The Panasonic
Creative Design Challenge
John Carpinelli, Ph. D.
Executive Director, Center for Pre-College Programs
Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Fall 2012
Outline – Creative Design Challenge
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Creative Design Challenge Background
Logistics
Prizes
This year’s Challenge
Scoring
Registration
Panasonic Creative Design Challenge History
• Goal: To make science, math, and engineering fun!
To apply a wide range of mechanical and electrical
engineering, mathematics, and communication skills
in the design and construction of a device that has
the ability to perform tasks related to the annual
challenge.
• Started in 1991
• On hiatus 2005 – 2007, but back and thriving!
• Different challenge each year
Past Challenges
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1991: Wheel-less vehicle
1992: Recycling machine
1993: Egg-a-naut
1994: Solar-powered vehicle
1995: Dante I
1996: Dante II
1997: Span the Gap
1998: The Bermuda Triangle Rescue
1999: Robotics for the Advancement of Trooper Safety
Past Challenges
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2000: The Great Paneverest Challenge
2001: Winter Triathlon
2002: Basic Training
2003: BotSketBall
2004: The Great Divide
2008: Murky Waters
2009: Beach Sweeps
2010: The Recycling “Pana”-Plant
2011: Wildlife Response and Rescue
2012: Mars 3000
Competition Logistics
• For high school students
– Students whose parents are employees of NJIT or any
division of Panasonic Corporation are ineligible to
participate
• Team of three students and one or two coaches
– Coaches must be full-time employees of the school
district as of the start of the academic year
– Team members may change between the preliminary
and final competitions
• Each school may field one team
Schedule
• Registration Deadline: October 5, 2012
• Preliminary Challenge: January 30-31, 2013
(snow dates February 6-7, 2013) @ Panasonic
• Oral Reports: March 20-21, 2013 @ Panasonic
• Written Reports Due: March 29, 2013, 3:00 PM
• Logbooks Due: March 29, 2013, 3:00 PM
• Oral Reports: April 24, 2013 @ NJIT
• Final Challenge: April 24, 2013 @ NJIT
Competition Prizes
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First place team: $5,000 scholarship per student
Second place team: $4,000 scholarship per student
Third place team: $3,000 scholarship per student
Best rookie team: $2,000 scholarship per student
Special prizes are awarded to teams that receive the
best score in performance, documentation, and oral
presentation
This Year’s Challenge:
Panatown: Creating a Green Future
• Your challenge is to design and construct a “Green Machine”
that will be able to propel itself into Panatown in an “off-thegrid” fashion, without using electric power, and perform a
variety of tasks “on-the-grid” to make Panatown the most
environmentally friendly town in the nation.
• The Challenge will require teams to apply a wide range of
Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and
Mathematical skills to be successful. Teams must document
their entire journey in the Panasonic CDC engineer’s logbook
from the start at the problem identification stage to the final
product They must also communicate the steps, in written
and oral formats, used to achieve a design solution. Teams
will be judged on their written report, oral report, logbook, and
the performance of their device.
The Challenge Course
The Challenge Course
The Challenge Course
Traversing the Course – Preliminary Challenge
• Teams start on the platform, i.e., they don’t enter
“off-the-grid”.
• Close the water valve – Conserve Water
– Within 1 minute
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Replant trees in town – Offset Carbon Footprint
Start a Wind Turbine – Alternative Energy
Sort Garbage – Recycle
It is MANDATORY that each team uses two
operators for its device, each with his/her own
tethered control box
Preliminary Challenge Scoring
Scoring for the Preliminary Challenge is as follows:
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Turn off water valve – 10 points
Replant trees in town (1 tree) – 5 points
Sort and recycle garbage (maximum 6 pieces) – 1 point each
Start a wind turbine – up to 4 points
– Turn turbine 1° to 120° – 1 point
– Turn turbine 121° to 240° – 2 points
– Turn turbine 241° to 359° – 3 points
– Turn turbine 360° or more – 4 points
Preliminary Challenge Scoring
• Time bonus for completing all tasks:
Time Finished
1 – 60 seconds
61 – 90 seconds
91 – 120 seconds
121 – 150 seconds
151 – 180 seconds
Bonus Points
+5
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+1
Preliminary Challenge Rules
1. Each team will have 20 minutes to run three, 3-minute trials.
2. Prior to each of three trials, the team must designate which two
team members will operate their device.
3. Motors must be divided as equally as possible between the two
operators.
4. The operators are the only members of the team allowed to walk
within the designated area. Operators may not step on the
competition platform.
5. No contact is allowed between team members and the device once
a trial has begun, except for using tethered control boxes. The
tethers may only be used for controlling the device and may not be
used to assist in the motion of the device (i.e. pulling it).
Preliminary Challenge Rules
6. Any contact by team member(s) with the device after the trial has
begun will result in a disqualification for that trial but this will not
END the 3-minute trial of the team. They may still use the
remaining time for modifications, repairs, etc., but once disqualified,
teams will receive 0 points and any time data collected by the
timekeeper is void for that time trial.
7. The trial begins when the judge gives the signal and starts the time
clock.
8. The trial ends after three minutes have elapsed or when the team
calls for time to end.
9. No item can be placed on the platform other than the device.
10. Only judges can remove the blockade from the water valve.
11. Interference with any other team’s device at any time is not
allowed.
Traversing the Course – Final Challenge
• Enter Panatown – Travel “Off-the-Grid”
• Close the valve – Conserve Water
– Within 1 minute
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Replant trees in town – Offset Carbon Footprint
Start a wind turbine – Alternative Energy
Sort garbage – Recycle
Install solar panels on house – Alternative Energy
Turn off lights – Conserve Energy
Final Challenge Scoring
Scoring for the Final Challenge is as follows:
• Enter Panatown “off-the-grid” – 14 points maximum
– 10 points for entering Panatown
– Red/Orange/Yellow/Green = 1/2/3/4 points, respectively
• Turn off water valve – 10 points
• Replant trees in town (maximum 3 trees) – 5 points each
• Sort garbage (maximum 15 pieces) – 1 point each
• Install solar panels (maximum 2 panels) – 5 points each
• Start a wind turbine – up to 6 points
• Turn off lights (maximum 2 switches) – 5 points each
Maximum # points (excluding time bonus): 80 points
Final Challenge Scoring
• Scoring for the wind turbine is as follows:
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Turn turbine 1° to 120° – 3 point
Turn turbine 121° to 240° – 4 points
Turn turbine 241° to 359° – 5 points
Turn turbine 360° or more – 6 points
• Time bonus for completing all tasks:
Time Finished
1 – 60 seconds
61 – 90 seconds
91 – 120 seconds
121 – 150 seconds
151 – 180 seconds
Bonus Points
+5
+4
+3
+2
+1
Final Challenge Rules
1. Each team may run up to three, 5-minute trials. The first trial will
be held in the morning and the remaining two trials will be held in
the afternoon.
2. Prior to each of three trials, the team must designate which two
team members will operate their device.
3. Motors must be divided as equally as possible between the two
operators.
4. The operators are the only members of the Team allowed to walk
within the designated area. Operators may not step on the
competition platform.
5. The tethered control boxes must be placed on the ground in a
designated area prior to each trial. They must remain on the
ground until the “off-the-grid” portion of the trial is completed, i.e.
the device comes to a complete stop.
Final Challenge Rules
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If a team is not successful in the “off-the-grid” portion of the challenge,
the device may be placed in the center of the stadium platform and the
team may complete the rest of the challenge. At least one attempt
must be made before opting to place the device on the stadium
platform.
No contact is allowed between Team members and the robotic device
once a trial has begun, except for using a tethered control box. The
tether may only be used for controlling the device and may not be
used to assist in the motion of the device (i.e. pulling it).
Any contact by team member(s) with the device after the trial has
begun will result in a disqualification for that trial. The remaining time
of the 5-minute trial may still be used for modifications, repairs, etc.,
but once disqualified, teams will receive 0 points and any time data
collected by the timekeeper is void for that time trial.
Before the trial begins, a one-minute prep period is allotted for the offthe-grid controller to set up the device.
Final Challenge Rules
10. The operators may not intentionally use the tethers to exert major
influence on the motion of the device. Teams cannot use the tether
to push or pull the device; doing so will result in disqualification.
11. The trial begins when the judge gives the signal and starts the time
clock.
12. The trial ends after 5 minutes have elapsed or when the team calls
for “Stop”.
13. No item can be placed on the platform other than the device.
14. Only judges may remove the blockade to release the marbles
(water) at the one-minute mark.
15. Interference with any other team’s device at any time is not
allowed.
Device Materials
• You are provided with the following in the design kit. No
substitutions will be allowed!
– 5 small electric motors provided by Panasonic. See
guidelines for motor specs.
– 4 sets of LEGO™ axles & gears
– 6 9V Panasonic alkaline batteries
– 8 AA Panasonic alkaline batteries
– Six 9V battery clips and two 4-cell AA battery holders
• Panasonic supplies one kit per school. Additional kits may be
ordered from vendors listed in the Guidelines.
Device Materials
• You may use an unlimited supply of materials listed
in the Guidelines
– Materials include adhesive tape, caulk, paint, paper
clips, staples, foam, and other readily available, low-cost
materials
• One fresh set of batteries will be provided at the
Preliminary Challenge, and two fresh sets will be
provided at the Final Challenge
Device Limitations
• Other than the materials specification, your device is
limited only by the imagination and creativity of your
design team
• However, the device must fit within an area of
1′ x 1′ x 1½′ at the beginning of each trial. It may
increase or decrease in size once the trial begins.
• Each team may design a different device to
compete in the preliminary and final competitions.
Not Allowed – NO EXCEPTIONS!
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Poor sportsmanship
Interference with any other team’s device at any time. Teams whose
devices have been interfered with during a trial will be given the option
of repeating that trial. Teams that interfere will be disqualified from the
competition if the judge decides that the interference was intentional
and will lose a trial if not intentional.
Devices employing helium or hydrogen-filled balloons
Devices using any process that involves combustion, fire, explosives,
or pyrotechnics
Devices employing high voltages or currents. Only Panasonic alkaline
batteries may be used for electrical power
Devices using materials that do not appear on the parts list
Any use of approved materials that will damage the course or scoring
objects
Metal for traction on device
Scoring – Final Challenge
• Device performance is 50% of the overall score.
• Other components of the score:
– Written Report – 12.5%
– Oral Presentation – 12.5%
– Logbook – 25%
Final Challenge Scoring – Written Report
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Maximum of five double-spaced, word processed pages
excluding title page, diagrams, and pictures
It should include the following
1. A description of the device's design
2. Principles, e.g. STEM, employed, including various options
considered before the final design was chosen
3. How the team functioned (how the work was divided)
4. The biggest obstacle the team had to overcome
Report must be in a binder. See guidelines for title page
specifications.
How to Register
• Complete the registration form and submit with a
check for $35 per school to Panasonic.
• Registrations must be received by Friday,
October 5, 2013.
• Late registrations will not be accepted!
Contact Information
Panasonic:
Ms. Terri Seeney
Creative Design Challenge Program Administrator
Panasonic Corporation of North America
One Panasonic Way, 3G-7
Secaucus, NJ 07094
Phone: 201-392-4754
Fax: 201-348-5310
E-mail: terri.seeney@us.panasonic.com
Contact Information
NJIT:
Prof. John Carpinelli
Executive Director, Center for Pre-College Programs
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ 07102-1982
Phone: 973-596-3550
Fax: 973-596-6461
E-mail: carpinelli@njit.edu
Panasonic Creative Design Challenge
Panasonic Creative Design Challenge web site:
http://www.panasonic.com/cdc
Q&A