1. Warp XX Heartland BEST 2012 KICKOFF – September 15, 2012 NWOSU Campus
MALL DAY – October 13, NWOSU Campus
GAME DAY – October 26-27, 2012 Alva Rec Center

2. Welcome to Heartland BEST
Steve Maier
Heartland BEST Director

3. Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Welcome to NWOSU
Dr. Janet Cunningham
President
Northwestern Oklahoma State University

4. What is BEST? Boosting Engineering, Science & Technology
Founded in Texas in 1993 by two engineers
Student teams are guided by professional mentors and school coaches.
BEST has expanded to 14 states an over 800 participating schools.
Students have six weeks to design, develop, build and test a robot that can outperform their competitors.
Each team receives identical kits of parts
Winning teams from each Hub compete at the Regional competitions. (TX Best, South’s Best, Frontier Trails Best)

5. Regional competition…
Frontier Trails BEST in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
November 30 – December 1, 2012
Heartland BEST will send 4 teams.
(1st and 2nd place Game & 1st and 2nd place BEST Award)
Other hubs at our regional include:
Kansas BEST (Wichita, KS);
Billiken BEST (St. Louis, MO);
Northwest Arkansas BEST; (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
River Valley BEST (Ft. Smith, Arkansas);
Crowley Ridge BEST (Jonesboro, Arkansas);
NorthArk BEST (Harrison, Arkansas)
Bison BEST (Fargo, ND)
Mid-South BEST (West Memphis, Arkansas)

6. Heartland BEST Sponsors
Heartland BEST Robotics is a FREE competition – open to all schools!
This would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors!
Thank You!

7. Heartland BEST 2012 Sponsors
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Charles Morton Share Trust Foundation
Igus, Inc MathWorks
SolidWorks Innovation First Int’l
Pettit’s Carpet Rigg’s Advertising
Central Nat’l Bank Community Bank
State Farm Ins. Larry Schmidt
Tom Boren (Sandplum Consulting)
Thank You!

8. Heartland BEST 2012 17 Participating Teams
Burlington HS
Cheyenne HS
C.O.A.C.H. HS
Deer Creek HS (Edmond)
Elk City HS
Fairview HS
Inola HS
Kingston HS
Lawton Acad. of A&S HS
Oklahoma City Homeschool
Perry High School
Pratt High School
Shattuck High School
Team Phoenix Homeschool
US Grant HS
Western Heights HS
Wynona HS

9. Awards @ Heartland BEST
BEST Award
Game Award
Special Awards – most photogenic, most robust, most elegant, founders award
T-shirt Award
**Awards ceremony immediately following the game day competition

10. The BEST Award
All teams that compete are eligible (must inform HL BEST of intent to participate by Sept. 24th )
A panel of judges will evaluate each school using a 100 point grading system
Project Engineering Notebook 25
Marketing/Oral Presentation 25
Table Displays/Team Exhibit 20
Spirit and Sportsmanship 15
Robot Performance 15

11. Separate from the BEST Award and Game Award
Special Awards
Separate from the BEST Award and Game Award
Most Robust Robot - for the machine requiring the least maintenance during the contest. Robustness during matches, minimal maintenance required between matches, general sturdiness and durability.
Most Photogenic Robot - for the most eye-pleasing, functioning machine.
Most Elegant Robot - for the machine with best-of-show design and execution. The machine that makes you say, “Wow!”
Founders Award for Creative Design - for the most unusual approach to solving the problem. Utilizing creative, unusual, and/or unique offensive and/or defensive machine capabilities.
BEST T-shirt Design –judged at game day, voted on by teams. T-shirts to be turned in on Mall Day. (please submit a t-shirt on Mall Day)
Team participation Awards – teams will receive a participation plaque & picture

12. Robot Kits
Steve & Amber Maier
Heartland BEST
Kit Committee

13. Kits – Overview
Consumable Kit – PVC, plywood, wire, switches, hardware, adhesives, igus components, etc. Items can be modified, and can also be replenished by teams as needed.
Returnable Kit – Controller, microcontroller, batteries, chargers, electronic components, etc. In general, items cannot be modified.
HL BEST Items – Yellow toolbox, black SUV box, etc. (please take care of these items and return with your returnable kit at the end of the competition)

14. 5 Items for the kit to pick up before you leave today:
Returnables–yellow toolbox
Returnables–black carry case
Consumables–black SUV chest
Consumables–PVC pipe
Consumables–plywood
More info about kits at the Kit Workshop sessions

15. Heartland BEST Director
Heartland BEST 2012 deadlines, schedules, important dates, and policies
Steve Maier
Heartland BEST Director

16. Heartland BEST 2012 deadlines, schedules, important dates, and policies
Turn in Yellow Team Information Sheet today (if you do not have your list of team members, please that to next week)
BEST Award – Debra at by Monday, Sept. 24th if your team intends to compete for the BEST Award.
Table Displays done at Mall Day (Oct 13)
Project Notebooks Due at Mall Day (Oct 13)
Oral Presentations Friday afternoon/evening (Oct 26)

17. Heartland BEST 2012 deadlines, schedules, important dates, and policies
Please Check your regularly for announcements and other information
BEST Robotics Inc., policy – each participating team MUST have a full-time school employee at each Heartland BEST event (Kickoff, Mall Day, Game Day)

18. Information in the Kickoff Packet
Yellow Team Information Sheet – please turn-in today!
Heartland BEST 2012 – tentative schedule of events
KITS – list of returnables and consumables
BEST 2012 Generic Kit Notes & Generic Game Rules
Warp XX – the 2012 Game Specific Rules
BEST 2012 Game Field Drawings & Gm Field Parts List – printed copy NOT in packet – available on USB drive or online
BEST 2012 Awards and Judging Guidelines (Team Demographics Form, Scoring Sheets, BEST Award guidelines)
BEST 2012 Driver List – to be submitted on game day
Electronic copy of the Kickoff PowerPoint Presentation

19. Heartland BEST 2012 Important Dates
Kickoff – September 15
Teams receive kits and the rules are explained (Alva, OK)
Mall Day – October 13
Practice runs for robots, project engineering notebooks and table displays for BEST Award are due (Alva, OK)
Game Day – October 26-27
Robot game competition Saturday, 9am – 5pm; BEST Award oral presentations Friday afternoon/evening(10/26); awards ceremony after competition, winning teams advance to Frontier Trails BEST, November 30 – December 1, 2012.

21. Click on File Manager to access BEST files
Password: r1bb0n

22. Please contact us if you have questions.
Dr. Steve Maier (Director) and Amber Maier, Kit Committee, ,
Dr. Tim Maharry, Game Committee Chair, ,
Dr. Cindy Pfeifer-Hill, Sponsorship & Finance, ,
Mrs. Debra Hogan, BEST Award, ,
Visit us on the web at:

23. 2012 BEST Game Intro – Warp XX

24. 2012 BEST Game Intro –> Warp XX
OBJECTIVE:
Design and build a prototype robot to transport cargo and equipment on the space elevator tower during the three-minute match. There are a variety of tasks to do, to keep the space station operational.

25. 2012 BEST Game Intro –> Warp XX
What is a space elevator?

26. 2012 BEST Game Intro –> Warp XX
What is the BEST 2012 space elevator?

27. 2012 BEST Game field layout – Warp XX
RED Driver
GREEN Driver
Space Elevator
YELLOW Driver
BLUE Driver
Spotters

28. 2012 BEST Game field layout – Warp XX

29. 2012 BEST Game Intro –> Warp XX
Tasks for robot to accomplish:
Remove the Waste Cargo Balls from the base rack (tiebreaker)
Trigger the summit indicator flag at the Midway Station. (at top of space elevator)
Transport Light Cargo Balls from the cargo ship to the cargo bin on Midway Station.
Move the Waste Cargo Balls to the cargo ship.
Retrieve the Clear Fuel Bottle from Midway Station and store it on the base rack.

30. 2012 BEST Game Intro –> Warp XX
Tasks for robot to accomplish:
Install Solar Panels from the base rack onto the mounting studs at Midway Station.
Install Habitation Module at Midway Station.
Install the T-structure in either the front or back slot at Midway Station.

31. Midway Station

32. Base Rack
Solar Panels
Green Fuel Bottle
Waste Cargo Balls

33. Base Rack

34. Cargo Ship/Turntable Assembly

35. Game Pieces
Light Cargo Ball
Waste Cargo Ball

36. Game Pieces
Solar Panels
Green & Clear
Fuel Bottles

37. Game Pieces
Habitation Module

38. Game Pieces
T-structure

39. BEST 2012 – Game Scoring Game Piece Name Common Name Diameter
Max Weight
(Oz)
Point value (PV)
Starting Location
Scoring Location
#Pieces per Tower
Waste Cargo Ball
practice softball
**4” ? 1
Base rack
Spotter Rack 2
Light Cargo Ball
softball whiffleball 3
Midway Cargo Bin 4
Green Fuel Bottle
2-liter bottle
5.25” 7
Midway Magnetic
Mount
Clear Fuel Bottle 5
Midway Magnetic Mount
T-Structure
Foamboard
8” x 12” Tee
1.5x.75”
Stem 8
Floor near base rack
Midway T Slot
Solar Panel
6x8”; 1-3/4” hole
0.75”
thick
6 for each stud with a panel
Midway Solar Panel Stud
Habitation Module
cardboard hex prism, 11” long
9” across flats 9 12
Floor near Base rack
Midway Module Habitation Stud

40. BEST 2012 – Game Scoring Bonuses
Bonus Type
Achieved by
Additional Points
Fuel Tank Exchange Bonus
Placing clear fuel bottle from station into base rack holder and taking the green fuel bottle and attaching it to the mounting point on the station 4
Cargo Diversity Bonus
Scoring a lightweight cargo ball, a solar panel, and the T-structure 9
Rapid Turnaround Bonus
Scored if the entire robot is below the Space Zone at the end of the match 1
Summit Bonus
Toggling summit indicator at Midway Station 2

41. Robot examples

42. Robot examples

43. Robot examples

44. Match Play Four teams per match Three minute match duration
Preliminary Competition
6-8 matches for each team vs. randomly selected opponents, lowest score dropped
Semifinals – top seven teams + wild-card advance and play 3 additional rounds each;
Finals – top four teams advance and play 3 additional rounds each

45. Game Competition: Comments & Hints
READ THE RULES – ask questions if you are not sure!
Monitor the Q&A section on the website – many questions can be answered there (password: r1bb0n) Also, official documents are available on the website.
Drivers – practice, practice, practice
Read the rules again!!

46. Winning Teams Advance…
Frontier Trails BEST, November 30 – December 1, 2012, Fort Smith, Arkansas
We will send 4 teams
1st place BEST, 2nd place BEST, 1st place Game, and 2nd place Game automatically advance.
If one team qualifies in 2 of the above categories, then the 3rd place BEST team advances.

47. A message from the BEST Inc. Game Committee…
“Please encourage your teams to read the rules...and then read them again ... and then read the existing Q&A a couple times before asking a question….note that the Q&A is the ONLY and FINAL source of rule clarification…..with a bit of research, the vast majority of answers to your questions can be found by reading the rules and reading the existing Q&A”

48. Official Q & A
Password: r1bb0n

49. Concluding Remarks…
Revealing of the game field is next – in Percefull Field House
Distribution of Kits follows the demo – make sure you get your complete kit. (yellow toolbox, 2 black cases, PVC pipe, plywood)
Lunch starts at noon in the Coronado Cafeteria – compliments of Northwestern Oklahoma State University