Q & A

Please send questions to Fredi Lajvardi coachfredi@hotmail.com

We will answer the questions as soon as possible and post the answers here for all to see. Thanks!

1. Is the due date as it says on the website (April 30, 2009)?

No...it was a mistake, we fixed it is now April 30 2010

2. Does "tagging" Nessie involve attaching the radio tag to Nessie or simply having it make contact with Nessie?

Yes. You must physically attach the radio tag to Nessie

3. What exact metal is Nessie made of?

It will be metal that a magnet can stick to.

4. Must the radio tag be "fired" through the launch gate and targeting array? That is, can the robot carry the tag through the gate and array?

Yes, you must release the radio tag from behind the launch gate without passing the ROV through it, and the radio tag must also travel through the targeting array. No the Radio tag cannot be carried to Nessie. The radio tag must be untethered.

5. How are the targeting array switches activated?

The NDC will notify you during the mission what zone Nessie has been detected in, red, green or blue. You will also be given coordinates as to where the targeting array switch is for that zone. To activate it you merely flip the toggle switch.

6. Must the bait containers be opened? How is this accomplished?

Yes, the bait container must be activated by rotating the the square handle 90 degrees and it will release a glowing floating bait that will be attached to the bait container and float about a foot above it. 

7. How much do the bait containers (with the bait inside) weigh?

They will be slightly negative under water. and they will have a magnet on the bottom, so when placed in the base they will stay put.

8. Must we use the provided temperature probe, or can we use our own
temperature probe?

You may use you own in addition to ours, but the reading on ours is what counts.
 

9. How much will Nessie's egg weight in water?

It will be filled with water so it will be ever so slightly negative due to the material that the ball will be made out of.

10. When you say “Untethered” are you referring to the ROV that is carrying the tag or the tag its self cannot have a tether attached to it.  Or are we looking at some way to launch an untethered radio tag at Nessie?

Your ROV may be tethered. It is the radio tag delivery system that must be untethered. Basically from ROV to Radio tag delivery system cannot be tethered. Like a "torpedo"

11. Do we get to preload our glowstick radio tag into our torpedo before
competition?

You get the glow stick right before you go on deck for your mission. It will given to you during queuing

12. Do we only get one glowstick or can we load multiple glowsticks into
separate torpedoes?

You will get three to do with what you wish

13. Will the bait be in the water or will it be on the side of the pool
as the picture suggests when the round starts?

It will be on the side of the pool in your staging area

14. For the live video feed will we need two RCA connectors, one for our
tv and one for live broadcasting or do you have that all put together
in one connections?

You will need to provide for your own video and you will need to split the signal for the live broadcast. Basically you will need two signals. Radio Shack makes a good signal splitter

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103065

15. Do we have to provide our own television?

Yes for your usage you must provide your own monitor.

16. When we bring the egg to the surface, does someone grab the egg and
put it into the incubator or does the robot have to do this by itself
in some fashion?

A person can do it, or if your robot can do it, I would like to see that!
 

17. Do we have 35 minutes total for the mission including setup and break
down or is that an additional 5 minutes for each making the total
mission time 45 minutes?

You have 35 minutes to do the mission, set up is part of that 35 minutes. Break down is not

18. How many students are allowed to operate the robot during any
particular round?

from the rules

On the pool deck where the mission takes place, no more than 6 people with three additional members for an additional ROV can represent a team. There can be one adult for grade school teams on deck. If they participate (drive or copilot) in the mission there will be a penalty or max score. They may work on ROV with students without penalty. High school teams are not allowed adults on deck during the missions (except for one photographer). University or corporate teams are allowed unlimited adults

19. Is there a limit on how long we have to charge our batteries using
"Green" methods?

They will be allowed to be charged practically the whole time the pits are open during the daylight hours

20. Does using ethanol count as "Green"?

As long as you can show that you are reducing your carbon footprint, yes.

21. What are the restrictions regarding the "torpedo" device? Is it
allowed to be self powered and motorized? If so, what if any are the
restrictions on rpms, torque, etc. ?

from the rules

**Info on Radio tag (Glow stick) You can come up with what ever delivery system you like, but it must be untethered. The radio tag, or glow stick, must be visible after it has been deployed and through the duration of its flight through the water, This way we can see where it is going under water. We will have video and a diver watching to see where it goes. Nessie is metallic and you should take that into consideration for making the radio tag stick to her. For safety reasons, the radio tag delivery system must not be able to exceed 20 feet per second  while deployed in air!****

22. Will the locations of objects in the pool be randomized or will objects remain in the same locations between rounds?
 

They will probably stay the same, I cannot see why at this time they would be moved. However we retain the right to change if it becomes apparent that we need to do so.

23. Will the sound of Nessie's screaming be continually looping or will there be a specific timeframe in which to record the sound? Are we allowed to record this sound from the poolside? Approximately how loud in dB will the sound be, and will there be other sounds to interfere with the screaming noise?

When Nessie is hit with the radio tag then she will make a sound. It will not be a loop. There will be a specific time frame. The sound must be played live. There is  no allowing recording and playback later . You would be able to easily hear the sound underwater and possibly out of the water with the unaided ear. I cannot tell you the decibels at this time. There are the scuba divers under water that will also make sounds underwater.
 

24. How much torque will be required to open the valve in the bait container?

The threads are half way exposed. It is extremely easy to turn with your hand. We will attempt to get some kind of torque measurement for you.

25. Can the torpedo have independent battery power?

YES

26. After detecting Nessie can the rest of the mission be done in any order? And are there any other sequence constraints?

YES,  No

27. Do we have to retrieve the tagging device after tagging Nessie?

NO

28.  For prop construction, what type of lights are used on the targeting ring?

LEDS that we can select the one of the three colors

29. For the registration, where do we mail the check to?

The address is now on the website and it will be on your invoice when you get it.

APASE 3029 N. Alma School Rd. Suite 107-74 Chandler, AZ 85224

30. From the Google sketch of the Nessie egg we measure ~29 in diameter.  Is there a particular ball that you are using as a model for the Nessie egg.  A basket ball measure 23 cm in diameter.  We are having  troubles locating something to use as a prop

We will finalize that this weekend or next. We are trying to find a plastic beach ball about 2 feet in diam. Once we get it we will inform everyone what exactly it is. The beach ball will be filled with red food colored water so if it is punctured we will see it. At least that is the plan anyway.... (Update) It is now 9 inches in diameter)