is a tree directly in the path between checkpoint A and checkpoint B. Each robot will need to avoid this tree; it is left to the discretion of the bot's creator/s how this will be handled. There is a slope from the stage into the Meadow. There are also a few manhole-sized cement structures (apparently for drainage) that stick up by as much as a few inches from the ground. The north border of the Meadow is flanked by a steep hill containing trees and then by a hanging-chain fence and then by a busy street. The south border of the Meadow is flanked by the Jordan River. If a bot wanders anywhere south of the riverside path, it is likely to meet it's doom. The East side of the meadow is flanked by a few trees, a hanging-chain fence, and then a busy street. FOR SAFETY PURPOSES, IT IS REQUIRED FOR ALL ROBOTS TO BE EQUIPPED WITH AN APPROPRIATE EMERGENCY KILL MECHANISM.
  
  
  
  
• Checkpoint Coordinates:
  
  checkpoint A: 39.09.820 N, 86.31.943 W (center stage)
  checkpoint B: 39.09.848 N, 86.31.862 W
  checkpoint C: 39.09.851 N, 86.31.942 W
  
  WAAS appears to be consistently available in Dunn Meadow, though there are never any guarantees.