Drone Programming Competition/Challenge
Drone Programing
Drone Programming competitions challenge participants to code and control drones to complete complex missions with precision and efficiency. Competitors must design algorithms to navigate obstacles, execute tasks, and adapt to dynamic environments. It’s a captivating blend of coding, robotics, and problem-solving that showcases the power of automation and innovation.
Registration
Coming Soon
Categories
Obstacle Challenge (Team) 1-2 Members
- Primary School (Approximately ages 6-12)
- High School (Approximately ages 13-18)
Swarming Challenge (Team) 2-4 Members
- Primary School (Approximately ages 6-12)
- High School (Approximately ages 13-18)
Rules
Team Rules
Each team will have 2-4 members for Swarming and 1-2 members for Obstacle.
This category is open to the following age groups:
● Primary School: students 6-12 years old
● High School: students 13-18 years old
Students need not be from the same school. However, all the members of a team must be in the same
age group to qualify.
Competition Format
The Drone Programming competition will be organized in both on-site and online formats. Participants will need to write code to program drones to perform predefined missions. The judging criteria will differ between the two formats. Details are as follows
The competition will be organized in an online format, where participants are required to write code to make a drone perform tasks according to predefined missions. Each mission will involve a combination of various tasks within a designated area and obstacles.
Participants are required to record a video during the completion of the tasks and show the results of the data readings or images captured by the drone in the video for the judges to review.
The code used in the program must be created exclusively by the participants. If it is discovered that the code was written by someone else, the participant will be disqualified from the competition.
The organizers of Space Challenge Asia will not be held responsible for any damage to, or the loss of, any drone(s) and associated equipment throughout the entire competition
The competition will be organized in an on-site format, where participants are required to write code to make a drone perform tasks according to predefined missions. Each mission will involve a combination of various tasks within a designated area and obstacles.
Teams should behave fairly and be respectful towards other teams, coaches, judges, and competition organizers. Teams are to adhere to the competition rules to ensure fair competition.
Coding of the drone must be done only by the team. The task of the coach is to accompany them, help
them with organizational and logistical matters and support the team in the case of questions or
problems. The coach cannot be involved in the programming of the drones.
On the competition day, during mission runs, coaches/mentors are not allowed to communicate
with their teams.
If any of the rules mentioned in this document are broken or violated, the judges or chief referees can
decide on one or more of the following consequences. Before a decision is reached, a team or
individual team members may be interviewed to find out more about the possible violation of the
rules. The interview can include questions about the drone or the program
Mission Run Format
1. Teams will be quarantined in designated team areas and are only allowed to modify the
construction or code of the drones during Practice Times. If teams want to make test runs, they
need to queue with drones (controller included). Shoes are to be taken off before entering the
competition playing field.
2. Flying will only be done within the designated flying space. Teams violating this may be barred
from competition at the discretion of the Space Challenge Asia organising committee.
3. All participants will be held responsible for the safe flying of their drone(s) throughout the entire
competition. The organisers reserve the right to ground the flying machine(s) of any team.
4. Teams should prepare all required equipment, including routers, laptops, chargers, drones, spare
batteries, and accessories for the competition.
5. Charging of batteries is permitted within the competition hall, but only official battery packs
should be used and charged in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines. Teams must ensure
they have an adequate supply of batteries for all missions and be capable of troubleshooting their
own equipment in the event of technical issues.
6. No transfer of materials (physical, digital, or otherwise) between the designated team areas and
outside the quarantined area.
7. The organizers of Space Challenge Asia will not be held responsible for any damage to, or the loss of, any drone(s) and associated equipment throughout the entire competition
Drone Specification
The drones used in the Drone Programming competition must be of the following models:
- DJI Tello
- DJI TelloEDU
- DJI ROBOMASTER TT
Playfield Fomat
Size of the playfield is 5(FIVE) by 5(FIVE) meters.
● Maximum flying height of the playfield is 240 cm.
● Each grid is approximately 80cm by 80cm.
● Gap between grids is approximately 20 cm to 30 cm.
● Participants are allowed to bring measuring tools.
Obstacle Challenge Playfield
Swarming Playfield
Orange is Start Zone (Take Off)
Red is Landing Zone
Yellow is Obstacle (Following on 3D Playfield)
Blue is QR Code
Pink is Aerial Photography Zone
Green is Detect and Record Zone (Downward TOF Distance Sensing)
Obstacle Block
- Size of the obstacle is 60cm(Breadth) by 60cm(Breadth) by 80cm(height).
- Obstacle can be stacked on top of another obstacle
- Maximum height of obstacle is 240cm
Obstacle 3D Playfield
Swarming 3D Playfield
Scoring
Obstacle Challenge
| Mission | Point | Maximum Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Consolidate and display the total sum Mission Pad value |
10 |
40 |
|
Identify QR Code in a single program |
10 |
30 |
|
Take Aerial photography of one location in a single program |
10 |
40 |
|
Detect and record the readings at different locations in a single program
|
10 |
40 |
|
Land on specified area |
20 |
20 |
|
Finish every mission in a single program |
30 |
30 |
| Total score | 200 |
|---|---|
Swarming Challenge
| Mission | Point | Maximum Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Consolidate and display the total Mission Pad value |
5 |
30 |
|
Detect and record the readings at different locations in a single program
|
10 |
40 |
|
Land on specified area |
10 |
20 |
|
Finish every mission in a single program |
10 |
10 |
| Total score | 100 |
|---|---|
Mission Attempt
Start of Mission Attempt
● Each Team will be given 1 Mission Attempt.
● Time begins when the drone start to take off
A Mission attempt will end if…
● The 10 minutes mark is up.
● The drone or team has violated the rules or regulations.
● A team member shouts “STOP”, and the drone does not move anymore.
Scoring Submissions
If participants choose to compete in the online format, teams must submit a video within the specified timeframe. The judges will score based on the completion of tasks and the total time taken to complete all tasks. Participants must also demonstrate the size of the field and the dimensions of obstacles, which must adhere to the specifications set by the judges.
Awards
Prizes will be allocated based on the ranking of the competing teams. Certificates will be awarded to the winners of each category by Space Challenge Asia.
FAQs
2-4 members for Swarming Challenge
1-2 members for Obstacle Challenge
Drones must be pre-programmed
It is used to identify, for example, when the drone scans the QR code. The words should then appear on the screen.
For Obstacle only 1 drone can be used.
For Swarming , you may use minimum of 2 to a maximum of 4 drones.
For both Obstacle and Swarming tasks, participants must use one of the following drones:
- DJI Tello
- DJI TelloEDU
- DJI Robomaster TT
There is no any restriction on the programming languages.
English 
Thai