Animatronic Synthetic Survivor Contest Information
Animatronic Synthetic Survivor Contest

Attention High Schools and Robotics Clubs!

This page gives details about how you can be part of the International Aerial Robotics Competition even if you are not part of a team building an aerial robot. Send in a video tape of your animatronic synthetic survivor and if it is accepted, your automaton will be used in the International Aerial Robotics Competition.

Here's the deal: design a human survivor that is as realistic as possible. It can be male, female, adult, or child. Your survivor must appear real, sound real, and move like an actual human. In terms of appearance, it shall conform to the following criteria:

  1. Clothing must be consistant with that worn during the summer in North America.
  2. Normally exposed body parts (hands, head, etc.) should appear life like.
  3. The survivor is injured and can not walk away from danger, but his injuries need not be excessively "gory".
  4. Survivors can be standing, kneeling, sitting, or lieing down.
  5. Gross motor motions such as arm waving are expected, but fine motor movements such as lip or eye lid motions are beyond the resolution expected.
  6. Don't forget that visual cues may be other than those in the visible spectrum. For example, the infrared signature (body heat) of the survivor may be simulated (though in reality, this will not be very noticeable through clothing or in summer time ambient air that approximates the body temperature of a live human.
In terms of sound, your survivor can
  1. have a speaker playing tape recorded (continuous loop) cries for help.
  2. include sounds like coughing, groaning or moaning, etc.
  3. not have unusually noticeable mechanical or pneumatic sounds associated with its internal mechanisms as they operate.
Survivor motions could include,
  1. Arm waving (one or both)
  2. Thrashing of legs (one or both)
  3. Attempted crawling motions
  4. Head movements
  5. Body bending
Other features include,
  1. Survivors are expected to try to signal for help either all of the time, or only when they sense the presence of an aerial robot (perhaps due to its engine noise). All survivors should have a mechanical timer capable of activating the survivor for periods of up to one hour. When this timer "times out", the survivor should cease all life like activity and will be considered to have died.

  2. All survivors must operate from 12 VDC (a motorcycle battery). Special fuels can not be accommodated. If you choose to use pneumatics, a 12 VDC compressor should be incorporated into the survivor, or a provision for refilling a gas tank for operation over at least a 15 minute period. The only servicible item should be the recharging of the 12 V battery or of a compressed gas tank.

  3. Survivors should be made from as little metal as possible so they do not present an unusual magnetic or radar reflective signature. Use wood, plastics, or composites to the greatest extent possible.

  4. Survivors should be capable of being dragged out of the arena to safety by a mobile robot or human rescuer. A "tilt switch" should be included to shut off the survivor so it won't thrash about (possibly damaging itself) if it detects that it is being rescued. Detection should be based on physical contact with or movement of the survivor.
Send a paper design of your animatronic synthetic survivor showing how it is supposed to operate to the address at the bottom of this web page along with a self-addressed mailing label or envelope so we can tell you whether your survivor meets our subjective realism test. If it is accepted based on the paper design, you should immediately begin construction. When you have completed your animatronic synthetic survivor, send us a VHS video of it in operation. The video should also include pictures of the internal workings of the animatronic synthetic survivor so we can see how it works. Along with the video, provide a 500 word (minimum) description (in English) of how your survivor works (this will help us understand what we are seeing in the video and how we can best integrate it into the competition). Drawings may be included to help in this description. Please discuss what logistical support is required (battery should be the only thing) and how to operate any controls.

We will review your video and written entry and if it looks and works realistically, we will invite your animatronic synthetic survivor to be part of the International Aerial Robotics Competition. When all suitable entries have been received, we will also select the top three (deemed most realistic) for recognition at the competition and in the media.

If your entry meets our subjective realism test, we will pay to have it shipped to the competition site by June 15, 2000. You and your design team are also welcome to attend the competition and assist in the placement and operation of your survivor (but you are responsible for your own travel arrangements). Designers of all acceptable entries will recieve official comeptition T-Shirts. When the competition has concluded, we'll ship it back to your home location at our expense, or we may even offer to buy it from you for use in future competitions!

Start your entry now! Below is an animation of the animatronic synthetic survivor that was used in the International Aerial Robotics Competition 1998 and 99 Qualifier for the Millennial Event. This is just an example-- feel free to be more creative and realistic. Here is a movie of our pneumatic John Doe No. 2 (578K).

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Questions and rules interpretations should be addressed to:

Robert Michelson
Past President, AUVS International
Georgia Tech Research Institute
Aerospace, Transportation & Advanced Systems Laboratory (ATAS-CCRF)
7220 Richardson Road
Smyrna, Georgia 30080
robert.michelson@gtri.gatech.edu