A Framework for Remote Field Robotics Competitions

Field robotics competitions usually require a degree of logistics that is out of reach for most of the academic and non-academic community. Nevertheless these events are a source of innovation. This article proposes a framework for remote field robotics competitions, allowing virtually anyone from around the world to participate in a robotics challenge, regardless of resources. This framework, addressed in depth in this article, allows challengers to develop their entries under a simulated environment, and later test their ideas on a state of the art robotics platform, always without ever getting into direct contact with the actual robot. The framework was validated on the Humanitarian Robotics and Automation Technology Challenge (HRATC), an international humanitarian demining competition.