With only 2.5 hours, can you build a self driving supermarket trolley or roller-coaster?
On July 29th, two teams of students from Burnside High School competed in the Epro8 challenge using various equipment to design and build a machine which fulfill the requirements of the selected challenge. Using their knowledge of Science, Mathematics, Electronics and problem solving skills, they tackled the challenges with valor and wit.
The Year 9 team competed in the morning and were looking good with their supermarket trolley driven around the course while blindfolded. One difficulty faced by the team was a faulty motor which was not detected till later in the competition. It led to some time wasted in troubleshooting what was wrong with the electronic setup. It was a great experience for the team as they worked together and found various possible solutions.
The Year 10 team competed in the afternoon, carefully designing and building their 'Tower of Terror' roller-coaster ride.
One of the difficulties they encountered was the triple swing on the roller-coaster track. The ball had to swing back and forth thrice as part of the 'ride'. So, the team built a motorized track which allowed the controller to swing it back and forth. The force of swing was hard to control as too much force would cause the 'rider' to swing out of track and too little would not be enough to swing the 'rider' to the next component. With perseverance and synergy of the team, they overcame the difficulties and completed all the tasks in this challenge.
Despite not being in the top three, the teams made a valiant effort and produced some truly amazing pieces of engineering under strict time pressure. This is truly an insightful experience for both teams as they pushed themselves to excel when faced with fierce competition and arduous challenges.