2006 Challenge Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Please check this site frequently. Any notifications and/or clarifications for the 2005 Missions will be posted here as soon as they become available for all to see. Answers will not be returned through e-mail.
If you have a question about a mission or the challenge in general please click on the "Questions?" link to the left and fill out the FAQ form. This method will help us answer questions more efficiently and archive questions and comments for use in future planning. Please do not send questions through e-mail. Thank you!
When asking questions, please keep in mind that the FAQ page is meant to address questions about the basic design and fundamental rules and goals of the missions. The missions are designed to encourage teams to think about alternative ways to design and program their robots to complete specified tasks. Exact reproduction of the courses is not necessary and is not encouraged. On trial day, each team will have the opportunity to ask detailed questions about the courses and visit with the course designers. Teams will also have time to test their robots on each course and make modifications to their designs and programs as needed. Mindstorms robots are meant to be autonomous - they should react to their environment. For example, if the tape is not in the exact position as noted, the robot should not be affected.
| Topic | Question | Answer | |||||||||||||||
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| General | Can you intentionally drop parts off of your robot? | Yes, but if the jettisoned parts interfere with the robot, you still may not touch the robot. | |||||||||||||||
| General | Can we use non-LEGO string and/or rubber bands? | For the purposes of using pulleys and other rotational devices, the use of non-LEGO string and rubber bands is allowed. However, the use of string and rubber bands for purposes other than driving a pulley is not allowed (such as holding the robot or parts together). | |||||||||||||||
| General | What happens if one of the team members is sick the day of the competition and that makes our team below the 8 required? | You need at least 8 registered team members present on challenge day to be eligible for the final trophy awards. If something happens to make it so that less than 8 show up then they are MORE than welcome to compete with fewer they just won't be eligible for trophies. | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | If a block is first pushed on to a space ship and then later pushed off by the robot, do the points count where it was first pushed? | This is true. | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | About the three horizontal top blocks: do all three score higher or just one? If only one score higher do the other two score the same as the vertical blocks, or what? | No, only the "magic" horizontal block, located in the corner without a ship, scores extra points. The other horizontal blocks score the same as the vertical blocks. | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | Once the song has played no blocks that are knocked over will count but can you still add blocks to the space ships after the song has played and have them count? | No, once the song has started, no blocks will score points. | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | Do blocks have to be completely inside the yellow triangles? What happens if a corner is sticking out? | The block must be noticeably more than halfway on the ship. | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | What happens if blocks are pushed OFF the course? credit/no credit? | If a block is pushed over, the appropriate points will be awarded regardless of where it falls. | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | When starting, can any part of the robot be outside of the yellow circle? (start outside the blocks instead of inside the blocks, with the robot straddling the edge of the circle) | No, the robot (including all appendages) must be completely inside the center circle when the course timer starts. | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | How long is T1, T2, and T3? | T1, T2, and T3 are all 3 minutes. T4 is 1 minute (total of 10 minutes). | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | Can you put all blocks on one ship or must you divide them up on all three ships? | The blocks do not need to be divided up evenly on each ship. There will be no penalty for an "empty" ship. | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | Is there a certain song you have to play or can we pick it? | Any song or melody played can be chosen by the contestant. Surprise us! | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | What/Where are the spaceships, how are they numbered, and where does the robot start? | The spaceships are the yellow painted triangles at three corners of the course and one inch away from the center circle. (see drawing) The spaceship numbers, beginning from the open corner (without the spaceship) and going clockwise around the course are spaceship 1, spaceship 3, spaceship 2. The robot can start from any point within the center circle but may not be touched again after run has been pressed. (they are the yellow triangles on the board). | |||||||||||||||
| Stonehenge-EC | Is the song only to be played after spaceship 3 leaves? | The song does not have to be played after spaceship 3 leaves. The song can be played at any point during the course after all the blocks have been knocked over (you may play the song before all the blocks are knocked over, but you will receive no additional points for any blocks knocked over after the song starts).. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | The victim tree appears to change heights as more people use the course. | This will be corrected and the pole will not move. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | How will the trees be positioned? | The trees will be bent away from the course line. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | Where are the victims (rings) placed? | Both will be set in 1/8" and parallel to course line. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | How far do you have to push the red box? | It must be pushed all the way off the course. No partial points will be given. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | What happens if the robot goes off the course? | If the robot finds its way back on the course, there is no penalty. If the robot cannot get back on the course, the run is stopped and total points are counted then. Of course, as per the general rules, you cannot use your hands or any other means to put it back in to the course. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | Is there a time limitation? | No, no time limitation as long as your robot is still moving. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | Do you have to push the obstacle out of the way? What do you do with the obstacle? | We believe if you have to continue your course beyond the obstacle you may have to push the obstacle away from the track. If you can go beyond the obstacle without disturbing its position it is fine. You can continue the course without loosing any points, because in the point system we have 200 points to clear the obstacle from the way without dropping the victim. If you try to pass from the side: 1) you will lose the track and 2) you may hit the side wall where again you may have the higher chance of dropping the victim. I believe the simplest way is to push that light obstacle little bit further and continue the course. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | Is our robot aloud to go off of the course? | You can go out of the given track but it is not suggested. As we have some trees standing and fallen at some spots outside the track (Made out of thick paper). I believe the tracks are wide enough and pretty simple. It no big deal if you go out of the track you won’t loose any points. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | What material is used for the Victim Carrier? What material is used for Obstacle 1? | Obstacle 1 and Victim Carrier: Usual packaging boxes (one that we generally use to pack computers or mails) are cut to get the desired shape and they are hollow. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | Is Obstacle 1 attached to the base or does it move? | None of them are attached to the ground neither Obstacle nor the Victim Carrier. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | What is the height of the center barriers? | Height of the center barriers as shown in a new figure (on the mission page) are 1) 1 inch 2) 1.5 inches 3) 1 inch. | |||||||||||||||
| Taj Mahal-IIE | The gray paint looks glossy. Are there sufficient value changes between the tape and the gray paint so that the line can be followed? | There is sufficient value change between gray paint and the tape. We will try to tape one more layer which will give much better distinction in color. | |||||||||||||||
| Lighthouse/AIAA | Will the blocks be the size specified in the drawings or the size they were on trial day? If they are going to be the size they were on trial day, what size plate was used? | The plate is 6x6s (2 thick for each base - top and bottom). These are separated by three 2x2 bricks. The first one to pick is BLACK and the second one is WHITE. | |||||||||||||||
| Lighthouse/AIAA | What is the actual brand of the container? | It is a Glad®, 24oz (3 cup) container. | |||||||||||||||
| Lighthouse/AIAA | Will the LEGO in the black square be in a different place each time we run the course? | It is randomly placed and moved each run. It is likely to be in a different place each time you run the course. | |||||||||||||||
| Lighthouse/AIAA | How tall is the drop box? Is the drop box glued down or loose? | Around 3 inches tall. The exact dimensions are in the BoM per the Glad® container. The drop box IS the Glad® container. | |||||||||||||||
| Lighthouse/AIAA | Can the robot extend outside of the starting box if it has pieces that are longer than the box? | The robot can extend out of the box only if nothing is hanging over the course. (i.e. It can hang out of the back of the box where the course technically ends) | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | We would like to know how the three cans on the runway will be scored. In order to count for points, do the cans have to totally leave the red area at the end of the runway (fully out of the course), or do they only have to be in the red section. Or will the can count if it is more than halfway into the scoring area? | The cans should leave the red area at the end of the runway. Fully outside the course. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | The ring holder looks like a cross from the side view. We would like to know how tall the tip of the cross is, (not where the ring sits, the very tip of the cross), we have a device on top the robot and we do not want it to hit the tip of the cross as we pass by the ring holder. | The vertical pole is 8" Long. The ring is held at 5". | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | The ring holder was specified to be 5" tall, but on trial day was lower. Will it remain lower for competition day? | We will ensure that it is 5" from ground at the competition. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | The oval at opening section of the event: What is the exact size of the oval? | The space the robot has to move on the left and right hand side of the oval. The clearance on one side is 8" and 6.5" on the other side. You have enough space to move the robot. You don't have to rotate the oval to move further. It is tight but doable. If one side is too difficult, go to the other side. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | Is there any reason a bot could not go over the oval to get to the other side to complete the rest of the track if they decided not to get the ring? | You are supposed to follow the track. Going over the oval is
illegal. Even if u have decided not to get the ring, you still have
to move your robot on the designated path. Oval is like a wall. You
can not go over it. If you go over the oval, you will be
disqualified (actually you will receive any points to that point,
but none after going over the oval.)
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| Statue-APICS | In the new pictures of the Statue of Liberty Course, the edge of the Drop Tower box is higher than the wall. Is this the way it will be at the competition? If so, please tell us how much higher the tower is than the wall so we can use it for testing. | Yes, the wall height is 2 inches and the drop tower is 3.5 inches. So it is slightly higher than the wall. It would be like this on the day of the competition. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | Adjacent to the first three pop cans, there is an interior box with four walls like the outside walls. This box is not dimensioned at all. It is not located with dimensions either. What are they? | This box is fixed and serves no other purpose but an obstacle, the dimensions are. 10.5"x4" and height 3" | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | How high are the walls? Are they one half inch thick? | The wall height is 2 Inches and its 0.5 inches thick. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | Adjacent to the first three pop cans, there is an interior box with four walls like the outside walls. This box is not dimensioned at all. It is not located with dimensions either. What are they? | This box is the drop box. You have to collect the ring at )the start and then drop it in this box. You can then proceed ahead. We would place the cardboard drop box against the wall. The dimensions are shown in the APICS Drawings. Check out ISOMETRIC VIEW OF DROP TOWER in APICS Drawings. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | What is the exact scoring on black cans (are there negative points or points taken off)... if moved or knocked, etc. Shoving cans into tower area... must all red cans and robot be in the tower area... what if a black can gets moved into the tower area with the red cans, etc. Do the cans on the runway have to be pushed off the end of the runway or can they be knocked over the wall?? | NO, You are not penalized if you knock the black baggage. We expect you to knock and push off the red baggage irrespective of what happens to the black baggage. Baggage must be pushed off in the end to the Eiffel tower and accomplish the mission for points. Points are not awarded if it goes over the edge of the wall. But, the three cans that are at the start of the course (Level 2) can be pushed over the wall. Points will be awarded even if it goes over the edge of the wall unlike the cans in the end of the course. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | How high are the two rings? | 5 inches from the floor. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | There is an oval in the first square entered by the robot. In the pictures it is pink. What is it made of? | It is made of a thermocole. It is very thick. 3 layers of thermocole are placed over each other to have desired height and its made rigid. This is where the statue of liberty will be placed. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | There are two dimensions missing on inside wall locations. The first: starting from the top of the overall plan view, on the left side coming down the dimensions are 15.00 and then 10.00. On the right side coming down the dimensions are 15.00 then 10.00. However, on the left side the 10.00 is measured to the outside (lower) of the wall. On the right side the dimension is measured to the outside (upper) of the wall. If you follow these 10.00 dimensions inboard, that parallel wall could be 1/2 inch off depending on which dimension is used. If you put a ruler on the drawing, it appears the left dimension locates the wall. That is what I will build. | You are right. You can build it. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | This is the same condition as the first. Coming up from the bottom, on the left side the dimensions are 10.00 and 10.00. On the right coming up from the bottom, the dimensions are 10.00 and 10.00. However, on the left the second 10.00 is from outside wall to outside (upper) wall. The right side the dimensions are to the outside (lower) wall. By placing a ruler on the inner parallel wall it appears that either right or left side dimension could apply. This could result in a 1/2 inch error in the wall location depending on the interpretation. What did the WSU student build? | It was built just like what you thought it to be. It has 1/2 inch error and the dimensions include wall thickness which would eventually have 1/2 inch less. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | What are the dimensions of the two ring holders? They look like dowels. How tall, how long are they? On the drawings the ring posts are shown on the outside of the wall and are not located by dimensions. On the photos, the ring posts are shown on the inside of the wall. I assume the photos over ride the dimensions. I also assume the ring posts are located half way between the two adjacent walls. | The horizontal ring holder is 4 inches long. Long enough to hold the ring so that the robot would come and pick it up. The ring is held 5 inches high above the ground. Yes, The ring posts are outside the wall in the drawing and its not the same in the photos. I would like to let you know that the ring posts are INSIDE the wall. The ring posts are at 12 inches from the start point as shown in the drawing | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | The cardboard drop box isn't located by dimensions. I assume we place it up against the wall where ever. The cardboard box is NOT included in the photos. | We would place the cardboard drop box against the wall. The cardboard box is not shown in the photo. A photo was taken and added to the photos on the APICS mission page. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | What is the height of "Statue of Liberty"? | The height of the Statue of Liberty doesn't matter because you don't have to do anything with statue of liberty. It is there for show and to let you know that you are starting your mission from Statue of Liberty. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | What is the measurement of the ring holder? Height? Length? Parallel to wall? Sticking out from wall? Even with wall? | The horizontal ring holder is 4 inches long. Long enough to hold the ring so that the robot would come and pick it up. The ring is held 5 inches high above the ground. The ring posts are INSIDE the wall. It is parallel to the wall and it is sticking out from the wall. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | Must cans be pushed off a specific area? What if we just push them over the wall? What if they accidentally fall over the wall? (This is mainly for the "obstacles" on the "runway".) | Cans should be pushed off the board in the end of the path, where there is no wall. You would still end up with the same points if it goes over the wall because you still pushed it out of the course. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | The description indicates that the red baggage is to be knocked over and the black baggage is to be left alone. There is points for the red baggage, but are we penalized if the black baggage is knocked over? If so, how much? Do we just knock over the red baggage or push it off? What if it gets pushed over the edge of the wall instead of off the end? Just looking for clarification on this. | NO, You are not penalized if you knock the black baggage. We expect you to knock and push off the red baggage irrespective of what happens to the black baggage. | |||||||||||||||
| Statue-APICS | The area for the ring to be dropped into appears on the schematics but not in the pictures of the actual mock up built at WSU. We would like clarification on this as well. Is that the "tower"? | Yes. Exactly, that is the tower. The cardboard box is NOT included in the photos. We will try to get a better picture. | |||||||||||||||
| Does the capstone have to be perfectly lined up with the top of the pyramid? | No, the capstone must simply be on top of the pyramid. The orientation does not matter. | ||||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | Is the capstone placed over the black tape or beside the black tape? | The capstone is placed inside the red lines which means that the black tape is completely covered. | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | Does the capstone have to be physically touching the top of the pyramid or can it be suspended over the top? | The capstone must be touching the top of the pyramid. | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | Do we have to follow the lines from the base of the pyramid and back to the base? | No, any route from the bottom of the ramp tot he capstone will qualify for the other 50 point (even if the capstone is not picked up). | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | Do we have to be back at the top of the pyramid before putting the capstone on the pyramid? | No, you can place the capstone on the pyramid from anywhere along the route. If successful, you will receive the full 100 points for placing the capstone. To receive the full 300 points for going up the ramp, the robot must finish on the top platform. | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | Where may we start? | Anywhere on the first platform. | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | Can you bring a smaller cap to compete with? I have a smaller bot than the cap. | No, to be consistent we have to use the same cap for all teams. | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | What are the dimensions of the base of the pyramid? | 3x3 ft | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | What are the details of the ramps of the pyramid? |
The Pyramid (big part aka base) is 27 inches up the side. |
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| Pyramids - SWE | Does the ramp get supported by the four dowel rods? | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | Can you give us the dimensions of each cut needed to build the top, base and ramp of the pyramid? We have the sheets of foam but need to know how to cut and assemble it. | The ramps start at 40x10, 35.25x10, 12x10, and 18x10 inches and
are cropped from there.
The length of the sides of the cut out triangles, with top still attached, is 30 inches. The base of the triangles are 3x3 feet. From the base to the top point of the still attached triangles is 24.5 inches. |
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| Pyramids - SWE | What is the size of the cap? | The cap is comprised of four triangles. Each triangle has a 4" base with 2 3.5" sides. Note: The sides are not completely touching (there is a gap between each side). | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | Does the ramp get supported by the four dowel rods? | Yes, the ramps are supported by the dowel rods. But, again, you do NOT have to build the pyramid, just build the ramps. | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | How large is the opening of the wire on top of the Pyramid top? | 1 7/8" paper clip opened to square hook width of pyramid top. The sides of the paper clip are 1.5" high and it is 2" across. The clearance from the top of the pyramid is 3/4". | |||||||||||||||
| Pyramids - SWE | What is the length of the base of the pyramid and the height of the pyramid? | 15.5" tall | |||||||||||||||
| Table Runner | What exactly constitutes a multiple edge touch? | Once the edge is "touched," the robot must clear the plane of the table edge before returning for another touch. | |||||||||||||||
| Table Runner | Must it touch the tape or can it be above it as long as it reaches out over the edge of the table? | It doesn't have to physically "touch" the tape. A part of the robot could be in the air above the tape. Some part of the robot must clearly cross over the tape's space. | |||||||||||||||
| Table Runner | Do extra touches count? | If there is a tie, the tie breaker will be broken by the number of total edge touches. | |||||||||||||||
| Table Runner | Does the base of the robot have to touch the edge? | The tape on the edge of the table is considered the edge. Any appendage of the robot can touch the tape and it will count. | |||||||||||||||
| Table Runner | What color is the table? | Copied from the mission description: "The color of the table and the color of the tape will be the same (beige table top and masking tape). There will not be a distinguishable difference in color between the table top and the tape for the light sensor to be used effectively in this challenge." | |||||||||||||||
| RampIt! | what if we put the ball on the spot and then it goes down the 'abyss'? | Points are scored based on where the ping pong ball once the robot stops moving. | |||||||||||||||
| RampIt! | May we use our own ping pong ball? | Sure, that would be nice. | |||||||||||||||
| RampIt! | What if the robot falls apart at the end? | As long as it makes it to the proper level it receives those points. | |||||||||||||||
| RampIt! | Is time a constraint? | No | |||||||||||||||
| RampIt! | May we use the walls? | Yes, that is what they are there for. | |||||||||||||||
| RampIt! | Where should the ball be placed? | Anyplace, but on the bottom level. | |||||||||||||||
| RampIt! | How wide does the ramp need to be? The instructions say that it is 7 1/2" for the robot, but the drawing indicates 11.5" width in the top view. | 7.5" is correct. It will be corrected in the drawing. | |||||||||||||||
| RampIt! | How tall do the ramp sides need to be? The drawing indicates 93" long but does not specify the height. | The walls are approximately 2.25" high from the ramps. | |||||||||||||||
| LineFollower | How close will you follow the 1" rule? | The spirit of the rule is if the robot wanders way off the course, then points will be lost. | |||||||||||||||
| LineFollower | Where are the dimensions for the course? | The intent of this course is to use your light sensor to follow the line. The exact dimensions are not required. However, the dimensions are posted (the image link has been fixed). | |||||||||||||||
| LineFollower | Does the robot have to stop at the end? | No | |||||||||||||||
| Table Display/Notebook | Does each team have to have a separate Table Display/Notebook? We have three teams and are making one team notebook and Table Display. | Each team is a entering the challenge completely independently and in competition with each other. Each team must complete the missions independently and separate from each other - this includes the table and notebook display. You MUST designate which team the notebook/table display is for. | |||||||||||||||
| Table/Notebook | May we move the table within our allotted space? | No. |