an MAE3 Design Contest
Rendering of the Powell-Focht Bioengineering Hall (EBUIII)
EBUIII as it Stands April 18 2002
Contest Date: Thursday Finals Week, June 13th 8am-11am
Location: Center Hall room 115
Clarifications to Contest Rules
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Contest Description
Research space is one of the more valued items in academics. The Powell-Focht Bioengineering Hall (EBUIII) is not yet complete, but rumor is that faculty are already vying for lab space. Others are equally excited about the William J. von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology that will be in the new building. Some of the faculty has decided to hire undergraduate engineering students to build robots to help them claim their lab space. EBUIII will have a large number of Bioengineering faculty, and they have decide to claim their lab space with DNA Strands. See below
DOWNLOAD The playing field in AutoDESK Inventor format by clicking HERE
DNA Strands
Model of EBUIII
Each robot will be assigned to start arbitrarily in either the EBUI or EBUII starting areas. The competition will have a duration of 60 seconds and the scoring will be as follows:
· 1 point for every DNA strand that ends inside EBUIII up on the robots starting side.
· 3 points for each PCR prepped strands that ends up inside EBUIII on the robots starting side
· PCR stands will also serve as tiebreaker. Whoever has them on their side of the table will win in the event of a tie.
As described in the rules, a DNA strand is defined to be inside EBUIII, if its center of mass is inside the lower area of EBUIII where the walls have been completed.
The contest will involve a head-to-head competition between two design teams (each consisting of 3-5 students). Each team will build a robotic machine that is electrically controlled with switch pads. The starting size of each machine is limited to a cube of 12”x12”x12” and must fit unconstrained (i.e. not touching the sides) of the test cube. Teams will be assigned randomly to start in either starting area A or B.
Each team will build a machine using the kit parts described below to perform the task. The kit will include 5 DC motors (2 will have gearboxes) and one solenoid. Electrical power will be provided from a constant voltage power supply with 5VDC output, and can be controlled with two switch boxes (each switch box can be controlled by a different team member). Each switch box has two Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) switches (these switches can operate a DC motor in either direction). Note the kit contains five DC motors and one solenoid, but only four user controlled switches. In order to operate more than four motors independently one must use contact switches on the machine. Use of motors, and switches will be covered in lecture.
Contest Event Description
The contest will be held during the MAE finals period and will be open to the public. The contest will be held in a single elimination fashion (like a tennis tournament). During the lab period of the last week of classes, each section will hold a section-wide contest. The results of this contest will be used to seed the placement of the final contest. Thus teams that perform better during their section contest will have statistically easier contests in the early rounds. Since the number of teams in the class will not be exactly a power of 2, the higher seeded teams may get a "buy" during the first round. If necessary random numbers will be used to ensure a proper contest pyramid.
A trophy will be presented to each member of the winning teams, and a number of machines will be selected for display in the Design Studio and MAE Department. Team members must work out among themselves who will keep the final machine (after their display period). All members will make a web page describing their machine (including video), which they can cherish forever.
Each team must return the geared motors, since their price is not included in the course fee. Anyone wishing to keep their complete robot can purchase replacement geared motors, and turn them in to keep their robot.
Contest Rules
Energy Sources: The energy used by the devices in the competition must come solely from:
Potential energy derived through a change in altitude of the center of gravity of the machine;
Potential energy achieved by the deformation of the springs provided by the Kit
Electrical energy derived through the umbilical during the 60 seconds when the power supply is energized.
Size: At the start of each competition, every part of the machine must fit, unconstrained, inside the starting area. The size of the machine cannot exceed 12”x12”x12” in its starting configuration.
Umbilical Cables: The electrical connections will made to a single umbilical cord hung from above the table; one on each side of the table. The umbilical cord cannot be touched during the contest, and there will be some drag from the cable. Each machine must be designed to overcome this drag if necessary for motion of the machine.
Detailed Rules
Judges and/or instructors will disqualify any device that appears to be a safety hazard.
Any machine which has flying parts must notify opponents, and all contestants must wear safety glasses during the machine operation.
If a projectile is used (other than DNA), for reasons of safety, it must have a frontal area greater than 2in2.
Contestants will randomly be assigned to start on either side of the playing field.
A maximum set-up time of 2 minutes will be allowed at the contest table.
A maximum of 1 minute will be allowed for removal of all parts of each machine after each contest.
Operators may interact with their machine during a contest only through normal operation of the switch boxes (for example you cannot touch the machine with one's hands during operation).
Each contestant must use the same machine in each contest, i.e., all of the same components. However, the machine configuration may be changed; for example adjusting the configuration to the side of the playing field the machine starts on.
Each machine can only interact with the surface of the playing field and objects on the playing field.
The judges will wait until all the DNA strands have stopped moving before determining the winner.
A DNA strand will be considered inside EBUIII if the center of mass of the DNA strand is inside the EBUIII bin.
Damaging the playing field, EBUIII, the DNA strands, or the control boxes may result in disqualification.
Purposefully using the electrical cables for any purpose other than transmitting electrical is not allowed.
Gaining traction by use of adhesives, or by abrading or breaking the surface of the playing field is not allowed.
A machine may not contaminate with lubricant or other substance the playing field, an opponent's machine, the playing field, or the DNA strands (internal lubrication of a machine is permissible).
Kit materials may not be changed chemically. DC Motors may not be rewound.
Machines may be designed to interact and block DNA strands. However, it is not in the spirit of the competition to intentionally damage another machine and no part of the kit may be used in a manner that is intended to cause harm. Any device which is designed to chop, break, or penetrate another machine will not be allowed to compete.
Strategies aimed at destruction of, or damage to, an opponent machine are not in the spirit of the contest and will not be allowed.
A machine may not win a match through advantage gained by accidentally breaking a rule.
All rulings of the judges will be final.
Any modifications or clarifications to the rules or kits will be posted on the class web page.
Clarification to Contest Rules
Kit Parts
Each machine must be constructed solely from materials provided in the Kit list, i.e. one cannot substitute a 12"x16" piece of acrylic with a 6"x32" piece.
If a part of the kit is damaged it can be replaced from the scrap pile, as long as the design team can show that they could completely rebuild their machine solely from the kit.
In addition to the kit parts listed in the table, the following items may be included in the machine:
Nuts, bolts, and washers included in the Design Studio bin, used for fastening purposes only. These include bolts from size 2 to size 10, and metric screws for mounting the motors.
Only take nuts and bolts from the bin as you need them, and search through the spare bolt bin before taking more (we went through $1,500 in fasteners last year!)
Adhesives; including hot melt glue, and acrylic adhesive.
Tape used ONLY for electrical insulation
Lubricants used only to reduce friction within one’s machine (lubrication is not allowed on the playing filed or pieces).
Nonfunctional decorations.
Replacement Material Policy
We have some extra material that can be used for experimentation. This material will be made available in the lab scrap bins. In addition each section tutor has access to a limited amount of replacement material for their section. If you need replacement parts, contact your tutor. Some replacement of "mistakes" made to kit parts will be available, but supplies are limited, and replacement is not guaranteed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I build two robots?
o The number of robots is not defined, but the maximum length of electrical wire is defined in the kit. If your machine has parts that are far from each other, you may have a challenge in getting electrical power to all parts.
Does my robot have to start in the middle of the starting area?
o There is no rule that indicates where in the starting area the robot must start. The robot can start in any 12” cube that is inside the starting area
Are any points deducted if a DNA falls of the table?
o If a DNA strand falls off the table it does not add or subtract any points. A PCR DNA strand that is off the table is not on either side of the playing field and cannot be used for tie breaking.