`99 FRESHMAN ENGINEERING HONORS PROGRAM DESIGN PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS
Winter 1999

I. PURPOSE/BACKGROUND
II. OBJECTIVES
III. DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    A. Hardware
    B. Robot Design and Construction 
IV. CONTEST RULES
    A. Overview
    B. Contest Course
    C. Time Limits
    D. Starting of a Run
    E. Individual Competition 
    F. Head-to-Head Competition 
    G. Robot-to-Robot Interactions
    H. Points and Scoring
    I. Testing
        Points Distribution for Individual and Head-to-Head Competition



WHAT IS THIS DOCUMENT? 

This document is the compilation of the design problem statement and rules and specifications for the Engineering Graphics H168 course for Spring Quarter 1999. It is up to date as of the last revision. Students should note that while the basic rules and specifications will not change, slight modifications may become necessary as the quarter progresses. Every attempt will be made to make this design project as realistic as possible. Any rule changes will be communicated during the regular class periods, through e-mail to all students, and will be reflected in revisions to this document or its appendices. 

It is assumed that all students enrolled in the EG H168 course have read and understood this document. It is up to the student to clarify any points which may seem unclear. All rules given in this document will be strictly enforced. An excuse of "I didn't know" will simply not be accepted. 

I. PURPOSE/BACKGROUND 

The Scenario: 

It is the year 2020, and explorations on one of the larger asteroids between Earth and Mars have located valuable deposits of spherical ore nuggets. There are two different types of nuggets in the ore: unobtainium and ultimatium, both of which are important elements in certain transparent aluminum alloys. Each of the two nugget types has value but only if they can be mined and properly separated from each other. The unobtainium nuggets are normally smaller in diameter than the ultimatium. In addition, the unobtainium is easily attracted by magnetic fields, while the ultimatium is not affected by magnetic forces. You are a member of a team of robot design engineers/builders whose job is to design and build an autonomous robot to mine this ore. The robot must locate and gather these ore nuggets, transport them to the ore collection area, correctly separate and put them into the proper collection bins, and then proceed to the robot maintenance building which is located near the ore collection bins area. The terrain on the asteroid is somewhat hilly and your robot must be able to climb and descend the hills while carrying the ore nuggets that have been gathered. At one point, there is a known gap or crevice that has to be crossed, but the mine surveying/construction crew has located bridges to cross this crevice and have left marker beacons so that your robot can determine where the bridge is located so that it can safely cross over. A scale drawing of the area to be mined and in which the robot must operate will be provided.
The basis for the robot design is a design and build competition or contest for a fictitious company, "OSURED (Ohio State University Research and Engineering Development) Enterprises", which is interested in procuring several robots for the scenario described above. In this design and build competition, students will be divided into teams of three or four people. Each team will be a separate "contractor" trying to win business from OSURED Enterprises. Therefore, you must remember that this is a competition, and proprietary information should be kept secret. For instance, the details of your power train design should not be divulged to other teams, since you are trying to establish your team's technical superiority. Last, but most important, HAVE FUN. Be creative, and use your ingenuity. Use the rules to your advantage; after all, this is business. However, remember that you are engineers and work with a set of ethics defined by the profession.

A NOTE TO THE STUDENT

The process of engineering design is more than just tinkering...it is the logical application of scientific principles to a tangible design. It involves creativity, dedication, thought, research, ingenuity, and work. The purpose of this design project is to introduce you, the student, to the principles and practices involved in an engineering design project. It may very well be your first experience in "real world" engineering. It is unfortunate that many students in engineering do not get this type of instruction. This course will be quite different from any you may have taken thus far, and will give you experience in areas that other courses cannot. This quarter, you will be required to design and build a robot. You will be evaluated during all phases of the development work. Your grade will reflect a combination of your performance in the design process, your demonstration of both written and verbal communication skills, and the performance of your team's robot in the contest. It will be predominately a team effort. Therefore, a good grade can only be achieved by working out a competent design and then implementing it as a team.

II. OBJECTIVES 

The main objective for each team is to build a self-controlled, self-propelled robotic vehicle that will travel over a well-defined course. Along the way, each robot will have to start when a visible light goes on, navigate through the course, locate the ore, pick up the nuggets of ore, go up a ramp, cross a gap in the course, go down a second ramp, sort the ore nuggets, deposit the ore, and go to the exit door which will open when the ore is placed in the correct collection bin. Teams will be scored based on their design and how well it performs in both individual and head-to-head competition runs.
Each team is expected to build a robot to traverse the course. Extra emphasis is placed on reusability. Therefore, any external apparatus or sacrificial parts should be used with prudence. The contest officials will confiscate any parts that are not attached to the main robot frame at the end of a competition round. It may be assumed that as many as seven runs during the final competition will be necessary, so a sufficient quantity of any sacrificial parts must be included for competition and must be reflected in the cost of your design. (It may actually take more than seven runs in the final competition, but seven will be used as the basis for determining the cost of disposable or sacrificial parts.)

III. DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS 

A. Hardware 

The hardware for robot construction must meet the criteria set below. No exceptions will be allowed. If any question exists, the decision of the "OSURED" engineering staff (i.e., the H168 course instructors) will be final. When in doubt, ask first. The "spirit of the contest" will be used as a deciding factor if necessary.

Budget: Each team will have a discretionary budget of $140. Each team will also be loaned a programmable controller board and issued a set of sensors. The actual cost of purchasing parts will be borne by the Engineering Honors project. Purchases made by a team will automatically be charged to that team. All project purchases must be made through the Engineering Honors Program. NOTE: If your team feels it is necessary to obtain external parts in these areas, you MUST have pre-approval from a member of the Engineering Honors Program staff before purchasing these parts. Without prior approval, you will not be reimbursed, and the use of these parts may be disallowed in competition. The Engineering Honors Program staff will NOT spend time troubleshooting problems caused by "external" parts. Thus, if you choose to buy them, you are on your own. As described later, there will be bonus points for those robots that are constructed under-budget, and penalty points accessed for robots which are over-budget.

Controller: Each team will be loaned a programmable controller board and two copies of the controller / language documentation during week one. The specifics of the controller and programming will be addressed separately.

Structural: Using their discretionary budget, each team may purchase for use in constructing their robot an Erector(r) Set #4 equivalent, PVC pipe and adhesive, PVC sheet welded into structural shapes, or a combination of these.

Adhesives: Adhesives will only be allowed when other options are not available and are not intended for use in primary structures (except for PVC adhesive). Future design modifications may likely require some disassembly, and it is prudent to use standard fasteners that may be removed. An example of a commonly allowable use of adhesives is the mounting of sensors. Contest officials will have solder, hot glue, wood glue, PVC adhesive and common white glue available. Any other adhesives may be obtained by purchasing as necessary.

DC Motors: The Engineering Honors Program staff has identified certain motors that are relatively reliable and which, with modifications, will not cause controller board reset problems. Some of these are in stock, and others can be special ordered and will arrive reasonably quickly. Other motors may be used, but making them reliable will be the responsibility of the team choosing such motors.

Parts: All parts will be obtained through the purchasing system set up by Engineering Honors Program. Certain items will be "in-stock" at the Engineering Honors Program "company store", while others may have to be obtained by special order. Be sure to order parts early to ensure delivery. When parts are ordered through the "company store", only the cost of the parts will be charged to the team budget.

Motors/Sensors/Gears: A sensors kit will be provided that includes a photocell (CdS cell), an IR receiver, and two microswitches or touch sensors. A DC motor and a servomotor will be provided for the three hands-on laboratory exercises, but they must be returned unless purchased by the team. All motors, other sensors, gears, and other non-structural parts will be obtained through the "company store" purchasing system. A selection will be available for immediate purchase. Catalogs will be available for finding specific special order items. However delays due to shipping or availability will be the team's problem.

Etceteras: The main criterion in the hardware design will be reproducibility from team drawings. Drawings must show all features of the robot. Contest officials will review each team's drawings, and undocumented features may cause deductions in the overall team score.

B. Robot Design and Construction 

The robot must be self-propelled, and all movements must be made independent of outside signals. The contest officials will have the final word in deciding what constitutes self-propelled and independent.

Definitions: The following definitions will be used in discussing the robot design and construction.

* Structure: All structural parts providing support and strength to the robot and the subframe. This includes all cosmetic structures.

* Sensors: Any mechanical or electronic device used in gathering or distributing information within the environment.

* Drive System: The direct energy transfer system from the power source (battery or fusion device) to the wheels (or application of force to the outside world). This includes all housing pieces, but does not include mounts to the chassis.

* Size/Shape: The robot, in its starting configuration, must be able to fit within a footprint of 9x11 inches and must be able to enter the door to the robot maintenance building which is assumed to be no more than 24 inches high. Any means may be used to propel the robot, providing that the robot is safe to operate and does not damage the course.

* Starting Action: The robot will start at rest in the starting section of the competition course. It will be started by the recognition of a light signal emanating from below the robot. (See Section IV, D)

* Start Sensor: Each team will be issued a light sensor to be used as a start sensor. This light sensor should be located approximately below the robot's centroid. The controller program should use the light sensor input as the starting signal.

* IR Emitter/Sensor: The course will be outfitted with one or more IR Beacons that may prove useful in navigation. Each team will be supplied with one IR receiver and may purchase additional IR receivers capable of detecting the beacon(s). UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE MAY A ROBOT EMIT AN IR SIGNAL.

* Robot-to-Robot Interaction: Robots may be designed to interact within the rules set down in the section governing the Robot-to-Robot Interactions during the head-to-head competition.

* Loose or Disposable Parts: Any parts that were intentionally or unintentionally dropped or lost during a single run will be confiscated for the rest of the contest. (Your team will need seven copies of any part intentionally dropped and the cost of the seven copies must be included in your robot cost.)

* Construction: The team members must perform construction of the robot. No outside help is allowed, except for approved consultation or direction. Consult with the Engineering Honors Program staff before soliciting ANY outside help. Use of unauthorized outside help may result in team disqualification.

* Etceteras: Robots may not perform any action that could potentially cause harm to the viewing audience. Also, robots may have no outside influence or assistance. Any such outside interference may result in immediate team disqualification.

IV. CONTEST RULES 

The summary of the contest rules follows. Teams will be notified of any changes or revisions.

A. Overview 

The contest will be divided into two distinct sections. Each team will have a chance to demonstrate their robot's capabilities in an individual competition. The individual competition will be used to seed the teams for the head-to-head competition. A head-to-head competition will be held to determine the robot with the best performance. Both competitions will contribute points to the overall team score.
The contest head-to-head competition will be held on Wednesday, May 26, 1999. Each team will receive a schedule of events for that day during the first week in May. The contest is open to the public. However judges, teams, and officials will have the right to move any spectators out of the way if necessary.

B. Contest Course 

The contest course layout can be seen in Figures 1 and 2. Key features of the course or area to be mined are described in the following sections. The course is approximately rectangular in shape with dimensions of about 6 feet wide by 14 feet long. It has been constructed of plywood, particleboard, and plastic tubing. It has smooth horizontal surfaces while inclined surfaces have a texture, which offers somewhat better traction. A wall surrounds the course (mining area) on all sides.

Starting Locations: All vehicles will start on one of two marked starting locations in an orientation determined by the team. The two starting possibilities are located at one end of the course and are arranged back-to-back. One location is black in color, and the other is white. Beneath each starting location will be a starting light. Activation of this light will signal the beginning of a run. A robot's starting location for any run will be chosen randomly just prior to the beginning of that run.

Ore deposits: In the middle of the course not too far from the starting locations is a raised platform (hill) with entrance and exit ramps. This platform rises about 3 inches above the plane of the course base level. On top of this platform (hill) are two veins of ore that have been opened and are accessible. The ore is also accessible from the side of the platform.

Crevice: One each side of the course between the ore deposits and the ore collection bins are two platforms (hills) each of which has a crevice or gap in the middle of it. The gap is about 6 inches wide. The mine survey crew has left a bridge that crosses this gap, but the gap is open to one side or the other of this bridge. A robot may determine where the bridge is located by sensing a marker beacon (IR emitter) located between the starting locations.

Marker Beacon: An IR emitter is located on the middle wall of the course separating the two starting locations. It will be operating continuously at a modulated frequency of 125 Hz if the bridge, which crosses the gap, is located toward the outside wall of the course. The IR emitter will be operating at a modulated frequency of 100 Hz if the mine construction crew has left the bridge over the gap positioned toward the center of the course. Bridge location (and therefore IR emitter frequency) will be randomly determined just prior to each run. The marker beacon will continuously emit at the designated frequency once the run is started. Competition robots may use the IR emitter as a directional beacon.

Ore collection bins: After crossing the crevice, the each robot must locate its own ore collection bins that are located on a raised platform near the end of the course. To open the door to the robot maintenance building, at least one nugget must be placed into each bin.

Exit: The last portion of course involves moving from the ore collection bins to the appropriate exit. There are two exit doors: one is black in color and one is white. The color of these exit doors corresponds to the robot's starting location. If a robot began its run from a black starting location, it must exit the course through the black door to earn points. Similarly, if a robot began its run from the white starting location, it must exit the course through the white door to earn points.

C. Time Limits 

Individual Competition: Each team will have one minute to set up their robot before each run. Each run will last 120 seconds from the time that the start action is performed. One minute will be allowed for removal of the robot after run completion while the next run is being set up.

Head-to-Head Competition: The time limits will the same as in the individual competition. However, the run start will be coordinated so that both robots start simultaneously.

D. Starting of a Run 

To start a run, a team will receive a go-ahead signal from the starting judge. After that signal, a team member will be allowed to perform the start preparation action. The team member will then be directed where to place the team robot. It can be placed anywhere within the starting area and in any orientation at the discretion of the team, provided the entire device is contained within the starting area. The starting area, containing the start light, is bounded by the three walls and the break line between the horizontal start zone and the initial ramp. NO FURTHER START ACTIONS WILL BE PERMITTED ONCE THE START POSITION HAS BEEN REVEALED.
At the starting official's discretion, the starting lights will be activated. This will be the start signal a robot must use to begin the run. Robots that do not wait for the start signal will be disqualified.
Between runs, maintenance will be allowed on a robot, but not major repairs. Screws and nuts may be tightened, but only approved parts may be added, removed, or re-attached. The controller may not be reprogrammed, unless approval is given by a contest official. Failure to comply with these rules may result in immediate disqualification.

E. Individual Competition 

On Wednesday, May 19 1999, the individual competition will be held in the class laboratory. This competition will be closed, so only the EG H168 students and instructor staff will be present. Each team will have a total of three 
opportunities to demonstrate robot performance on an individual basis. Only one robot will compete at a time in these demonstration runs. The object is to display the robot's capabilities without any outside influence.
Scoring for the individual competition will be 80 points for finishing the course including mining ore, sorting ore nuggets, depositing ore in collection bins and exiting through the appropriate door. See the attached Points Distribution for Individual and Head-to-Head Competitions.

F. Head-to-Head Competition 

On Wednesday, May 26, 1999, the head-to-head competition will be held at a location to be announced later. The runs are expected to begin promptly at 4:30 PM and should finish by approximately 6:00 PM. At least one team member and the robot must be present at 3:30 PM and all team members must be present by 4:15 PM.
The head-to-head competition will be a double-elimination style tournament with seeding to be determined from the results of the individual competition held earlier. Two robots will compete simultaneously in each heat. The winner will be the robot that exits the course having accumulated the most points during the heat. A robot must lose twice to be out of the competition.
Scoring for the head-to-head competition will be 120 points for finishing the course including mining ore, sorting ore nuggets, depositing ore in collection bins, and exiting through the appropriate door. Points will be determined according to the attached Points Distribution for Individual and Head-to-Head Competitions. In addition to receiving points for successfully navigating through the course, it should be noted that points will be awarded to the robot that gathers the most ore and the robot that completes the course in the shortest amount of time. In the event that neither robot is able to finish the course, the robot which accumulates the most points, which generally will correspond with furthermost progress along the course, shall be declared the winner of the heat.

IMPORTANT: On the same day as the head-to-head competition, all robots will be subject to a TECHNICAL INSPECTION by the Engineering Honors Program staff. Exact times will be arranged with the teams in the week preceding the event. Robot dimensions will be measured for compliance to regulations. Also for this inspection, each team must produce a complete list of parts contained on the robots, with suitable prices for each if they were not included in the base erector set. Prices for small items such as glue, string, tape, etc. will be assigned by the Engineering Honors staff and should be handled prior to the inspection. Any parts not included on the parts list must be removed from the robots immediately. Absolutely NO modification of the hardware is allowed from technical inspection through the final competition event without approval of the judges. Violation of this stipulation will be cause for disqualification.

G. Robot-to-Robot Interactions 

Robot interactions will be allowed within the following framework:

* Each robot will have a "personal space" defined as the original 9"x11" footprint allowed for the robot. This volume of space will travel with the robot, relative to the center of the robot. If any question arises as to the interpretation of this space, the contest judges will have the final word.

* At no time may a robot engage in an act judged to show "a flagrant disregard for another robot's safety." This may include, but is not limited to, excessive speed, electric or magnetic charges, and projectiles.

* A robot MAY interact with another robot as long as the interaction takes place within the robot's personal space, and the interaction does not violate any other rule. This may include, but is not limited to, simple interference designed to confuse or impede an opposing robot.

* A robot that physically (mechanically) interacts with another robot at a point outside of its personal space will be ruled to have committed a flagrant act of disregarding safety, and will suffer the consequences.

* Any interactions that fit within these guidelines may be considered to be acceptable. However teams should realize that the contest judges may interpret these rules conservatively, and their decision will be final.

H. Points and Scoring 

Each team's final robot performance score will be the sum of the points earned in their best individual run and in their best head-to-head run, plus any bonus points for competition placement.

Individual Competition Bonus Points: The team whose robot collects the most ore will be awarded 15 bonus points. The team whose robot completes the course in the shortest time will be awarded 15 bonus points.

Head-to-Head Competition Bonus Points: The team winning the competition will be awarded 50 bonus points. The second place team in the competition will be awarded 25 bonus points.
In addition when computing a team's final grade, the robot performance score total determined above will be adjusted according to the following budget management criteria:

Cost of Project: Any robot with a cost greater than the $140 budget amount will loose 1 point for each $0.10 increment over-budget. As a cost-saving incentive, teams will be awarded 1 bonus point for every $2.00 under the $140 total budget amount. At the competition, robots will be checked for any pieces or parts not accounted for in the team budget, and penalized for any unaccounted parts at the judges' discretion. This penalty could include disqualification.

Sell-Back of Unused Parts: For in-stock parts purchased through the Engineering Honors Program "company store", teams can "sell-back" any unused parts for 75% of the purchase price to be credited toward their budget total. Note that any special order parts receive NO buyback credit.

I. Testing 

Teams will have access to the course when they are ready to test their robots. Each team must keep a log of the amount of actual testing time used on the course as part of their project documentation. Entries in the log should show day and time, purpose of test, name of engineer conducting the test, and number of minutes used. This log must be included in the team's final report. In many real-world situations, such testing time must usually be paid for and is often limited in availability. While there will be no cost associated with testing time for this project charged to a team's budget, and while testing time will generally not be limited, a log of testing time used is required.

Points Distribution for Individual and Head-to-Head Competition