Robotics Nanodegree Program Challenge with Kuka and KIT

We're so happy you've decided to participate in the Robotics Nanodegree Program Challenge with Kuka and KIT (“Contest”) for the Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree Program!

Please be sure to read through the Contest General Terms and Conditions (“T&Cs”) as well as these Contest details below before submitting entering the contest as this will govern your participation in the Contest.

Contest Dates:

August 25, 2018 (12:00 am GMT +2) - August 28 (11:59 pm GMT +2)

Eligibility to Enter:

In addition to the other requirements set forth herein and in the T&Cs, to participate and claim the prize package, entrant must be 1) a US resident; and 2) either currently enrolled in or a graduate of Term 1 of the Program. Only one (1) winner will be selected and there is no option for team submissions.

Contest Entry:

Submission:

Participants will compete by submitting their code (“Code”) to program a Kuka robotics arm to navigate a physical 2D maze in the fastest time possible. Students who are currently enrolled or who have successfully completed Term 1 of the Robotics Software Nanodegree Program (“Program”) will find the Kuka Project Challenge in the extracurricular section the Program classroom. The code must successfully pass the simulator before it can be run on the Kuka robotic arm at the lab in Germany. To “pass” the simulator, the Code must successfully navigate the robotic arm through the maze from the starting point to the goal point without any errors and without hitting or attempting to move through the walls of the maze.

Subject to the Code passing the simulation, it, will be added to the queue to run on the physical robotic arm and run by the KIT team in Karlsruhe, Germany at the Kuka Learning Lab (“Lab”).

Run-Time:

Participant submissions will be timed at the Lab using standardized software. The Kuka robotics arm will only begin to move after it has planned the path and poses according to the Code provided by the participant. The run-time for the challenge therefore includes both the robotic arm’s time to plan and then execute its movement along the maze. The clock, controlled by KIT’s program for executing the code, will begin when the Code starts to run and end when the robotic arm has moved the object to the goal location within the maze. Reducing the time required to plan the robotic arm’s path is a critical component to winning this Contest.

To account for small natural variations that occur in the code’s run-time, it will be run on the arm three separate times. The median or (middle) run-time will be the participant’s recorded time for the Contest. Participants are therefore encouraged to submit Code that runs consistently well rather than Code that is prone to wide variability. A participant’s best and worst run-time will be discarded and not considered for determining the Winner of the Contest.

Ties:

In the event that two or more participants’ Codes have the same run-time (rounded to the nearest 1/100th of a second), the participant with the faster average run-time, as determined as the average of the three run-times of their code, will be declared the winner.

Leaderboard and Leaderboard Participation:

Throughout the challenge, participants will have the opportunity to view their run-time as well as the run-times of fellow participants on a leaderboard in the Kuka Challenge classroom.

Please note that participants are not required to participate in the publicly viewable leaderboard to participate in this Contest. If a participant elects to not to opt-in to the leaderboard, their run-times for each phase will not be visible to other participants. To the extent you opt to be visible in the leaderboard, please keep in mind that this leaderboard will be visible to others in the classroom. You should not share personal information on the leaderboard (e.g., real name, etc.). Please use an anonymous moniker. If you choose to provide your real personal information in the leaderboard, you acknowledge and agree that it will be viewable by others and that such sharing is subject to our Privacy Policy (including the social sharing provisions). If you choose to opt-out after initially opting-in, you may do so, but information you shared prior to opting-out may be residually available/viewable.

The top 5 entrant’s scores will be placed on a leaderboard that can be viewed within the classroom. Student’s real names will not be used on the Leaderboard. Even if you choose not to put your name on the publicly viewable leaderboard, you will be able to see your own run-time so that you can rank it against the leaderboard and your run-time for the final submission will be eligible to win the challenge.

Winner Notification:

On September 1, 2018, Udacity will notify the Winner via the email associated with their Udacity account and provide additional information on how to claim the prize. Winner will forfeit eligibility if they fail to respond within 7 days.

Contest Prize:

One (1) prize package will be awarded to one (1) winner consisting of:

• One (1) 1 round trip economy plane ticket to Munich, Germany from your home of record inside the U.S.
• One (1) regular admittance ticket to the NVIDIA GTC Conference & workshop in Munich, Germany from Oct. 9-11, 2018
• One (1) economy class train ticket from Munich, Germany to Karlsruhe, Germany to visit the KIT lab
• 6 nights’ accommodation for one person in Munich & Karlsruhe, Germany capped at $200/night
• Daily per diem for meals for one person capped at USD $75.00/daily
• A 1-day visit with head of KIT lab (to be coordinated directly with KIT)

ARV approximately USD $3,310.00

Disclaimers:

Certain portions of this Contest are run by and/or under the control of our partners KIT or KUKA. Entrant acknowledges that Udacity has no control over or responsibility for technical or other portions of this Contest that are provided by these partners.