World Robot Summit 2025
Harsh Environment F-REI Challenge Q & A

Plant Disaster Challenge

Damages and Liability
Q.As a safety measure, eyebolts are required to be attached to the robot while it ascends and descends the stairwell during the P3 mission. By doing so, tension will be put on the front part of the robot. Pulling the front of the Spot robot might be dangerous, leading to the question of whether humans or robots should be protected. In our case, from a safety perspective, it might be safer to avoid pulling the body of the robot. As attaching the eyebolts is not counted into the competition time, it should be fair to have an option to not attach eyebolts to the robot. Is this a plausible option?
A.For the Plant Disaster Challenge, human safety is a top priority. All participants are required to comply with the Participation Agreement before applying to the competition. The following link leads to the WRS Participation Agreement:

https://wrs.f-rei.go.jp/en/entry/

In the Participation Agreement, it states: "WRS participants bear all responsibility for personal belongings including notebook computers and robot equipment regardless of whether the participant is in or outside of the venue. Organizers accept no liability for injury, damage or accidents for personal belongings. Organizers accept no liability for any accidents, damages, injuries, deaths, etc. that have occurred under the participants' responsibilities."
Teams are required to agree to the Participation Agreement once more during the final registration process. Therefore, any damages to the RTF facility that adhere to the statements above are insured under the event liability insurance.

Digital Twin
Q.During the WRS pre-tournament, our team has manually inserted information into the Digital Twin. It seems that for the main tournament automatic meter reading is required, however, is it possible to manually save the image data the robot collects to the computer, manually upload the data into an image processing server, and report the processed information to the Digital Twin manually?
To what extent is manual data triggering/human intervention acceptable for this competition?
A.The Digital Twin should accomplish the role of the "image processing server" that you mentioned in your questions. Specifically, the mission is for the team to collect an image of the meter gauge, use image processing to identify the meter readings (the gauge itself and the meter handle; please reference the image below), and report these readings to the Digital Twin by uploading the image to the Digital Twin.
Q.Can you specify further on the reporting procedure?
A.Instructions for the procedure of reporting to the Digital Twin will be provided separately at a later date.
Q.When reporting the status of the valves (open/close) to the Digital Twin, are the operators to decide whether to report the state of the valve?
A.Either the robot operator or the robot may determine whether to report the state of the valves to the Digital Twin.
Judging criteria: circular valve: 180 degrees, lever valve: 90 degrees.
Q.As the only things that are required are automatic meter reading and automatic evaluation diagnosis, is it correct to assume that the reporting and uploading of the values returned to the PC or operating terminal to the Digital Twin do not need to be automated?
A.Automation is preferred. Otherwise, please consult with the administration.
Q.Is it correct to assume that the software used for image processing (like pressure gauges and cracks) should be prepared by the teams?
A.Yes.
Q.The pressure gauge image processing used by our company does not display the values on the image. Is that a problem?
A.Yes. Evidence demonstrating that the scale values have been digitized through image processing is required. Therefore, it is insufficient.
Q.I would like to ask about the data format of the plant digital twin prepared by the organizers. Is it compatible with the ROS1/RViz environment that we will be using?
A.The RMS cloud middleware used to implement the digital twin system provides HTTP-based web APIs for uploading data from robot platforms or other external applications.
These APIs follow a standard, platform-independent design and can be accessed from any programming language or operating system.
Depending on the specific ROS version and implementation, developers may need to implement a local ROS node to bridge communication between the server APIs and ROS topics for ROS-based systems.
The detailed API specifications and calling procedures for how to report to the Digital Twin system will be published around late May / early June.
Q.The rulebook states, "The image used to automatically read the meter is also to be submitted to the Digital Twin." In other words, should the image present the meter only? Is there a problem if the image is in B&W (black and white)? Would it be possible to provide a sample image?
A.A processed image containing the face of a pressure gauge and its readings is required to be submitted as evidence of digitalization, as provided in the image below. A B&W (black and white) image is permitted.
Q.How are the teams to read the task ID? Are the operators to identify the ID through the camera mounted on the robot, or will the team be required to prepare a program that would read the digital data equivalent to the ID?
A.Every inspectional/operational task ID will be embedded in a QR code, therefore reading the QR code will provide the task ID.
Q.As for the Digital Twin, is it necessary to communicate the robot’s location and position? If so, please provide information on the coordination system (e.g. point of origin) and other instructions.
A.Communicating the robot’s location and position is required. As described in Chapter 13 of the rulebook, further instructions regarding the reporting method to the Digital Twin will be published by late May/early June.
Entry Forms
Q.Are the 'Link to Team Introduction Video' in the Sheet1_WRS2025_Plant and the 'Team Intro Video' in Sheet2_WRS2025_Plant optional?
A.Yes, both videos are optional.
Evaluation
Q.Will you publish the results of the pre-tournament held in October 2024.
A.The results and achievement rates of the pre-tournament are as follows:
Field
Q.Is it possible to provide us with a 3D model of the competition field in advance, specifically a 3D model of the first floor of the mock plant tower?
A.The 3D CAD data for the first and third/fourth floors of the mock plant tower is scheduled to be made public around late May/early June.
Q.Is it possible to provide us with a 3D model of the competition field in advance, specifically a 3D model of the first floor of the mock plant tower?
A.The 3D CAD data for the first and third/fourth floors of the mock plant tower is scheduled to be made public around late May/early June.
Mapping
Q.If utilizing SLAM, is it necessary to submit the map that is saved on SLAM? If so, please provide further details about the submission method (like file type)?
A.There is no need to submit the SLAM map.
Mission P3
Q.During the pre-tournament, the teams were instructed to use the handheld measuring device during the 5-minute prep time. When will it be available to use for the main competition?
A.We will soon publish a CAD drawing of the inspection probe soon. However, the teams will receive the devices right before the competition.Therefore, please prepare a strategy for mantling the devices in advance with the team.
Q.As for the crack in the P3 mission, will the construction of the test piece change for the main tournament?
A.The objects used for the test pieces are made according to the following principles:

1) Easy to make

2) Reproducibility - to reproduce the required measurements

3) As realistic as possible

We used the principles above to construct the test pieces for the competition. The red marker shows the ultrasonic test solution seeping into a crack (the trench is machined and filled with ultrasonic inspection fluid).
As the test pieces are meant to reproduce inspection points in an actual inspection mission, there are no plans to change the test pieces.
Mission P5
Q.The P5 mission aims to use drones as inspection robots. What if a team does not have drones? Would using a 30x zoom lens to inspect the area be possible?
A.There is no problem with mantling a 30x zoom camera on the robot, however, many inspection targets will be hidden in dark areas, meaning it might be difficult to identify all targets during the mission. We advise you to find a way to integrate a drone into your inspection strategy.
Q.For the P5 mission, will changing locations from the plant to the tunnel be included as a mission task?
A.Moving between the plant tower and the tunnel will not be included as a mission task.
Q.Is the operation area for mission P5 the same operation area as tasks P1 - P4 and P6? If so, will it be possible to operate the robot from the plant operation area using a wired connection? Could we please ask for further clarification regarding the operation areas and locations?
A.There will be operation areas for the P5 mission near the plant tower as well as the tunnel. It is up to the teams which area they would prefer to utilize. There will be no additional points for operating the robot from the operation area near the plant tower. It is possible to operate the robot using a wired connection.
Q.For the P5 mission, will the inside of the tunnel be completely dark?
A.There will be times where the tunnel will be completely dark.
Robots
Q.The rulebook states, “It is permitted to exchange robots in-between missions.” However, is it possible to add attachments or change wires for robots that have already been approved during the robot inspection?
A.Yes.
Safety Management
Q.Will the safety manager be able to enter the competition area while the drone is being operated?
A.The safety manager will not be able to enter the competition area while the drone is being operated.
Supplemental Information
Q.When will the CAD diagrams be published?
A.A guide for the metal loss measuring device and probe is planned to be published around late May/early June.
Q.When will further details concerning the Digital Twin and communication networds be published?
A.Supplemental information on the Digital Twin and communication networks is planned to be published around late May/early June.