Aerial Robotics IITK Hackathon 2026

Team Aerial Robotics IITK | Y25 Recruitment Hackathon 2026

Hey Y25s! Hope you are enjoying your time on the campus. These are the problem statements of the Aerial Robotics Hackathon 2026. They are divided into three levels and a Bonus level. The submission guidelines for each level are mentioned clearly — please follow them correctly. Any doubts can be raised on GitHub in the Discussions tab of this repository. You can find the problem statements and required starter kits in this repo.

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Hackathon Structure

Level	Title	Description
Level 1	Operation SKYE-X: Search & Pursuit	Explore the map, find an evasive target, and track it under sensor limitations
Level 2	Operation Touchdown: Precision Landing	A harder variant with new constraints — unlocked after Level 1
Level 3	Project MIRAGE: Hybrid Marker Steganography	Create a single image that shows a decoy at high altitude and a secret ArUco marker at low altitude
Bonus	Operation FREEFALL: Autonomous Precision Landing	Use a 3D physics simulator, ArUco detection, and PID control to land a drone on static and moving targets

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Environment Setup

Quick Install (All Levels)

pip install -r requirements.txt

Per-Level Dependencies

Level	Packages
Level 1 & 2	pygame
Level 3	opencv-contrib-python, numpy
Bonus	opencv-contrib-python, numpy, requests, simple-pid, pyautogui

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Submission Guidelines

General Guidelines

• All submissions must be combined and submitted in a .zip format.
• The official submission form will be floated soon.
• Please read all the Problem Statements (PS) carefully and ensure you understand the deliverables for each level before submitting.

Expected Folder Structure

Your final submission ZIP file should extract strictly to the following folder structure:

Submission_TeamName/
├── Level1/
│   ├── skye_controller.py
│   ├── score_proof.png
│   └── writeup.pdf (or .md)
├── Level2/
│   └── solver.py
├── Level3/
│   ├── generator.py
│   ├── hybrid_marker.png
│   ├── viewer.py
│   ├── visual_check.py
│   ├── drone_view_2.0m.png
│   ├── drone_view_30.0m.png
│   └── report.pdf
└── Bonus/
    ├── auto_land.py
    ├── landing_video.mp4
    └── report.pdf

Level 1

• Only modify skye_controller.py — do not modify skye_env.py
• You may adjust config.py parameters (e.g. MAX_TIMESTEPS) for tuning/testing
• Submit your final skye_controller.py, score_proof.png, and a short write-up explaining your approach

Level 2

-Submit solver.py only. Must run with the original unmodified simulator_level2.py in the same directory:

Level 3

• Submit a GitHub repository with: generator.py, hybrid_marker.png, viewer.py, visual_check.py, drone_view_2.0m.png, drone_view_30.0m.png, and report.pdf
• viewer.py and visual_check.py must be built from scratch — they are not provided
• report.pdf (max 2 pages) must include σ values, mathematical reasoning, and GSD calculation

Bonus Level

• Submit auto_land.py, landing_video.mp4, and report.pdf
• auto_land.py must connect to the simulator (ports 8080/8081) and use ArUco detection — no hardcoded coordinates
• report.pdf (max 2 pages) must include PID tuning approach, control loop diagram, and ArUco pipeline explanation

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Scoring

Level 1 — Search & Pursuit

Metric	How It's Measured
Tracking Score	+1 per timestep the target is within TRACKING_RADIUS (70px)
Survival	Score is forfeited on crash
Mission Duration	Max 3000 timesteps

Level 2 — Precision Landing

Metric	How It's Measured
Landing Accuracy	Distance (m) from platform center at touchdown
Success Threshold	≤ 0.35 m from center = SUCCESS
Precision Bonus	< 0.1 m = exceptional

Level 3 — Project MIRAGE

Criterion	Weightage	How It's Measured
ArUco ID_X detected at ≤ 5m	40%	Image shrunk to 5m pixel size, ArUco detection run
ArUco ID_X hidden at ≥ 30m	30%	Image shrunk to 30m pixel size, ArUco detection run
Visual quality — no ghosting	15%	Judging script at 30m; visual inspection for ArUco bleed-through
Math justification in report	15%	σ values backed by GSD/Nyquist calculations, not trial and error

Bonus — Operation FREEFALL

Metric	Points
Phase 1 Completion (static landing)	30%
Phase 2 Completion (moving platform)	50%
Landing Smoothness	Up to 20% bonus (lower touchdown velocity → higher score)
Time to Land	Fastest landing breaks ties