Information below is from BEST Inc. website: www.bestinc.org

 

Robotics - Each team designs and builds a radio-controlled machine to accomplish defined tasks in a game-type format. Six weeks before the competition, the teams gather for Kick Off Day in early September at local hub sites where they receive identical kits of equipment (motors, r/c unit, batteries, etc.) and raw materials from which to build their machines, and a detailed set of game rules. The machines they build cannot weigh more than 24 pounds, must fit within a 24-inch cube, and must be built only from the raw materials supplied to them by the local hub.

 

Matches - In the robotics competition, four teams compete against each other in a series of 3-minute, round robin matches in a preliminary round. Each team gets to compete in a minimum of five matches. In a match, the robots "race" to determine which robot scores the most points performing certain tasks. The top scoring teams at the end of the preliminary round advance to a championship round.

 

 

BEST Vision

To excite our nation's students about engineering, science and technology to unlock their imagination and discover their potential

BEST Mission

To inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science, technology, and math through participation in a sports-like science- and engineering-based robotics competition

 

BEST is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization whose mission is to inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science, and technology through participation in a sports-like, science and engineering-based robotics competition.

BEST Facts

  • BEST Robotics Inc. (BRI) is a non-profit, volunteer organization based in Dallas, TX. Started in 1993 with 14 competing schools and 221 students, today BEST has over 700 middle and high schools and over 10,000 students participating each fall.
  • There is no fee for schools to compete in BEST.
  • BEST features two parallel competitions:
    • A robotics game, which is based upon an annual theme with four teams competing at once in a series of three-minute, round-robin matches.
    • The BEST Award, which is presented to the team that best embodies the concept of Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology. Elements include a project summary notebook, oral presentation, table display, and spirit and sportsmanship.

·  Each school is provided kits of equipment and parts, a set of game rules, and given six weeks to design, build, and test a small Radio/Controlled (R/C) robot that outperforms other robots.

·  Winning teams from local competition sites (called "hubs") advance to regional championship sites ("regionals").

·  Engineers and other technical professionals from local industries serve as team mentors who advise and guide students through the design and construction of their machines.

Story Line & Point Scoring for the BEST 2008 Robotics Competition "Just Plane Crazy"

Automation through the use of robots has been a manufacturing hallmark of the automotive industry for more than two decades. How can these techniques be applied to the aircraft industry to accelerate the assembly process and make it more efficient? Traditional assembly methods have historically required thousands of manual operations by skilled mechanics.

The experts at BEST Robotics Incorporated (BRI) have proposed that robots be used to solve this problem. Experts within the aircraft industry who have relied upon traditional methods believe this idea is "Just Plane Crazy" and have declined to pursue it.

BRI has decided to form its own company, BEST Aircraft, which will focus upon the BEST way to assemble an aircraft using robots that integrate BRAIN (BEST Robotics Advanced Instruction Node) control. Its four Divisions (Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow) will design and build robots that compete against each other to derive the most efficient manufacturing process. Each Division will have its own subassembly Warehouse and Assembly Area. The Divisions will share a common Delivery Center where assembled aircraft are flight-tested.

Point Scoring

Robot Tasks

  • Activate the tie-breaker/ Warehouse light switch
  • Remove Foreign Object Debris (FOD) and place in the Waste Disposal Area
  • Move aircraft subassemblies from the Warehouse to the Assembly Area
  • Completely assemble aircraft subassemblies
  • Place the completed aircraft in the Delivery Center
  • Place the completed aircraft at one of the three Flight Levels
  • Close the Warehouse doors when access is no longer needed
  • Turn off the Warehouse lights by deactivating the tie-breaker switch