BARGE Requirements
- Your BARGE must be a stand-alone entity, capable of meeting all specifications described in this document. Only NiCd/NiMH battery power is allowed. No more than two 7.2V batteries may be used to drive the motors that transfer force to the ground.
- Each BARGE must have a mechanism to designate the BARGE as North Team or South Team.
- Each BARGE must include a means to clearly indicate to the audience its North Team/South Team status.
- BARGEs must be autonomous and untethered.
- The only parts of the BARGE that may ever touch the playing surface are wheels, ball casters, or slippery supports used to balance the BARGE.
- Only the supplied motors may be used to drive anything that transfers force to the ground.
- There must be a bumper surrounding the perimeter of your BARGE extending for at least 2” vertically, and must fully cover the region between 2.5” and 3.5” (1/8”) from the floor.
- The bumper must be covered in a retroreflective tape provided to you by SPDL.
- The bumper and the retroreflective tape must be uninterrupted within the region between 2.5” and 3.5” from the floor.
- Your BARGE must be fully contained within a 1’ cube at the beginning of the game and never expand horizontally beyond the perimeter defined at the beginning of the game.
- If your BARGE chooses to launch GARBAGEs, they must be launched either horizontally at floor level or with a substantially above-horizontal trajectory. In either case, the GARBAGE may land no more than 9’from the BARGE and reach a peak height of no more than 8’ above the floor of the playing field.
- Each BARGE must carry an easily accessible switch which shall cut power to the BARGE in case of a software or hardware malfunction.
- Each BARGE must be constructed as part of ME218b. It may not be based on a commercial or otherwise preexisting platform.
- Any exterior corners on the BARGE must have a radius of at least 1/2”.
- Due to EPA budget cuts, you are limited to an expenditure of $220.00/team for all materials and parts used in the construction of your project. Materials from the lab kit or the Cabinet Of Freedom do not count against the limit, all other items count at their fair market value.
- Each BARGE must provide a clearly visible indicator when it thinks that the game is in progress. This indicator should be activated when the BARGE determines that a game has started and be deactivated when the game status indicates the end of the game.
Rules
- No solderless breadboards are permitted in the final project.
- A BARGE that makes contact with another BARGE must move away from the contact. Incidental contact will not be penalized, but persistent contact of more than three seconds with another BARGE will result in an assessed penalty of eco-points equal to half of the value of a recycled GARBAGE.
- Intentional interference with the operation of another BARGE is prohibited.
- Each BARGE must start and remain in once piece during the round. Any locomotion of the BARGE should cause all parts of the BARGE to move.
- Your BARGE may not IN ANY WAY alter the condition (e.g. mar the walls or the floor) of the playing field or the foam balls. Before you choose your wheel material and again before you place your robot on the field for the first time, borrow a material sample from the TAs and test to be sure that your wheels will not mar the floor material.
- Intentional jamming of your opponent’s senses or violation of the communications protocol is prohibited.
- Any IR emission from your BARGE MUST be confined to the volume within 7” of the surface of the ocean.
- Your BARGE may not present obstructions to the IR beacon within the volume between 12” and 14” above the playing field.
- All projects must respect the spirit of the rules. If your team is considering anything that may violate the spirit of the rules, you must consult a member of the teaching staff.
Pictured above is an overview of the game arena. A and B are recycling centers. C is South Team landfill and D is North Team landfill. Each landfill/recycling center broadcasts am IR signal at a unique wavelength. A line of tape and copper wire with AC current runs between the recycling centers. North/ South threshold is the tape in the center.
The arena is approximately 8' x 8'. |