KerWal - the Kerbal walker competition

[monamipierrot]

Hi! I'm new to challenges, and I apologize to post a challenge without even trying myself at the task. I simply don't have the enginereeing, designing, and programming skills to do this, but I'm very curious if some of you can. I already saw some examples in this forum and I wonder if some of them may qualify - with some adjustment.

KerWal - the Kerbal walker competition

This competition is for designing crafts able to walk.

GOAL

The goal of this competition is to find the best solutions for manned and unmanned vehicles which rely on legs for movement and stability in increasingly difficoult terrains and situations. We're expecting interesting solution in the areas of automation and even AI. You may want to refer to the experiments that are going on in the real world. Just as an example:

There are different categories, but some common rules. Here they are:

RULEZ

1. The craft should be able to walk with its legs (or jump, or run, or gallop... please be free to find your legged solution), without any other help and without flipping in flat Kerbal/Earth terrain.
   
2. Rocket motors or other kind of motors are allowed to help the craft fly. They should be disabled during walk. (However motors or RCS thrusters can be used to artificially keep the craft to the ground in low gravity scenarios)
   
3. Tires: as above, they are allowed with brakes on (e.g. to use them as leg ends)
   
4. No Klaws to attach to the ground, except for VERY low gravity scenarios, or for very steep grounds
   
5. IMPORTANT: No reaction wheels, or have them turned off! Same for other built-in reaction systems. RCS thrusters are tolerated but are considered a far less elegant solution (and we doubt it is a good long-term solution to the problem of stability). Other non-stock reaction system are also forbidden unless they rely in very realistic technology part (the current stock reaction wheels system is completely unrealistic if not cheaty at all!).
   
6. Other non-built-in reaction systems ARE ALLOWED, e.g. "arms" to counterbalance a running biped, "tail" for quadrupedes... Flapping wings are also allowed for counterbalance means.
   
7. The craft should be manually controllable, and have AT LEAST these controls: forward (or accelerate), stop (or decelearate/brake), turn (or steer) left and right. It may have more fine controls as long as it is not too hard for the pilot. E.g. manual controls for stability arms or tails should be avoided.
   
8. No plain rolling or creeping surface (I mean: if you design something that has legs BUT rolls for some reason - i.e. a ball with legs all around it - it may qualify)
   
9. Different craft setups can be submitted as a whole for radically different scenarios (example: other planet gravity) as long as it is clear that the craft design is the same.
   
10. A full list of used/required Mods is mandatory.
    
11. A simple explanation text along with specifications (mass, size, part count, price, performance, etc.) is also required. Any (legal) reaction systems must be declared in details.
    
12. Automation (or AI) for stability purpose are allowed and encouraged. However, a brief description of how do it works is required, along with a brief explanation of which and how "senses" (e.g. "gyroscope", or "touch", or "GPS positioning" - or even "sight" if that's possible) are involved.
    
13. A video of the craft in action should be submitted, showing its full key capabilities.
    
14. The craft should be theoretically testable with the right mods and/or a reasonably simple tweak. This doesn't mean we guarantee we will test it (actually I think I will personally test only a few of them) but if the design is really good, someone will want to check and test it!) Please understand that no tests at all will be run in case of heavily modded setups. In this latter case, videos are required to be very detailed.
    

CATEGORIES

1. Biped (or monoped). [Arms or additional legs to balance or recover/stop are not to be counted.]
   
2. Tripede and quadrupede
   
3. Multipede (5 or more legs)
   
4. Special Category: Your design of choices but with FULL STOCK PARTS (non-part mods allowed)[i have a couple of ideas for this... what about you?]
   

And out of the contest (great to test balance systems): BIKES (Or MONOCYCLES!) Of course they don't need LEGS! Share yours!

RATING (may be changed if most participants prefer a points system)

A overall rating in terms of hudredths (e.g. 85/100) will be awarded after individually check some criteria (each criterium will be awarded a rating in terms of tenths). The final rating is NOT a sum or an average of the criteria ratings.

CRITERIA LIST (not in any particular order)

• Part count (the least, the better)
  
• Stability and reliability (will be safe and comfortable for equipment/humans which is carrying? Can it recover after flipping?)
  
• Agility and manouverability (will it stop in few meters? Can it steer tight? Can it steer while walking AND also turn while standing? Etc....)
  
• Payload (including human payload)
  
• Maximum steepness (in Kerbin) Please note that it includes climbing up, down, going laterally, and basic manouvre (start/stop, turn or steer).
  
• Non-plain-Kerbin performances (what about low gravity? Stronger gravity? No atmosphere? Very steep biomes? And swimming?)
  
• Movement style: jumpers, trouters and gallopers achieve MUCH higher rate than - say - a quadrupede moving one leg at a time, even with same maximum speed. Also: 2 or more movement styles achieve VERY high rate.
  
• Elegance in movement and still design
  
• Adaptability (e.g. can this thing lower its center of mass to climb steeper when needed?)
  
• Performances (highest speed in different conditions)
  
• AI capabilities (e.g. what if you just tell the thing "go there and come back"? What if it can actually "see" obstacles and the terrain?)
  
• VERY IMPORTANT management of unexpected situation (what if it finds a sudden change in steepness, or a step, or a obstacle such a small debris? Or if something hits it left side?)[to test the latter situtation, just attach a radial decoupler with enough force and see what happens when activated]
  
• Power/fuel management
  
• Capability of fly (along with take off and land), swim, and space traveling.
  
• Autonomy (in time and distance)
  

AWARD

A badge will be awarded to the best designs in each catgories or to anybody who reaches 90/100. Problem is... I also am awful in designing a badge so I don't have one! If some of you want to create one, it would be great!