Scioly.org

Great job to all the teams who competed! Many impressive robots and teams this year. Far fewer kits with simple mods, many robots with extensive 3D printed parts. A fairly wide variety of approaches were represented in the top 6.
No perfect score (1130?).
Solon's appeared to be largely manual with a well done master slave and some very clever aids to handle individual pennies and some very good execution by the team. They had the highest number of pennies in the center, 12. A couple out of the second ring, and a couple of heads up.
Varying degrees of automation among the other top teams.
Most used some sort of pattern to locate the pennies, and some way to spread/flatten the stacks.
A key for the pattern/corral was to get it to set flat to the surface.
Some clever designs that didn't score as well as they looked like they might be able to due to complexity.

School Score Rank
Solon H.S. (OH) 1105 1
Troy H.S. (CA) 1072 2
Adlai E. Stevenson H.S. (IL) 1038 3
Archimedean Upper Conservatory (FL) 1024 4
Chattahoochee H.S. (GA) 1012 5
Mounds View H.S. (MN) 980 6

Overall avg score 473

Thanks!
Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI

jander14indoor wrote:Great job to all the teams who competed! Many impressive robots and teams this year. Far fewer kits with simple mods, many robots with extensive 3D printed parts. A fairly wide variety of approaches were represented in the top 6.
No perfect score (1130?).
Solon's appeared to be largely manual with a well done master slave and some very clever aids to handle individual pennies and some very good execution by the team. They had the highest number of pennies in the center, 12. A couple out of the second ring, and a couple of heads up.
Varying degrees of automation among the other top teams.
Most used some sort of pattern to locate the pennies, and some way to spread/flatten the stacks.
A key for the pattern/corral was to get it to set flat to the surface.
Some clever designs that didn't score as well as they looked like they might be able to due to complexity.

School Score Rank
Solon H.S. (OH) 1105 1
Troy H.S. (CA) 1072 2
Adlai E. Stevenson H.S. (IL) 1038 3
Archimedean Upper Conservatory (FL) 1024 4
Chattahoochee H.S. (GA) 1012 5
Mounds View H.S. (MN) 980 6

Overall avg score 473

Thanks!
Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI

Thank you for having an organized and well run event!

This was BY FAR the best robot competition I experienced and it was run very well.

Two attempts brought the pressure down to a reasonable level; setup time allowed for scientific calibration and adjustment; the task was simple enough that everyone could compete, but complex enough that there were no perfect scores (amazing); simple scoring and layouts eliminated arbitration; easy course layout made making courses at invitationals or state competitions much easier and much more consistent (although - were the targets taped down at nationals?).

Archery target decoupaged with polyurethane to cement board. No opportunity to lift, wrinkle or tear.
Three boards made as identical as I could.

Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI

EMC314 wrote:This was BY FAR the best robot competition I experienced and it was run very well.

Two attempts brought the pressure down to a reasonable level; setup time allowed for scientific calibration and adjustment; the task was simple enough that everyone could compete, but complex enough that there were no perfect scores (amazing); simple scoring and layouts eliminated arbitration; easy course layout made making courses at invitationals or state competitions much easier and much more consistent (although - were the targets taped down at nationals?).

I second all of this. Thanks to the rules committee and the event supervisor for a great event. My partner and I are so sad to have it rotate out (but hopefully something good takes its place).

laidlawe18 wrote:something good takes its place

Mission Possible C

Well, I'll say that my team's high school team finished 24th in this event and beat (most notably) Ladue Horton Watkins and LASA.

Well - the boards/courses were very nice and you did a great job making them all very similar from what I could see!

But . . .doesn't rule 5b. say the target is to be "taped down on all sides or marked onto the Competition Area"?

Unome wrote:

laidlawe18 wrote:something good takes its place

Mission Possible C

No... how could you even make something CLOSE to a smile

What, decoupage isn't a way to "mark" the target on the board? I figured it was more consistent that trying to get that many accurate, concentric circles with a compass.

I would never have taped it down for nationals, not durable enough. That was added to make it easy for regional or state ES.

Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI