A drone obtains mission information that the ground robot cannot see. The team records a plan based on that information, then the ground robot carries it out. Both vehicles contribute to one score.
Figure 1. Example cooperative mission; the station sequence may vary.
MR §11 Purpose and scope
HERO Challenge is a multidisciplinary educational event combining aerial and ground robots with practical work in mechanics, electronics, programming and communication. HERO Explorer and HERO Pro divisions are available. Students may choose their level and explore other challenges.
This Air + Ground mission combines aerial sensing, information transfer and ground navigation. HERO Explorer and HERO Pro allow manual, semi-autonomous and autonomous operation; verified autonomy earns the multipliers in Section 7. Teams may use approved shared or their own equipment. Optional workshops cover integration and mission practice.
MR §22 Teams and participation
HERO Explorer is introductory and HERO Pro is advanced; these are difficulty levels, not age groups. Mixed high-school/university and multidisciplinary teams are welcome. Choose a division for each entry; teams may enter different divisions across challenges, or both through separate entries.
Technical limit: up to eight high-school, undergraduate or postgraduate students, including one student captain. HERO’s Ground/Air roster allows up to three competitors per area plus a competing captain: at most seven distinct competitors. The smaller limit governs. Each team with high-school members needs an adult supervisor; participants under 18 require guardian consent. Advisors are additional to the student limit. Registered students perform setup, programming, repair and operation. Each student may join one team per division and may enter other challenges.
Submit a concise Technical Design Report of no more than ten pages. Describe both platforms, mission sensing, handover, claimed autonomy and safety controls. Identify shared or commercial hardware and explain the students' integration work. Building every component from scratch is not required. Use Section 11 and Annex A for the autonomy evidence and interface declaration.
MR §33 Platforms and equipment
| Platform | Reference class |
|---|---|
| UAV aerial robot | Protected multirotor; maximum 150 mm motor-to-motor diagonal; ready-to-fly mass under 100 g, including battery, guards, camera, antennas and mission equipment. Same envelope as Single Robot Air. |
| UGV ground robot | Maximum start envelope 300 x 300 x 300 mm, including wheels, antennas, battery, sensors and attached mechanisms. Ground-vehicle mass limit is set in the event platform sheet. |
| Mission sensing | UAV sensing must obtain the mission information. A live video link is optional; direct-view piloting, video assistance and autonomous sensing are permitted. |
| Ground equipment | Declared controllers, computer or ground station, mission links and a paper or approved electronic Mission Data Form. |
| Safety on both vehicles | Main power disconnect, safe abort procedure, retained battery, visible team ID and verified failsafe. |
The platform sheet identifies approved shared vehicles and ground classes before entries open; unlike platforms have separate rankings. Declare motor diagonal and overall guarded dimensions. A deployable UGV starts folded within its approved envelope and may expand after the signal; all parts stay attached.
MR §44 Field and mission information
Both divisions use four aerial information items and four ground objectives. HERO Explorer uses prominent cues, direct item-to-action mapping and wider passages. HERO Pro may use combined cues, ordering constraints and more demanding navigation. Markers, symbols or colours are examples, not prescribed technology. Both divisions allow H1-H3 handover and L0-L3 autonomy; manual HERO Pro entries remain eligible. The course brief specifies exact tasks; Sections 5-8 govern scoring.
Figure 2. Example field and AprilTag visual cue [2].
Mission cues are placed so they must be inspected through the UAV system and cannot be read directly from the operator position. Run-specific information may vary between attempts. The course brief gives field dimensions, cue size and encoding, lighting, containment, obstacle geometry, checkpoint boundaries and the finish zone. All teams receive the same preparation information.
MR §55 Handover and the locked plan
H1 Human transcription
Up to L1- UAV video / display
- Person
- Mission Data Form
Read UAV information and record it on the form. Manual piloting may make the whole run L0.
H2 Ground station
Up to L2- UAV data
- Ground station
- Electronic record
Automatic processing and transfer, without manual transcription or editing. Officials see the electronic record.
H3 Vehicle to vehicle
Up to L3- UAV
- Automatic transfer
- UGV
Automatic UAV-to-UGV transfer with an approved, visible electronic record.
Record the detected mission information and the resulting ground plan before the UGV leaves its start zone. Include team/run ID, target identities, required actions or sequence, and handover method; electronic records also show time and sending/receiving devices. Officials confirm that the record exists, not that it is correct. Once locked, it cannot be edited. No spectator or undeclared device may supply mission information.
MR §66 Run procedure
Figure 3. Mission sequence.
Report within three minutes of being called. Officials allow five minutes for setup and approve the vehicles, links and safe field. Both robots stay in their start configurations until the signal. Each team receives one scored cooperative attempt, with a ten-minute limit measured from the start signal; practice is separate.
Aerial phase
Take off safely, obtain all four mission items and complete the recorded handover. The UAV may inspect cues in any order unless the course brief specifies otherwise. Complete this phase by landing fully within the marked landing zone and making propulsion safe. The UGV may start only after the aerial phase is complete or the captain formally abandons it.
Ground phase
Use the locked plan to complete the four ground objectives and any required gate or obstacle elements. If a visiting order is specified, follow it. In a dwell zone, the entire ground-contact footprint must be inside, with the UGV stationary for at least one second. The one-second checkpoint count starts when the vehicle stops; the mission clock keeps running. Each objective scores once. An out-of-order visit can be repeated in the correct position to earn its points.
Figure 4. Checkpoint footprint; the station cube is not part of the vehicle.
Finish with the four ground objectives and every required course element completed according to the locked plan, and the whole UGV stationary inside the finish zone. The UAV must already be landed and safe. The clock stops at mission completion, retirement or the time limit.
Faults and abandoned phases
An official hold excludes time for a field or organiser fault; vehicle, battery or team-link failures do not earn a hold or restart. The captain may abandon a phase after making the vehicle safe, retaining earned points and forfeiting unearned ones. The ground phase still needs a locked record; without it, that phase scores zero. Only officials may authorise recovery or removal. Do not change batteries during the run or between phases.
MR §77 Points and autonomy
The highest score wins. Task points total 600: 300 for the aerial phase and 300 for the ground phase. The course brief identifies four aerial information items and four corresponding ground objectives; their individual point values remain the same whatever cue format is chosen.
| Task | Points |
|---|---|
| Safe takeoff and stable flight | 30 |
| Four mission items correctly identified and interpreted | 4 x 40 = 160 |
| Complete ground plan correctly declared | 60 |
| UAV landed fully in its landing zone | 50 |
| Four ground objectives completed with the required validation | 4 x 50 = 200 |
| UGV reaches the finish zone after completing the ground tasks | 100 |
| Total task points | 600 |
Score = (Task points x Autonomy multiplier) + Time bonus - Penalties.
| Level and multiplier | What officials verify |
|---|---|
| L0 Teleoperation | 1.00 | Mission actions are commanded by operators, using direct view or video. |
| L1 Semi-autonomous | 1.15 | A complete declared navigation or recognition task runs automatically without human mission input during that task; other phases may be manual. |
| L2 Supervised autonomy | 1.30 | The mission executes automatically, including the approved H2 ground-station transfer. Human input is limited to a safety abort. |
| L3 Full autonomy | 1.50 | The complete mission, including direct H3 handover and termination, proceeds without operator input after the start signal, apart from a safety abort. |
Assess autonomy across sensing, handover, navigation and termination. The handover method sets a ceiling, not an automatic award. An autonomous car with a manually flown reconnaissance drone may qualify for L1, not L2/L3. The course brief identifies complete tasks that qualify for L1; stabilisation, position/altitude hold or automatic takeoff/landing alone does not qualify.
Time bonus
For a correctly completed mission, award 0.5 point per second remaining from the 600-second limit, capped at 150 points. Incomplete runs and runs based on an incorrect locked plan earn no time bonus. The autonomy multiplier applies only to task points; penalties and the time bonus are not multiplied. The maximum possible total is 1,050 points and the minimum is zero.
MR §88 Penalties and results
| Incident | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Incorrect ground objective or checkpoint | Subtract 40 points |
| Omitted ground objective or checkpoint | Subtract 80 points |
| Required gate omitted or crossed incorrectly | Subtract 40 points |
| Collision with a course element / displacement | Subtract 25 / 40 points; apply displacement only if the same contact moves the element |
| Departure from the approved field | Subtract 40 points; stop unsafe activity |
| Unauthorised contact with a robot | Run ends; retain earned points |
| Autonomy-level violation | Subtract 100 points and rescore at the demonstrated level |
| Ground phase starts without a locked declaration | Ground phase scores zero |
| Radio-rule violation | Warning; second breach: attempt disqualification; third: division disqualification. Count breaches for that entry in the same modality and division throughout the competition; reset for a different modality or division. |
| Battery change during a run | Run disqualified |
Penalties accumulate, but the same act or information error is not penalised twice under different descriptions. Judges record an incorrect visit when it occurs; a checkpoint never subsequently completed is recorded as omitted instead. An incomplete run retains earned points, is marked DNF and has no time bonus. DNS means no start; a disqualified run receives no competitive score.
If the recorded plan is wrong
Check mission items against the field record. An incorrect or incomplete plan earns no 60-point declaration award. Correct ground objectives earn 50 each; actions following an incorrect locked item earn 25 each. Unaffected objectives retain full points; unfinished objectives earn zero. Finish after all four locked actions and required course elements earns 100 for a correct plan or 50 for an incorrect plan. An incorrect plan earns no time bonus. Do not add an objective penalty merely for following it; deviations remain penalised. No edits after locking. Editing or replacing the locked plan invalidates the ground phase at every autonomy level: ground-task points and the time bonus are zero. Remove the 60-point plan award; retain verified aerial-task points and apply any other distinct penalties.
Example: one locked item is wrong, but all four declared actions and the finish are completed. Ground points = (3 x 50) + 25 + 50 = 225; plan and time awards are zero. The course brief may clarify task mapping before the four-week freeze.
Ties and classification
Break ties by task points before multiplication, verified autonomy, fewer penalties, shorter time, then aerial task points. The Technical Committee resolves a remaining tie. Rank each division and platform class separately; division winners receive the Air-Ground Champion title. Announce additional awards separately.
MR §99 Safety and inspection
Both vehicles must pass inspection before practice: class, dimensions, ready-to-fly mass, guards, battery retention, identifiers, deployment and radio configuration. Demonstrate the declared link-loss response and safety abort without unsafe propulsion. Material changes require reinspection.
Ground vehicles must stop propulsion within one second of losing a motion-critical control or safety link. Aircraft must use a declared, inspected link-loss response suited to their controller and flight area: controlled landing when supported, or motor stop only where the Safety Officer approves the resulting fall inside containment. Declare the detection delay and response; holding the last motion command indefinitely is not allowed. Automatic flight requires an accessible safety abort. Loss of optional telemetry alone need not abort a safely autonomous mission.
Use an approved enclosed flight area with overhead containment and a separated ground course. Guards do not replace containment or separation from people. The Safety Officer approves flight conditions, operating speed and recovery access. A safety abort does not itself reduce autonomy, but unfinished tasks earn no points. No one enters until officials confirm all propulsion is safe.
Declare control, video, telemetry and mission links, including channel/configuration and power. Use only devices in the inspected team system and settings approved by the Frequency Coordinator. Keep video transmitters off in the pits. Reject damaged or swollen batteries; charge under supervision in the designated area, retain packs mechanically and protect spare terminals. Host-country radio and flight requirements still apply.
MR §1010 Officials and event information
The referee records results and may stop a run; the Safety Officer may stop unsafe activity. The registered captain may submit a written protest within 15 minutes of result publication, without a fee. It may concern rule application, procedure or a recording/calculation error. Referee judgements of observed play stand unless official evidence establishes a clear error. The Technical Committee reviews the relevant rule and available official records and issues a final written decision. The English rules govern.
Register through the competition page for equipment allocations and optional workshops. Equipment classes and eligibility are published before entries open. Final course layouts, division settings, interfaces and scoring clarifications are published at least four weeks before the first competition day. Rules and these specifications are then frozen; later changes are limited to law, safety or essential venue operation and are notified to all registered teams. Event times remain provisional until the final timetable is issued.
MR §1111 Semi autonomous and autonomous cooperation
Both divisions use the levels and multipliers in Section 7. Declare L1 manual phases and complete automatic tasks, or the complete automatic mission for L2/L3. HERO Pro does not require full autonomy.
L1 tasks run without human mission input; other phases may be manual. L2/L3 require automatic mission actions by both robots. A status display may not edit mission data or direct movement.
Verification before and during a run
Before practice, demonstrate the declared automatic tasks and safety abort. Officials must see the run ID, captured items, locked plan, transfer/receipt time and mission-end event in an interface or timestamped log. Onboard or ground-station records are accepted; no specific software is required.
Do not edit the locked plan. Human mission input during a claimed automatic L1 task, or after the start of an L2/L3 mission, triggers the autonomy penalty and reassessment in Section 8. Abort safely if the UGV has no current-run plan. Required control/safety-link loss invokes Section 9; optional telemetry loss need not stop a safe onboard mission. The locked-plan consequence applies to L0-L3.
Technical annex A Cooperative interface and field
| Element | Declaration and field specification |
|---|---|
| Divisions | HERO Explorer: prominent cues, simple mapping and wider passages. HERO Pro: combined cues, ordering constraints or harder navigation. Both allow manual, semi-autonomous and autonomous operation under H1-H3 and L0-L3. |
| Platforms | UAV: maximum 150 mm motor diagonal and under 100 g fully equipped, as in Single Robot. UGV reference: 300 x 300 x 300 mm start envelope. Other ground classes and limits precede entry opening. |
| Mission cues | Organisers specify four aerial information items and four ground objectives, cue encoding/size, inspection position and required actions. Markers, symbols or colours are examples only. |
| Handover | Teams declare H1 transcription / H2 automatic ground station / H3 direct vehicle link, sending and receiving devices, data fields and acknowledgement or missing-data behaviour. |
| Locked record | Teams record team/run ID, four detected items, target/action/sequence, transfer method and lock time. Automatic records also identify the sender and receiver. |
| Field drawing | Organisers show the contained flight volume, UAV landing zone, UGV start, ground objectives, dwell zones, gates/obstacles, finish and operator/exclusion areas. |
| Validation | Dwell: all ground-contact points inside and stationary for at least 1 s. Finish: whole UGV stationary inside; UAV landed and safe. |
| Timing and scoring | One 600-second attempt; 600 task points; L0-L3 multipliers; completed-run bonus capped at 150; maximum total 1,050. |
| Safety | Ground stop within 1 s; aircraft use the inspected response in Section 9. Declare abort, detection delay, radio links, guards, power isolation and battery retention. |
Test missing, duplicate and stale mission data. Final field and interface specifications form part of this annex under the four-week rule in Section 10.
Resources for teams
[1] Quenzel et al. Autonomous Fire Fighting with a UAV–UGV Team at MBZIRC 2020 ICUAS 2021
A real aerial–ground competition system, with perception, navigation and lessons from integration.
[2] University of Michigan APRIL Lab AprilTag
Visual identification and detector software; printable tag images for optional practice.
[3] ROS 2 Official example packages
Publisher and subscriber examples for practising automatic data transfer. These tools are optional; no particular software stack is required.
Competition information: hmds2027.org/competition