New Horizons
Scenario
New Horizons is a space probe sent by the NASA in order to study the dwarf planet Pluto and its satellite Charon when it overflows them in 2015. Its trip will then continue toward Kuiper belt which Pluto and Charon are part of. New Horizons is the first spatial mission that explores this part of the Solar system. Due to the fact that they are so far, we know very little information about the celestial bodies found there. Even the best telescopes can hardly see them. Following its hovering over Pluto, you need to send a program to the probe so it can detect other dwarf planets still unkown to humankind. Level of difficulty
Programming : 2/3 Design : 3/3 Main function of the robot
The robot needs to be able to rotate in emptyness in order to detect a change in the ambiant light (star), detect and count the number of surrounding objects (planets) and differentiate their sizes Robot description
The robot of this challenge represents a satellite ​
provided with​
a hook or a hooking system and has to respect the following limits: A. Starting lenght : no limits B. Starting height : no limits but can not touch the ground C. Starting width : no limits D. Mass : no limits Area Description
The area of this challenge is made of a black circle with a white border around which the objects will be strategically placed. Furthermore, a carabiner will be suspended in the middle of the circle at a height of 50cm over the floor. In order to build this structure in class, we suggest using a wood board of 3,5” wide (8,9 cm), 1,5” thick (3,8cm) and 8’ long (243,8cm), well known as a 2x4x8, in between 2 desks. Carpet used
The carpet used for this challenge is the “sumo” carpet made of a black circle of 90cm diametre surrounded by a white border of 5cm wide. Description of the accessories
a. The suns
The sun is a 60W incandescent bulb placed in a lamp without a lamp shade. The bulb used is located 20cm above the floor. b. The small planets
The small planets have a dimension of ​
9​
cm x ​
9​
cm and are glued to the planet holder. ​
The center of the small planets is located 20cm above the floor. c. The big planets
The big planets have a dimension of ​
17​
cm x ​
17​
cm and are glued to the planet holder (the
same one used for the small planets). ​
The center of the big planets is located 20cm above the floor. If you would like to print the planets, you can download the file at the following link : https://www.dropbox.com/s/trx0900icfnlutg/2015­nouveau­horizons­planetes.pdf?dl=0 Description of a round
a.White Category
1. The team hooks its robot on the official carabiner and starts its program putting the robot on hold 2. The judge places the star and the planets ​
randomly on the white strip​
around the area. Three to five planets can be placed. They will all be the same size 3. The robot is activated by a touch, ​
color, ultrasonic or magnetic ​
sensor. 4. The robot will start by turning upon itself in order to find the star of the new solar system. Once the star is detected, the robot needs to stop in front of it and freeze for 5 seconds. The whole robot shall turn, not only the sensors. 5. It can then start turning in the opposite direction. Each time it detects a planet, a light signal needs to be emitted and be visible to the judge. 6. At the end of its rotation, the robot needs to stop in front of the star and display on the brick screen the number of planets detected. Scoring
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1H5VRGSAo5lZeXZdpIEloGN0TEmdzAw6UBSDkN9G1gF
Q/pub?w=953&h=174 b. Black category
1. The team hooks its robot on the official carabiner and starts its program putting the robot on hold 2. The judge places the star and the planets ​
randomly on the white strip​
around the area. Three to five planets can be placed. They will be of two different sizes. 3. The robot is activated by a touch, ​
color, ultrasonic or magnetic ​
sensor. 4. The robot will start by turning upon itself in order to find the star of the new solar system. Once the star is detected, the robot needs to stop in front of it and freeze for 5 seconds. The whole robot shall turn, not only the sensors. 5. It can then start turning in the opposite direction. Each time it detects a planet, a light signal needs to be emitted and be visible to the judge. 6. At the end of its rotation, the robot needs to stop in front of the star and display on the brick screen the number of planets detected ​
for each size​
. Scoring
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1lpmJsq1JFFr0_7Wnwa7kRgvUkX2Ywt0I­ZsT1gJQiyo/pub
?w=952&h=203 Questions/Answers
As the robotic season goes by, questions and precisions will be added to the challenge. Don’t forget to check the FAQ on our website for the latest changes.