VRCompetitions FAQ
From RoboCup
Frequent Asked Questions 2008
We can not get on the sourceforge for the latest version of UsarSim. Can we download it directly?
You can download the latest verison directly from the Dutch mirror:
http://surfnet.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/usarsim/USARSimBaseFiles_3.30.zip http://surfnet.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/usarsim/USARSimFull_3.31.zip
If the map contains multi-storey flats, what map should I submit?
When a map contains multiple levels, submit multiple georeferenced maps. When georeferenced, the maps can be easily overlapped with a mapping evaluation tool, such as the GeoTiff Viewer provided by Max Pfingsthorn:
http://robotics.jacobs-university.de/datasets/MapEvaluation/
What sensors can be loaded in the AirRobot? Can the victim sensor be loaded in it?
The sensor load and processing power of the AirRobot is small. The Victim Sensor simulates an advanced image-processing method. To assume that the AirRobot has enough processing-power for such advanced algorithm is not realistic. So, no victim sensor can be loaded to the AirRobot.
What is the resolution of the image that the image server give?
The resolution of the ImageServer was fixed on 320x240 fro RoboCup-2008.
Which version of the UsarSim will be used in the RoboCup?
For Singapore 2010 the UT3 version will be used.
On July 3th 2008 version 3.31 of UsarSim is released on sourceforge. This is the release-candidate for the 2008 competition. Test this version well and report problems as soon as possible. No major modifications will be made, the final version for the competition will be based on this release-candidate (but probably will contain some latest bug-fixes).
Is "information on observed body parts" means we should present the victim file include the body parts location for the victim?
Attribution points are rewarded for useful additional information, which other teams not give. At the moment that nearly teams convey this information in the same format, it is not longer seen as attribution, but included in the standard (i.e. the victim file).
The additional information should not be presented in the victim-file. Instead, the additional information (as observed body parts) should be presented in a separate file. That file should be easily associated with a line in the victim file, by using the victim-id (the first word of line in the victim file) in the name of the separate file. The format of that separate file is up to the teams (can be a html-file, which combines text and images).
Will USARSim be ported to the UT3 Engine before the competition?
Yes, the community is very busy with porting. Before 2010 the simulation was will still be based on Unreal Tournament 2004. In November 2007 the new engine was realized, and the number of changes to its predecessor is huge.
When will the rules become available?
a first draft of rules will be posted on the RoboCup Rescue wiki for discussion by the half January 2008. You will be notified on the mailing list as soon as this happens by Arnoud Visser, who will manage these aspects this year. Feedback will be welcome as usual. Ideally, we would use the tentative rules during some of the Regional Open competitions, and then finalize them after these competitions.
What is the required map format?
As in last year's competition, a GeoTiff raster representation will be required. The colors for the map will be as follows:
- Non traversable - Black RGB(0,0,0)
- Cleared (=traversable, and victim free) - Green RGB(0,255,0)
- Uncleared (=traversable but not necessarily victim free) - White RGB(255,255,255)
- Unexplored - Blue RGB(0,0,255)
- Victim location - Red RGB(255,0,0)
More information on the GeoTiff format may be found at Media:GeoTiff.pdf. Many tools are available for the generation of TIFF images. An example of such an application is the open source CImg package. This package allows one to easily read and write TIFF images.
This year, in addition to the GeoTiff file, a vector skeleton will be accepted as an additional bonus input. The exact contents of this file will be posted shortly. The format of the file should be ".mif". More information may be found at Media:MIFSample.zip.
