Competitions for Hobbiest

[andyg]

Are there any UAV competitions for the Hobbiest that doesn't have university funding?

[LukeZ]

You know that's a really good question, though at least in my looking I haven't seen anything. Might be a good reason to develop one? ;)

[Arp]

The university robotics (mind you: ground robotics, not UAV) competition I participate in each year... accepts any team, if they only play fair.

[andyg]

ARP can I get more information on that competition?

Luke but I want to compete too and if I devoloped it I couldn't.

[kd7ost]

Fixed wing or Rotor craft? What kind of events would you guys invision?

Dan

[andyg]

I invision fixed wing only because that is what I am into.

[kd7ost]

Me too.

Here's an event.

Search and Identify.

First I have to set the scene. This would be done in someplace like the high desert of Southern Idaho. (I'm there now) There is a lot of open desert but it's not sand desert. Lots of basalt from lava flows, lots of two track vehicle access. Lots of open space to fly. Nothing else is out there for many many hundreds of square miles.

Now the event. There is an object, (Blue van, Dirt road intersection or whatever) on the other side of a distant hill. Lets put it at least a total of 5 miles as the crow flys away from the starting point. You cannot see it because it's too far away and it is obstructed from view. You do not know what it is.

When it's your turn, you get handed a slip of paper with the objects GPS coordinates on it. You also have access to a USGS topo quad or whatever mapping implements you bring and can use. From the word "Go" you program your UAV, take it off and send it out to the coordinates. It takes a film clip or still picture at the coordinates and returns. You take over and land and recover the image. When you can tell the judge what the object is, your clock stops. The one who can do it in the fastest time wins that event.

Dan

[andyg]

Sounds good. But I think it should be located in the swamps of South East Missouri :D!

[JettPilot]

If you really want to make it interesting the competition should be held in the desert of Iraq :D

[LukeZ]

Luke but I want to compete too and if I devoloped it I couldn't.
Hmm... good point. :rolleyes: But if the event and rules were developed by a group of people, rather than just one guy, then it probably wouldn't be a problem.

Dan's idea would be a good start. Kind of like the collegiate IARC (http://avdil.gtri.gatech.edu/AUVS/IARCLaunchPoint.html), only there the object they have to identify is inside of a building. :eek: That's probably a bit beyond where most of the hobbyists around here are...

I wonder if there might be some area of UAV development that needs to be taken to a new level, that a competition could highlight. I'm thinking long endurance, autonomous thermaling, flight in difficult environments/weather, high speed/long distance, etc... It seems like most of the UAV activity going on now could generally be lumped into "reconnaissance", and I suppose that's where the most immediate usefulness and marketability of UAV's lie, but I wonder if there are some fringe possibilities that would be interesting to explore? Competitions are great for such things because you get to see how a lot of people approach the same challenge, and everyone usually has some unique strength.

Anyways, I really love the idea of an event where private enthusiasts could participate - I might be a year or so aways from being able to compete myself, but the event could certainly be held more than once...

Luke

[kd7ost]

And since you're in Corvallis, You and I could meet up in Eastern Oregon for the event. Lots of empty space there too. Maybe we should check for regional interest. It would be tough for most of us privateers to head across the country to meet up.

The swamps can be next year. I have to design an Airboat version. :)

Dan

[Arp]

A well-devised, easily accessible UAV competition... might be an interesting thing to some day (eventually) participate in.

It could attract people and teams currently developing stuff without knowledge of each other... together to share information.

ARP can I get more information on that competition?
Unfortunately, it is pretty small (not to mention ground-based, with no near-term prospect of including UAV's)... and far from your geographic location.

But the competition is Robotex, organized by Tallinn Technical University. This year's task is a beefed-up RoboCup Junior Rescue, namely recovering a soft toy from a multilevel maze.

http://www.robotex.ee/eng

[andyg]

Luke I agree with your ideas for more complex UAV competitions but I don't know about anyone else but I'm certainly not to that stage yet. :p It just so hard to have a practical competition because we are so few and far between. I really do think if enough people show intrest we could find a way to do it.

[LukeZ]

And since you're in Corvallis, You and I could meet up in Eastern Oregon for the event. Lots of empty space there too. Maybe we should check for regional interest.
Yep, not a lot out in eastern Oregon. Though I wouldn't mind driving to Idaho either, and that would put it slightly closer to those out east. It might especially be a good idea if you knew of a good location- there's plenty of empty space around but it takes someone to know a place that could be put to use.

Andy, you're exactly right. I was just thinking that I'm probably about a year away from even having a ship that could theoretically accomplish Dan's "simple" task. I think his idea would be a better place to start.

I was thinking about scoring for the event and maybe there could be points awarded for various things in addition to speed. If the target was a long way off then the person with the fastest flying aircraft would have the best chance of winning, but speed isn't necessarily a total measure of the quality of a UAV (though surely it's a big part, since the faster it flies the more robust the autopilot needs to be). I'm not sure what other aspects we could judge- maybe extra points could be given for an airplane that could either take off or land on its own, for example. I guess maybe what might work better is to have winners in diferent categories: besides whoever was most successful at the actual mission; who had the most creative design, ugliest airplane, etc...

Man, I really like the idea of having a competition the more I think about it: if for nothing else than to be able to see what everyone else is working on.

Anyone else who could potentially make it to the Idaho-ish area?

Luke

[typicalaimster]

I personally would like to see a RPV Top Gun instead. Flying by video is a fun task... I'm yet to engage by video.

--Scott

[kd7ost]

Lets see how this link works out. You might have to cut and paste it. This is typical scenery for the area I'm thinking about. I know it well. It would be most excellent for holding a competition like we describe.

Dan

http://www.tvnsp.org/modules.php?set_albumName=TV04B&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php&page=5

[LukeZ]

Boy, you ain't lying. I guess it would behoove all the contestants to have lost model alarms. :eek:

Luke

[typicalaimster]

Another one I could probably talk to the club into some sort of search and rescue operation.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=arcola,+va&ll=38.941491,-77.529724&spn=0.009927,0.015044&t=k&hl=en

The NVRC club is on the southern part of the photo. There is a big open sod field to the north west part of the field. There are also trails hunters use around the surrounding wooded area. The idea would be to put a dummy in the field or in the woods as a 'lost' person. The UAS would have to then overfly those areas and find the lost person.

--Scott

[kd7ost]

Thats a nice looking area. Sounds like a tougher task too. The one I proposed is pretty rudimentary. In fact the one I proposed I can do now. Scott's would require good Video link. I can help though. I can be the lost dummy? No acting required :D

Dan

[danstrider]

I think I should pipe in here...

kd7ost proposed a mission similar to the collegiate AUVSI Student UAV competition (http://www.bowheadsupport.com/paxweb/seafarers/default.htm) without the need to id the GPS location and orientation of the target.

Simple video of a target isn't hard though. Any number of commercial off the shelf autopilots (Micropilot, Cloudcap Tech, and UAV Flight Systems) can do GPS navigation as can also the hobbyist versions like UNAV. Past navigation, a manual pan-tilt live video setup or still imagery with a Black Widow A/V live preview can get you quality enough imagery. Even the vehicle isn't too difficult, going with something like a large trainer.

I say all this as a precursor to an idea. Modelers excel at the miniature and simplistic systems (i.e. the Slow Stick revolution). At this small size, transmission power and battery life becomes an issue. The larger autopilots (albeit the MP2028 is 28 grams) are overkill and generally too complicated for modelers. A typical pan-tilt setup of a gimble ball is way too heavy for a Slow Stick, especially when combined with the other necessary gear...

I propose a small UAV competition, one in which miniature is the key and simplicity is rewarded over amount of money spent. A maximum weight and size could be set to even the playing field. Picking a standard airframe would even the competitors and allows tighter budgets to compete. Perhaps setting a *total cost of system* limit would make an emphasis on innovation rather than deep pockets.

Just about anyone can make a decent UAV these days. Modelers have the unique ability to make an excellent one.

If anyone here likes this idea, I'd enjoy typing more.

Neat idea to have a hobbyist competition! I'd love to get involved.

Dan E.

[typicalaimster]

I think I should pipe in here...

Simple video of a target isn't hard though. Any number of commercial off the shelf autopilots (Micropilot, Cloudcap Tech, and UAV Flight Systems) can do GPS navigation as can also the hobbyist versions like UNAV. Past navigation, a manual pan-tilt live video setup or still imagery with a Black Widow A/V live preview can get you quality enough imagery. Even the vehicle isn't too difficult, going with something like a large trainer.


That's also why I'm suggesting a S&R operation. With the wooded area around here it's difficult to locate a object under the trees. Something that can loiter for a very long time is going to have the best luck. A rudementry pan and till system would help out. You would want one person flying the plane while another person handled the camera scanning for the target.

Some of the judging can be based off of portability. Can the unit fit in the back of a vehicle? How long does it take to put the vehicle together? Can the vehicle take off out of a 200x200 parking lot? These will all be a factor in a real life operation.

--Scott

[kd7ost]

If anyone here likes this idea, I'd enjoy typing more.
Neat idea to have a hobbyist competition! I'd love to get involved.
Dan E.

I like the idea but, I think once you start to specify a very specific plane, max weight, size etc, you also limit the playing field that currently exists. There are robotic competitions in some parts of the country that operate that way but they tend to have a significant participation compared to Hobby UAV guys.

I fly 20 to 25 pound gas planes and don't have any electric stuff. That having been said, I would like to hear about events like the one Dan E. describes. Lots of technological developments come from those types of people pushing the envelope.

Dan