Students will build and control a VEX or Lego EV3 robot to rescue 3 randomly placed objects while navigating the course blindly.
Main Event
Event Description
Teams of 2-4 students will design and build a robot, using VEX IQ or Lego robot sets. It will need to navigate a blind maze using a live video feed and then find 3 randomly placed objects, remove them from the maze, and drop them into the target zone.
Common Core Standards and 4-C’s
Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own ideas clearly and persuasively. Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking.
Designing and programming your Robot
Design Specifications
Your robot will need to be able to drive around on a course and attempt to pick up and carry 3D printed figurines from their elevated base (3-inch tall green blocks) and then drop them into the target zone. The figurines will vary in size and shape.
Course Layout
The course itself will take up a space of 4 X 8 feet and will be curtained off from the participants. The figures to be rescued will rest on top of the three green blocks in the specified locations (see diagram above). The green blocks will NOT be secured to the course. There will also be blocks placed as obstacles (red/blue). The obstacle blocks WILL be secured to the course with 4 VEX pins underneath. The 3D figures can be downloaded from the TOT site and 3D printed
Technical Requirements
Robots must be constructed entirely with LEGO or VEX IQ pieces AND any student-designed 3D printed components. 3D printed components must be attached with VEX/Lego pieces (not tape/glue).
The robots may be controlled with remote control for the main challenge but must be programmed for the autonomous round.
Your robot will need a way to stream a live video feed. This can be accomplished with a cell phone, a GoPro camera, or another small video recorder. Apps to stream include Google Hangouts, Skype, Robocam, and others.
Time will start as soon as the robot enters the course and time will stop as soon as it drops the 3rd figure, or 10 minutes have passed. Teams will have 10 minutes to complete the course. They may make multiple attempts within 10 minutes. The score and time combination from the best attempt will be used to calculate the FINAL SCORE (see scoring section).
Scoring
Scores will be a combination of the points awarded from successfully rescuing the figures AND from the time it takes to finish. Time will mostly be used to help split ties, along with points from the Autonomous Round and the Design Document.
Points from Figures:
Up to 15 points will be awarded for each figure based on its position in the target. Teams may reposition the figure after it has been dropped. If any part of the figure is on a higher scoring zone, it will receive a higher score. When the robot leaves the target zone, the score will be recorded, and the figure moved to the scoring bins.
Points from Time
Up to 10 points will be awarded based on your time as a ratio to the best time of all competitors. The time used will be from whichever attempt scored the most points from the course.
Autonomous Round:
Prior to attempting the Search and Rescue Course, teams may choose to compete in a pre-programmed autonomous (NO remote-control driving) event for an additional 15 points. Teams will write code to make their robot drive forward (5pts), navigate a turn (5pts), and knock a figure off its base (5pts). The robot will start in the bottom left (green) corner. Teams will write code to make their robot drive forward from the green corner (5pts), remove the figure from the green base (5pts) and drop it in the target (5pts center red, 3pts yellow, 1pt outer red). The course will be reset after the autonomous round. More detailed course measurements to come.
Reward Points
| Points from Autonomous Round | 15 | See Autonomous Round Above |
| Points from FIGURES | 45 | Up to 15pts per figure x 3 |
| Points from TIME | 10 | First Place Time / Team’s recorded time x 10 = Team’s TOTAL TIME |
| Points from Design Document | 30 | See Next Page |
| TOTAL POINTS | 100 |
Design Document
Overview
Students will create a document outlining the process of designing and testing their robot. There will be four main sections: Research, Specifications, Programming, and Testing. The document will be submitted and scored prior to the tournament and will be worth 30 points. Design Documents must be converted to a PDF file before uploading to the TOT App Submission Portal by 10:00 pm on March 15, 2024.
Research
In this section, students will use the internet or other sources to search for facts and information about Robotics in Emergency Services. They will need to provide specific examples of emergency response robots (such as DARPA, search and rescue bots, etc.) and cite the sources they used for their research. Finally, they should describe how this research relates to their project
Specifications
In this section, students will list the dimensions of their robot (length, width, height) as well as a list of the primary components they used (motors and sensors). They will also include pictures of their robot.
Control
Students will explain how they controlled their robot to complete the task. They should include a diagram of their controller to show how they mapped their motors/ports as well as a picture of the configuration screen from the brain if they adjusted any of the default settings for the remote control. Students will explain how they set up their video feed: describing both, the technology used and the apps/software used.
Testing
In the final section, students will describe the testing of their robot and what modifications they made to improve its speed and accuracy. This should include physical changes to the robot such as changing the wheels or redesigning the robot. It should also include changing the setting of the remote-control program. Students should include a data table showing the results of different trials.
Sample Data Table
We only included times of trials that were completed successfully without dropping any blocks or knocking down any of the starting towers.
| Trial | Time | Adjustments |
| 1 | 4:57 | First successful completion of the course. |
| 2 | 3:42 | Increased the speed of the motors to 90% |
| 3 | 3:30 | Used larger wheels on the robot. |
| 4 | 3:10 | Reset the controls of the program to easier buttons for driving. |
| 5 | 2:57 | Improved speed by practicing driving with a partner controlling the arm. |
Getting Help
Contact Chris Fuge at Chris.Fuge@fresnounified.org or Celeste Avedikian at Celeste.Avedikian@fresnounified.org if you have any further questions regarding this event.