Team-Sponsored Engineering Challenge

[StephLee]

My team(1629) is working on plans to hold an engineering challenge in the two high schools that make up our team, the only two in our county. We're going to talk to the Board of Ed on Tuesday to see if they're interested, but we already have two of the three tech ed teachers on board since they're both mentors. Here are the tentative rules for the challenge.

The device built by students must launch or otherwise move an egg (or egg-shaped object that weighs the same) to several targets laying on the ground at 25 feet, 50 feet, and 100 feet away. The bull's-eye of the 25-foot target is worth 5 points, the 50-foot target worth 10, and the 100-foot target is worth 15 points. Each target will be ten feet in diameter or a little less. If the egg is not broken when it comes to a stop, a bonus of 10 points (or more, we're not sure yet) will be awarded. Each egg launcher or mover must not weigh more than 50 pounds with the egg protection device on it. It must be powered by stored potential energy and cannot be physically thrown or pushed by humans. Each team will get two rounds of ten tries during competition and the total score will be the combined scores of both those rounds. The launcher or pusher must be built in a set number of weeks(we're thinking 4) and then we'll hold a competition at each school. The 4 teams at each school who win awards will go to the final, county-wide competition. Teams should consist of no more than 5 members. The awards for each competition will be: winner, runner-up, most innovative design, and the KIS award(Keep It Simple), for the device that works well with a simple design.

Most of this is subject to change as we go along. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.

[ConKbot of Doom]

Originally Posted by StephLee

It must be powered by stored potential energy and cannot be physically thrown or pushed by humans.

Does that mean potential energy, as in energy stored in height, or just on-board power only. I.E. only by falling weights, or is elastic, or even batteries acceptible?

[E. Wood]

Originally Posted by ConKbot of Doom

Does that mean potential energy, as in energy stored in height, or just on-board power only. I.E. only by falling weights, or is elastic, or even batteries acceptible?

All of those will be acceptible. We are trying to allow the students room to think and are hopeing that, because of this rule, we will have many different designs.

[tiffany34990]

this is a really cool idea... i like the challenge though...

what kinda of surface?? anything slippery or such to make this challenge a bit more interesting??


good idea w/ the k.i.s. award..lol...always nice to follow k.i.s.

[E. Wood]

Originally Posted by tiffany34990

this is a really cool idea... i like the challenge though...

what kinda of surface?? anything slippery or such to make this challenge a bit more interesting??


good idea w/ the k.i.s. award..lol...always nice to follow k.i.s.

I think our surface is going to be grass or dirt just because if we have it outside we wont have to worry about hieght limits or anything like that. Grass should be challenging though... if it was tall enough.

[Kyle]

That sounds like a great idea, a good way to get kids interested in FIRST and also show the schools that there is interest for Engineering. Would the teams be using VEX kits or just what ever they can get there hands on to meet the challenge?

[Kevin Sevcik]

FYI, 50 pounds seems like a huge limit. It might as well be infinite at that point. I could build an egg catapult to launch one 200 feet and keep it under 25 pounds. You might consider bringing the limit down a bit to actually make it an engineering constraint.

[E. Wood]

The teams will be using what every they can get their hands on to and We have decided to lower the wieght limit. Anyother help anyone can give is is more than welcome and thanks for your help already.