Section 4 - Drone Skills Challenge

Overview

In a Drone Skills Match, one Team flies one Drone for ninety seconds (1:30), always under Scoring System A. In a Piloting Skills Match, the Pilot flies the Drone. In an Autonomous Skills Match, the Drone’s code flies it. A Team’s Skills ranking uses its best Match of each type (T20).

Drone Skills Matches are optional, but they may count toward some awards and global Skills rankings. At Tournaments, Drone Skills Matches are available only to Teams on the Qualification Match schedule. A Team’s Skills scores count only if it plays at least one Qualification Match (T17).

Drone Skills Match Rules

<DSC1> Standard rules apply in most cases. All other rules apply to Drone Skills Matches unless this section says otherwise. GG, SG, and DSC Violations in a Skills Match only affect that Match and don’t count toward repeated Violations at the event.

<DSC2> One Team, one Drone. A Drone Skills Match is played by one Team with one Drone and up to two Flight Team Members. GG1 applies, except that in Autonomous Skills Matches, Flight Team Members may move around the outside of the Field.

<DSC3> Scoring Drone Skills Matches. Skills Matches use the standard Scoring Rules (SC1 to SC12) under Scoring System A (T19).

1. Up to two Ring Tunnel Passes count (SC9).
2. Up to one Obstacle Completion Bonus counts, since there is only one Drone (SC11).

<DSC4> Drone and Field setup. The Field is set up the same as for Teamwork Matches. The Drone may start on, and Land on, either Field Platform (SC10).

<DSC5> Handling the Drone is allowed, but the clock runs. Flight Team Members may handle their Drone any time it is in Prop Lock (S5). GG11 applies, with the Skills Drone as the only Drone in the Match.

1. The clock never stops, and there are no Timeouts. Time spent recovering the Drone is time not spent scoring.
2. A handled Drone must be placed on a Field Platform and take off from there.
3. Any Scoring Object the Drone is carrying when it is handled is removed for the rest of the Match.

<DSC6> Piloting Skills Matches. Flight Team Members fly the Drone and stay in the Flight Station, except when handling the Drone under DSC5.

<DSC7> Autonomous Skills Matches. The Drone flies only on its own code, using its sensors and pre-programmed commands.

1. Autonomous means no humans. Steering the Drone, triggering its sensors by hand, or affecting its flight in any other way is a Violation. A Score Affecting Violation of this rule scores zero for the Match.
2. Flight Team Members may move around the outside of the Field during the Match, but may not step onto the Field Tiles (S1) or affect the Drone’s flight.
3. In the event of a Match Hover, Match Abort, or E-Stop, the Match ends immediately. A Match Hover ends the Match because the Drone’s code can’t resume safely after a hover. The Match is scored as the Field stands when it ends (SC1b). It is not replayed unless GG7d applies.

<DSC8> Skills Stop Time. A Team may end its Skills Match early to record a Skills Stop Time, which is used as a ranking tiebreaker (T20). It doesn’t change the score.

1. Tell the Scorekeeper Referee before the Match, including which Flight Team Member will give the signal. Without this, the Team’s Skills Stop Time is zero.
2. The Match ends when the Drone is Landed and in Prop Lock and that Flight Team Member gives the agreed spoken and visual signal.
3. The Skills Stop Time is the time left on the Match clock at that moment, in whole seconds, as shown in the event software.