PHOTOROLLER

"Techfest Outreach Programme"

Petrol is out, solar power is in! Design the robot of the future. Construct an efficient solar bot which will cover a given track length in the shortest amount of time using nothing but a given light source as energy.

The top three teams will get a direct entry in "Photovore" finals at Techfest 2009.

Over the years, Techfest, IIT Bombay's Annual and Asia's Largest Science and Technology Festival, has been promoting the spread of science and technology and robotics in particular to different parts of the country. In line with the tradition, Techfest 2009 brings you a unique initiative this year called the "Techfest Outreach Program" or the "TOP". In TOP, regional rounds of the Techfest Nexus competition will be organized by some of the notable technical festivals throughout the country and COEP would be one of the pioneering partners of this initiative.

For more details on TOP visit www.techfest.org/nexus

Gear Up For PHOTOROLLER "Techfest Outreach Programme":
A workshop will be conducted on 23^rd& 24^th August 2008. To register Click Here .

Download PDF PDF

No Registration Fees .

Click on Right Side Menu for details......

Problem Statement

Construct a machine which uses solar power as the only source of energy to race a 1000mm straight track in the minimum time.

Arena:

The racing strip is composed of two side by side 1000mm lanes of clean, smooth, level, flat plywood, with 25mm high white walls along both sides of each lane. The arena is lit up with two halogen lamps, 500 mm above the track. The light source for the table will be positioned so that no shadows fall from the sides of the vertical walls. The machines will start off with the light source directly above them and it will be at an acute angle at the finish line. The race will be conducted indoors.

Competition Rules:
1. Each machine will be given two runs, and the run in which it takes the least time to cover 1000mm will be counted. However if the machine does not complete the track in 5 minutes, the distance travelled by it will be noted down. Sufficient time will be provided between the two runs for minor changes.

2. The machine which takes the least time to cover the track or the machine which travels furthest in 5 minutes is the winner.

3. The team is only allowed to touch his machine once at the start of the race to disengage the discharging mechanism, however if he wishes to touch the machine, he needs to restart from the start line and the total time from the first run will be counted. The handling time is also included in the total race time and no extra time will be allocated. However the team need not engage his discharge mechanism at this point.

4. During racing the machine must not physically touch or attempt to touch each other and cross over to the other track, judges hold the rights to disqualify a team in this case.
Team Specifications

A team must consist of 3 or less participants. Students from different educational institutes can form a team.
All students with a valid identity card of their respective educational institutes are eligible to participate in this event.

General Rules
1. The teams must adhere to the spirit of healthy competition. The teams must not damage the opponent's machine in any way. Judges reserve the right to disqualify any team indulging in misbehavior.

2. Any team that is not ready at the time specified will be disqualified from the competition automatically.

3. The machine would be checked for its safety before the race and would be discarded if found unsafe for other teams and spectators.

4. The name of your machine must be prominently displayed.

5. Judges decision shall be treated as final and binding on all.

6. The organizers reserve the rights to change any or all of the above rules as they deem fit. Change in rules, if any will be highlighted on the website and notified to the registered teams.

The complete event is organized and executed by MindSpark team and the certificates will be provided by MindSpark itself . "IIT Bombay" or "Techfest" are not the organizers of this competition and no certificate will be given to the participants by either of them.

Dimensions and Fabrications
1. The machine must fit within a box of dimensions 150 mm X 150 mm X 150 mm at the beginning of the race. The machine, when put in the arena at the start of the game, should have the same size as checked with the dimension box above.

2. During the game, the machine can expand or detach itself into multiple parts provided it does not damage the arena in any way. However, the entire machine should cross the finish line to complete the objective. The judges hold the right to subjectively determine if the machine violates this clause.

3. Machines cannot be constructed using readymade Lego kits or any readymade mechanism but use of readymade gear assemblies is allowed. Violating this clause will lead to disqualification of the machines. Judges hold the right to subjectively evaluate this clause.
Power Supply and Propulsion
1. The machine cannot use any other energy source than what they are able to draw from their solar cell. No pre-tensioned springs, elastics, combustion or compressed energy sources are allowed, though any of these may be employed in the design so long as it can be proved that they are at a complete state of rest at the beginning of the run. The judges hold the rights to disqualify the machine, if they are not convinced.

2. The method of propulsion is at the discretion of the participant provided it does not damage the arena in any way and it satisfies the safety constraints determined by the judges.

3. The size of the solar cell must not exceed 50 cm² in size.

4. The team must devise a mechanism to discharge its stored energy. For example shorting wires for the capacitor if the capacitor mechanism is used. The team will be asked to activate this mechanism at the beginning of every race.
Controls

The machine must be autonomous and cannot be externally controlled.