Of major concern to most nations is the plethora of anti-personnel mines that remain in place around the globe, remnants of past wars and conflicts.  Given that these devices are armed and can cause great physical harm and possibly death, humanitarian efforts are underway to locate and disarm these mines.  The purpose of this year's contest is to generate novel devices that facilitate the execution of this noble task.  Your job is to design and build a vehicle that will retrieve six simulated mines from a minefield and place them into a controlled receiving area within an allotted time of three minutes.

1. The device must be powered by readily available, over-the-counter batteries.  A maximum of eight “AAA”, “AA”, “C” or “D” type (~1.5-Volt) batteries and a maximum of two “9-Volt” type batteries are allowed, for a total of ten batteries. If you use rechargeable batteries, then the number of batteries will be a maximum of two"9-Volt" batteries and ten "1.2-volt" for a total of twelve batteries; this way the total number of possible volts is the same.  We will not get into whether they are in series or parallel.  Either you use all rechargeable batteries or all standard batteries. There is no mixing. The device must be controlled either through a transmitter/receiver radio link or through an umbilical cord.  An umbilical cord controller may not contain any batteries. As an exception to the battery rule, a radio transmitter may have its own batteries, which are not included in the above battery restriction. No other sources of energy are permitted; e.g. preloaded springs, charged capacitors, compressed gas canisters, etc. The use of rechargeable batteries is encouraged.
2. Mechanical forces on the umbilical cord may not be used to help propel or control the vehicle. The umbilical cord must be detachable from the vehicle using a commercial connector.  The umbilical cord may not be a part of the supporting structure of the device. The umbilical cord may only be used to transmit the commands from the controller.  A penalty of 750 points will be assessed any time the umbilical cord is used to apply mechanical force to the device.
3. Before the trial begins, the device and all control equipment must fit inside your own 400 x 300 x 300 mm rectangular box. If your box is part of your design, then the external dimensions must be no larger than the 400 x 300 x 300 mm rectangular box. The device must be fully assembled as it comes from the box. However, there is one allowable exception: antenna wires may “spring up” on their own and remain upright without penalty, even if they extend beyond the size constraint as long as the device is controlled by a wireless radio transmitter/receiver pair.
4. The simulated minefield consists of a flat, level, floor that is carpeted with a short-napped outdoor carpet.  The minefield is bounded by nominal 2 x 4 in lumber (which measures 1.5 x 3.5 in) or the nearest available SI equivalent, standing with the 3.5 in dimension in the vertical direction.  The dimensions of the field are shown in the figure below.  The inside edges of the lumber define the minefield.  Any device that touches the top surface of the boundary lumber or anything outside of the boundary of the minefield will incur a penalty of 750 points for each infraction.  Any device that completely exits the minefield will score zero points for that trial.
5. Simulated obstacles are constructed from nominal 4 x 4 in lumber (measuring 3.5 inches square in cross section) or the nearest available SI equivalent.  The obstacles are not to be carpeted.  The obstacles will be secured to the minefield.  The obstacle farthest from the starting location is made of two nominal 4 x 4 in pieces of wood stacked upon each other and fastened together to form a barrier 7 in high.
6. In the lower left corner of the simulated minefield is a cubic starting volume measuring 300 mm on each side.  The starting area will be marked off on the minefield by masking tape where the inside edges of the tape define the boundary of the area.  Before the trial the entire device must be completely within the starting volume (except for any control umbilical cable and controller or antenna).  Teams will be called to set up their device and will have one minute to place their device into the starting volume.  Should the team require additional time, a penalty of 50 points per second will be assessed with a maximum penalty of 9000 points.  If the team is unable to set up their device within the additional 3 minutes (for a total of 4 minutes of set up time), then the team forfeits its opportunity for that round.
7. Six simulated mines are located in the minefield as shown in the attached figure below.  Only the general locations of the mines are known, not the exact coordinates.  The mines are simulated by cylindrical solids, each having a 2-6 cm radius, a 3-9 cm length, and a mass of 100 – 500 grams.  The simulated mines may or may not all be of the same size, mass, or density.  All of the mines will be oriented with their major cylindrical axes vertical.  The scoring value associated with the retrieval and placement of each mine into the receiving area is as indicated in the figure.  Mines must be carried to and placed within the receiving area to receive their scoring value.  
8. The mines must be carried well above the surface of the minefield.  One cm is a recommended distance.   Mines must not be pushed along or fly above the minefield.  Dropped mines can be picked up and carried again.   Once a device has picked-up a mine, then the scoring value of that mine is decreased by 20% for each time the judges see the mine or its immediate supporting carrier strike the mine field surface or an obstacle.  If the mine is carried such that it consistently strikes the surface of the minefield then the scoring value of that mine is zero points for that trial.  The decision of the judges on surface strikes is final and may not be appealed.
9. In the lower right corner of the simulated minefield, there is a 300 mm square mine receiving area.  The simulated receiving area will be marked off on the minefield by masking tape where the inside edges of the tape define the boundary of the receiving area.
10. To begin the trial, the device exits the starting volume.  A 3 minute countdown begins as soon as any portion of the device exits the starting volume.  During the trial, the device must be completely controlled via the radio or umbilical controller; no other contact, interaction, or influence is permitted.  One team member must control the device (either via wireless or umbilical) throughout the trial.  When an umbilical wire is used an additional team member is permitted to use a pole or rod to guide the umbilical wire during the trial.  The pole or rod must fit inside the 400 x 300 x 300 mm volume limitation with the device and its control equipment. Throughout the trial, no team member is permitted to step onto the minefield.  At the end of a trial, the team scores the point value associated with each mine that is completely inside the simulated receiving area and resting on the surface of the simulated minefield.  Teams that accomplish their mission and have placed all 6 simulated mines into the receiving area before the three minutes countdown has expired can score additional points by returning their device completely within the starting cube.  If this is accomplished, then the team earns a bonus of 25 points per second until the 3 minute countdown has expired.
11. After the first trial is completed, the team will have 1 minute to return the device to the starting volume and prepare for the second trial. Should the team require additional time, a penalty of 50 points per second will be assessed to a maximum penalty of 9000 points.  If the team is unable to set up their device within the additional 3 minutes (for a total for 4 minutes), then the team forfeits its opportunity for scoring in that round and that run is disqualified.  Repairs and adjustments to the device are allowed during this preparation period.    If the team wishes to replace any of the batteries in their system, they must do so in the allotted time.
12. The team's total score is the sum of the scores from each of the two trials. The highest score amongst all of the competitors wins.  In the event of a tie, additional trials will be conducted.
13. A diagram of the point values for each pickup is below.