Hi everyone! Finally, spring really IS around the corner, and this year we at Studica are marking the end of winter by introducing something we hope will become a new tradition for middle and high schools all over the country. No, it’s not an Easter Egg hunt…it’s even better than that! Without further ado, we are proud to announce the first annual fischertechnik Design and Engineering Challenge.

The fischertechnik Design and Engineering Challenge is a special competition, which is designed to locate and recognize those students who are most effectively and creatively able to solve various engineering related questions by utilizing the fundamentals of the design process in conjunction with fischertechnik parts and components. Each year’s competition will focus on a different task to be addressed, and this year the task concerns the construction of an automated machine for sorting materials…specifically marbles of various colors.

For many years, students in middle and high schools all across the United States have been learning about the fundamentals of engineering and the design process by building an automated marble sorter out of fischertechnik components. We’ve seen many examples of these creative machines as we have traveled to various schools and local competitions, as well as on scores of videos posted to internet sites such as YouTube. For this, the first annual fischertechnik Design and Engineering Challenge, our goal is to find the VERY best of the best, those special machines which most effectively and creatively address the task of sorting materials based on color. One winner will be selected from both the middle school and high school level and will be crowned “America’s Best Marble Sorter 2011”.

Here’s the task-–As the basic marble sorting exercise is usually to design and build an automated system which will sort three different colors of marbles quickly and accurately into separate storage bins, the task of this challenge is to build a machine that can sort the multiple colors…more than three… with the best  mix of speed, accuracy and creativity.

What materials and software must be used?—At least 90% fischertechnik components and parts *, including either the fischertechnik ROBO Interface or fischertechnik ROBO TX Controller. Third party sensors, as well as other third party materials, may be used as outlined specifically in the contest rules. You may use the ROBO Pro programming software, or other programming software of your choice, such as Microsoft Robot C, LabVIEW or Flowol.

Who can enter?– Schools may enter any number of teams. Teams will consist of 2 to 3 students, along with a supervising teacher or faculty advisor. Only students currently attending classes within a public or private middle or high school within the United States are eligible to participate. Registration is absolutely FREE.

Prizes to be awarded include–

First Prize: Engraved Trophy and $1,000 in fischertechnik Parts

Second Prize: $500.00 in fischertechnik Parts

Third Prize: $100.00 in fischertechnik Parts

We’re pretty excited about this contest, and we hope that you and your students will be too. If this sounds like something you want your school to be a part of, the next step is to gather your team members and sign up today. To get the rest of the details, and to download complete contest rules and registration forms, please visit www.fischertechnik.biz/challenge-2011

Of course, as always, if you have any other questions about anything else in the wonderful world of fischertechnik, please feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]. On that note, good luck with your designs, and until next time, happy building!

*Please see complete rules for more details.

**All prizes will be awarded directly to the school sponsoring each registrant, not to individual members.

Author: Lance Zurek