The Pick-and-Place Competition

Design Problem Setup

The 2019 Student Design Competition challenges your imagination and technical design skills to
create a device that can quickly but carefully secure a variety of different balls that will be
balancing on tube stands in the middle of a flat playing surface. You must construct a single
remotely controlled device to collect as many balls as possible, and place them in a collection
area – you must do this quickly, but avoid having balls fall off their stand and hit the ground. The
competition will have an initial round where your device will run without competition, and then
devices will compete against each other in a knockout format.

Pre-Game Rules

1. There is no limit on the number of students on a team.

2. At the start of the competition, teams must provide a sizing box for your device and any
tools your team would use to make minor repairs during the competition. Throughout the
competition, your device, controls, any extra batteries, and any tools must fit within your
rigid sizing box. This box must be no more than 50 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm (internal
dimensions), but teams should minimize actual box size, volume is a tie-breaker in the
competition.
3. Your device will be stored inside your sizing box throughout all of the rounds of the
competition. Teams will have one minute to remove your device from the box to compete
in each round. No modifications to the device are permitted during this setup.
4. All energy for the device must be provided by rechargeable batteries. No other forms of
stored energy (such as pre-compressed springs or gas) are allowed unless the stored
energy of this component is returned to the initial state (for example an initially compressed
spring must be re-compressed using the energy from the battery).
5. Teams may replace batteries between rounds, however replacement batteries must be
identical to the original, mounted in the same way to the device, and stored in the sizing
box throughout the competition.
6. Your device must be controlled via remote control through a transmitter/receiver radio link.
Transmitter/receiver radio links may be any commercially available model controller.
 Radio transmitter batteries do not have to be rechargeable. All radio controllers will be
shut off/stored within the team’s box during the competition unless the team is competing.
7. Communication between controller and device must be able to be secured to allow for at
least 3 other teams simultaneously using live controllers at other games taking place in
the same auditorium area.
8. Flying devices are not allowed. Devices must remain intact throughout the game – for
example, the device may not split and retrieve multiple balls at once.

Game Rules

9. The playing surface dimensions are 5 meters x 5 meters, with boundaries marked by tape
on the floor. The device will start each game in a 50 cm x 50 cm area in one corner of the
playing surface, also marked by tape on the ground. See Figure 1 below with comments.
10. There will be sixteen balls each resting on top of a cylindrical stand at the start of each
game. The balls will be at least 2.7 grams and 40 mm in diameter (a table tennis ball) and
no larger than 650 grams and 250 mm in diameter (a basketball). Teams will not know the
exact details of the balls (sizes or distribution
11. The sixteen cylinders will be approximately 3 – 5 cm in diameter (probably PVC pipe) and
will be 20 cm tall. Judges may create a small base for each cylinder, but teams should
expect that the stands will be easy to knock over if a device runs into them.
12. The playing surface will be level, and may be either hard surface or carpet typically found
in public areas.
13. Just prior to the start of each game, judges will randomly place all the balls on the cylinders
and immediately start the game. All games will last 5 minutes.
14. Teams will earn/lose points as follows:
• Plus two points for collecting a ball from its stand and securing it on their device
• Plus three points for placing a ball in the team’s starting area
• Minus one point for every ball that is knocked off its stand and hits the ground
15. Once a ball has been scored (either secured, secured and placed, or knocked off stand)
it can no longer be played during the rest of the game. Balls knocked off their stand will
remain on the playing surface floor for the remainder of the game.
16. Teams earn two collecting points when a ball is secure within their device for at least two
seconds; if the ball subsequently falls to the ground this does not change the scoring but
placement points in the starting area cannot be earned for that ball.
17. Rules for earning the additional three placement points are as follows:
 • Only balls first secured within the device are eligible for placement points
• Teams may either secure and then place one ball at a time, or may secure multiple
balls and place them simultaneously
• Placing points are earned when a ball is placed and remains stationary inside the
starting area; if the ball is subsequently displaced this does not change the scoring.
• The placed ball must rest on the ground within the scoring area, not touching the
device
• Balls that have been secured may be pushed on the ground into the scoring area,
however any ball that leaves the 5m x 5m playing surface becomes ineligible.
18. If all sixteen balls are scored in less than 5 minutes, the game will end.
19. All teams will complete in one initial game with no other device present. The team score
earned will be used to seed the first knockout round of the competition.
20. During the knockout stage, two teams will compete, attempting to earn the most points in
the game. The team with the most points will advance to the next round. The following
rules apply to team interactions during the knockout stage:
• Only minimal, incidental contact between devices will be allowed. Reckless behavior
will result in a time penalty. Devices should be robust to survive minor collisions.
• When one team’s device is attempting to secure a ball, the other team must not
interfere. Striking another device while it is in the process of securing a ball will earn
the interfering team the one point penalty if the ball falls to the ground.
• If judges are not able to determine which device causes a ball to fall off the stand,
then no penalty will be awarded either team.
• Teams are allowed to play defense and block the other device from returning to their
starting area or moving to a desired location, as long as there is no intentional contact.
• Devices must stay within the outside boundaries of the 5m x 5m playing surface. If a
device entirely leaves the playing surface (all device contact with the ground is
outside the boundary lines) the team will receive an official caution – the team must
then remain motionless for 30 seconds before being allowed to resume competing
• Intentional fouls and overly aggressive behavior will be stopped by the judges.
Excessive contact with the other device may result in an official caution – the team
must then remain motionless for 30 seconds before being allowed to resume
competing.
Competition Scoring Rules

21. Teams will receive a score for their initial individual round – points for all balls
collected/placed, minus deductions for balls knocked off stands.
22. The initial round score will be used to seed the knockout round. In the knockout round,
highest scoring team will compete against lowest scoring team, 2nd highest against 2nd
lowest, etc. For teams with the same score, the tiebreaker will be the volume of the team
sizing box (smallest volume is best).
23. If there is an odd number of teams in any round, the two lowest scoring teams will compete
against each other, and that winner will then compete against the highest scoring team in
the prior round.
24. For all subsequent knockout rounds, each winning team’s score earned will be used to
seed the subsequent round. If necessary, the tiebreaker will be total number of points
scored in the initial solo round (if still tied, box volume will be used). Again, highest score
will compete against lowest score, 2nd highest against 2nd lowest, etc.
25. Knockout rounds will continue until the final match between the top two devices. The team
with the most points is the champion. If the two teams are tied after 5 minutes, the course
will be reset and the teams will compete in a one minute shootout. If still tied, shootouts
will be repeated until there is a winner.

FIGURE 1: Overview of the Playing Surface

At the start of the 5 minute game, a team’s device will begin in their designated starting area, a
50 cm x 50 cm square shown in two corners of the 5 m x 5 m playing surface. Teams will score
points by collecting any of the 16 balls on stands, and attempt to bring the balls back to their own
starting area. Teams are also trying to avoid knocking balls off the stands onto the ground.

The sixteen stands and balls are equally spaced 1 meter apart from each other and the overall
game boundaries. The balls shown in Figure 1 are all the same size, this will not be the case for
the actual competition. See the rules for the range of ball sizes. Distribution of the balls used will
change throughout the competition.

Awards

First, Second and Third place diplomas will be awarded.