Professional Level: Tornado in the Lab
Created by: IEEE Student Branch
Story:
A Wichita laboratory has suffered a direct hit from an F4 tornado. There is a tremendous amount of damage and the jet propulsion engine that was undergoing testing has blown up! The fire department is unable to extinguish the blaze that started from the explosion.The lead scientist and other crew members are trapped inside the burning building, but the fire is so intense that the firemen cannot reach the room where they are trapped. We need a robot for this rescue mission.
The robot will need to go into theburning building and open the door to the Lab to allow thescientist and crew to escape. Next, the robot needs to go into the fuel chamber where gasoline is stored in cylinders. The robot must spray anti-pyro (fireproof) fluid on the cylinders so that they do not catch fire. When that is done, the robot must go to the data room where all the crucial test data is stored. There, the robot will press a button to send the stored data to another facility where it will be safe. Once all this is done, the robot needs to safely leave the building searching for survivors along the way in the lobby.
Bill of Materials:
| Name of item | Quantity | Price/item |
Where to buy |
What is it used for |
| 40"x60" White Foam Board |
1 |
$14.99 |
OfficeMax |
Base of the whole course |
| 20"x30" White Foam Board |
3 |
$2.68 |
Walmart |
Making walls |
| Red Duck tape |
1 |
$2.97 |
Walmart |
Covering walls |
| Black Electric tape 3/4" |
1 |
$1.97 |
Walmart |
Making Guider line |
| Elmers glue |
1 |
$1.57 |
Walmart |
Sticking and making walls |
| Cardboard |
1 or 2 |
free |
Your home |
Making doors |
| Soda can |
2 |
free |
Your home |
Gas Cylinders (for display only) |
| FoamBoard Cutter |
1 |
$4.50 |
OfficeMax |
Cutting foam |
|
Total |
$34.04 |
Drawings:
Drawing (PDF)
PIX of Locations (PDF)
Instructors for building hard disk (LEGO part) in PDF MLCAD model
Photos:
IEEE_PIX (PDF)
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader FREE!
Course Building Notes:
We have used a decorative wall cover in this course just to make the course look good. By no means do you need this in your model. We also use thingsmeantto makethe course look real.Again, you do notneed them if you build a practice course.
How to make walls?
Just cut strips of foam (1 inch width) and stack them on top of each other.
How high are the walls?
They are 2 1/4 inches high -- about 10 strips.
Do we have to make the broken corner just like the one in course?
No, that isjust to stop the robot from going out. In place of the broken corner you can simply build a wall.
What is the memory unit?
It is a structure made from LEGO bricks. It does not include an RCX.
Scoring:
| Open the door to the Lab and free the scientist and crew |
250 points |
| Come back to the guide tape |
50 points |
| Open the door to the fuel chamber |
100 points |
| Spray the anti-pyro fluid (stand in front of cans for 10 seconds) |
100 points |
|
Come back to the guide tape |
100 points |
| Press the button for data transfer |
100 points |
| If the block (hard disk) falls |
50 points |
| Come back to the guide tape |
50 points |
| Pass through the lobby searching for survivors (exit the building by passing the "End" wall) |
200 points |
| Exit the building without passing through the lobby |
100 points |
|
Total points |
1000 points |