Hello RoboCupJunior Community!
We’re happy to announce that the 2027 RCJ Rescue Line Draft Rules have now been published and are available for review.
We invite teams, mentors, referees, and organizers to share their feedback, questions, and suggestions on the proposed changes.
An open meeting to discuss the changes will be announced soon.
We look forward to your feedback and discussion!
I like the scoring changes, which reward exiting the evacuation zone and reaching the goal tile successfully.
The only minor concern I want to raise w.r.t. exiting the evacuation zone: For all other scoring decisions (checkpoints + hazards), the robot is considered to have reached a tile if it’s actively following the line and more than half of the robot is on the tile. For this new scoring mechanism, just (fully) leaving the evacuation zone is the relevant criterion. I think it’s a valid criterion in itself, I would just see it helpful for consistency (explaining rules to referees) if the same rule would be applied. But probably there was a motivation to phrase it differently here?
Thanks for refining the rules and - as in the last years - providing the diff nicely! Kudos
While anyway updating the rules, could you please fix this issue from the 2026 rule changes:
Rule 5.6.1 (page 23) should refer to “ramp tiles” for scoring.
See Question about ramp scoring in RoboCupJunior Rescue Line Rules 2026
Hello @Alex98
Thank you for publishing the 2027 RCJ Rescue Line Draft Rules.
I have listed below the points in the rules that I found unclear or had questions about while reading them. I would appreciate it if you could take another look at them.
(A)
3.2.2. making it difficult to get back on a tile where the robot comes off the course.
I think it would be better to say “making it difficult to get back on the course” rather than “making it difficult to get back on a tile.”
(B)
3.3.1. The grid lines indicated in the drawings below
Does “in the drawings below” refer to the drawings below Rule 3.3.5? I don’t think the grid lines are shown in these drawings.
Could you please clarify what “The grid lines indicated in the drawings below” refers to?
(C)
3.3.4. The line will be at least 10 cm away from any edge of the field, walls, pillars to support ramps, seesaws, and obstacles that do not lie ahead of the robot’s path.
Does “edge of the field” also include the edges of the floors on the second and third levels? It is not clear whether these are included or not. I would appreciate it if this could be clarified explicitly in the rules.
(D)
3.4.5. The field designers will predetermine the number of checkpoint markers and their locations.
I think what the field designers determine is not the number of checkpoint markers, but the number of checkpoints. Could this wording have remained from the old rules without being reviewed?
(E)
3.6.4. A dead end is when there are two green marks before an intersection
Only here, it says “green mark.” Should it be “green marker” instead?
(F)
3.5.8. In the evacuation zone, obstacles may be placed anywhere with a minimum of 10 cm clearance from the wall. Obstacles in the evacuation zone are not scored.
3.9.6. In the evacuation zone, organizers may put the obstacle anywhere with a minimum of 10 cm clearance from the wall. Obstacles in the evacuation zone are not scored.
The same thing is stated in Rules 3.5.8 and 3.9.6. Since they overlap, I think one of them is unnecessary.
(G)
4.2.6. When batteries are transported, moved, or charged, it is strongly recommended that safety bags be used.
I think this section is intended to describe lithium-based batteries. If participants bring ordinary batteries, I don’t think a safety bag or similar container is necessary.
(H)
4.2.7. Robots must be equipped with a handle that is to be used to pick them up during the scoring run.
I agree that attaching a handle to the robot is important. However, the rules do not specify anything about the requirements or specifications of the handle. I would appreciate it if the required functions and specifications of the handle could be described in the rules.
(I)
4.4.5. participate in videotaped interviews for research purposes.
Is the term “videotaped” outdated nowadays?
(J)
5.5.4. There is no limit to the lack of progress within a round.
I think “game” is correct rather than “round.”
(K)
5.5.5. a. The team captain may make further attempts
I think the item number “a.” is unnecessary.
(L)
5.6.1. 10 points per ramp,
The scoring for ramps has been changed so that points are awarded for each ramp tile. Therefore, shouldn’t it be “10 points per ramp tile”?
(M)
5.6.2. Failed attempts at navigating hazards in the field are defined as a Lack of Progress.
For example, if two ramps are placed consecutively and an obstacle is placed on the second ramp, there is a contradiction in the current rules: the robot may be forced to incur a Lack of Progress and therefore be unable to proceed.
The score for the first ramp is awarded when the robot reaches the second ramp. However, if there is an obstacle on the second ramp, the robot cannot reach it. If the robot cannot reach the second ramp, Rule 5.6.2 would result in a forced Lack of Progress.
Could you please clarify in the rules how this situation should be handled?
Please see the forum post below.
(N)
5.6.6. Successful victim rescue (SVR): Robots are awarded multipliers for successfully rescuing victims. A successful victim rescue occurs when the victim is entirely moved into the designated evacuation point, and no part of the robot can be in contact with the victim.
When a robot enters the evacuation zone, is the rescue considered successful if it first places the black victim in the red evacuation point?
The rules state that the rescue is successful when the entire victim is moved to the designated evacuation point. Could you please clarify whether placing only the black victim in the red evacuation point is considered a successful rescue?
If this is considered a successful rescue, would a multiplier of 1.25 be awarded according to Rule 5.6.9?
(O)
5.6.11. A robot is awarded 30 points for successfully exiting the evacuation zone.
I think it would be better to award points not simply when the robot leaves the evacuation zone, but when it leaves the evacuation zone and correctly follows the black line.
(P)
Rules 6.3.4 and 6.3.5 have been added to Rescue Maze, but will they not be added to Rescue Line as well?
Best regards,
MASA
Hello @Alex98
Thank you for publishing the 2027 RCJ Rescue Line Draft Rules.
I have listed below the points in the rules that I found unclear or had questions about while reading them. I would appreciate it if you could take another look at them.
7.3.3. Documents must include one Technical Description Paper (TDP), one Poster and one Video. Teams should be prepared to explain their work.
Rule 7.3.3 states that teams must prepare and submit a Technical Description Paper (TDP). It also states that the template is provided on the Rescue Community Website. However, the document provided on the Rescue Community Website is called a Team Description Paper , rather than a Technical Description Paper .
Could you please make the names consistent between the rule and the document provided?
Best regards,
MASA
Hello @Alex98
Thank you for publishing the 2027 RCJ Rescue Line Draft Rules.
I have listed below the points in the rules that I found unclear or had questions about while reading them. I would appreciate it if you could take another look at them.
4.2.3. Teams are not permitted to use commercially produced robot kits or sensor components specifically designed or marketed to complete any single primary task of RoboCupJunior Rescue.
I feel that this rule is written in a very ambiguous way. Based on this explanation, it is difficult to understand what kinds of sensors or components are prohibited. Could you please provide a few examples of sensors or components that are prohibited from being used?
In the 2025 rules, Section 4.1.4 provided examples of modules that were allowed, while Section 4.1.5 provided examples of modules that were not allowed. These examples made it easier to understand the boundary between what was allowed and what was prohibited. However, these examples have been removed from the 2026 rules, making it difficult for us to understand where the boundary lies.
For example, could you clarify whether the following uses would be allowed or prohibited?
a. Using an AI camera (HuskyLens) only as a simple camera, without using its AI functions.
b. Using the AI functions of an AI camera (HuskyLens).
c. Using a PixyCam only as a simple camera, without using its special functions.
d. Using the line-following function of a PixyCam.
e. Using the object recognition function of a PixyCam.
f. Using TensorFlow with a dataset created and trained by someone else.
g. Using TensorFlow with a dataset created by someone else but trained by the team itself.
h. Using EasyOCR.
Could you please clarify whether these are prohibited under Rule 4.2.3 or whether they are allowed?
I posted this question on the Forum last year, but I did not receive a clear answer.
Best regards,
MASA
