Hack-a-Thing Competition

Competition Details

Overview

The Hack-a-Thing Competition is an annual competition hosted by the Invention Studio at Georgia Tech, a student-run organization, where students of all majors form teams to tackle problems and build devices to increase the efficiency of industrial automation. The 2019-20 year’s competition will involve two separate challenges – Sift ‘n Screw and Pick ‘n Sort

Overall Rules: 

  • All rules and details will be finalized by the 18th of August, 2019. Any changes made onwards will be for clarity or overall participant benefit.
  • Teams can have a max of 5 members.
    • All competitors must be Georgia Tech students.
      • All majors and grade levels are welcome
    • No more than 1 member from previous years winning team can be on the same team
    • Organizers may host several events to provide opportunities to find team members.
  • An individual/team can submit their Intent to Compete for both challenges but must pick only one of the challenges for subsequent competition phases.
  • All team members must be present on the day of competition finals unless a valid reason is provided
  • Both challenges will have the same overall award opportunities (see award details here).
  • No specific Mechatronics kits are required, however, TI systems are highly encouraged.
  • Competition sponsors and organizers may host several training workshops over the course of the competition.
  • An NDA with BMW must be signed by all participants that pass through Phase 2 (accepted to Phase 3: Semi-Finals) to assign IP rights to BMW and continue in the competition
  • All participants need to join the page for the competition: “Hack-a-Thing 2019-20” (HAT_201920) on Canvas using this link: https://gatech.instructure.com/enroll/NRMDLK

Phases/TimeLine

Phase 1 – Intent to Compete – Due: Saturday, September 14th, 11:59 pm

  • Individuals or teams may submit the Intent to Compete. Teams may be formed or changed at a later date.
  • All participants need to join the competition page Hack-a-Thing 2019-20 (HAT_201920) on Canvas using this link: https://gatech.instructure.com/enroll/NRMDLK
  • Eligible entries may receive feedback from organizers.
  • An individual/team can submit an Intent to Compete for both challenges but must pick only one of the challenges to participate in for the following competition phases.
  • Participants will provide a PDF with the following information:
    • Name(s), email(s), major and academic standing (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate) of all team members.
      • Team Name Optional
    • Abstract (min. 200 words) describing the basic understanding of the project and challenge and the chosen approach to solving.
    • A Design Overview section to describe the concept with sketches (could be hand-drawn, but CAD highly encouraged) that show its parts and how it operates.
      • Identify and list all planned sources of energy required to operate the device.
  • Updates or multiple submissions may be made until the submission deadline.
  • Accepted entries will be informed on a rolling basis so don’t wait until the deadline to submit. Get accepted sooner and start working on Phase-2!   
  • Submit on the Competition’s Canvas page by joining here

Phase 2 – Multi-media Demonstration of Concept – Due by October 1st, 11:59 pm.

  • Only accepted entries from Phase 1 will be invited to proceed to this phase.
  • A team of 2 – 5 students must be formed at this time.
  • Teams are to submit a presentation with a maximum length of 5 minutes in the form of a video link to YouTube  with the following components:
    • An overview of various components of the system, size, and operation of the team’s device, with CAD highly encouraged.
    • A demonstration of any physical mockups/parts of the device.
    • The device’s motion should be demonstrated in CAD software, if relevant.
    • You are responsible for making sure the video link is fully functional, and any videos over 5 minutes on YouTube will not be considered. Be mindful that Youtube often adds a few seconds to the video length, therefore it is highly recommended that you give yourself some cushion and watch the video over.
  • The top 15 teams from each challenge will advance to the Semi-finals (Phase-3).
  • Teams that pass this phase will receive access to $500 in reimbursements to build their system prototype.
    • Please make sure to store all original receipts in order to request reimbursement.
    • Reimbursements will be processed after the final competition.

Phase 3 –  Semi-Final Demonstration of Full Concept – Held during November 15th-16th.

  • Participants will pick time slots during which they will demonstrate the full functionality of the device or end-effector to complete the challenge.
  • Signup link for time slots for semi-finals is here: TBA
  • Organizers/Sponsors will provide design recommendations.
  • The top 8 teams will advance to the finals.

Final Competition – Held on January 31st.

  • The top teams from phase 3 will compete with their entire device in their respective challenge’s work environment.

 

Challenges

Challenge: Sift ‘n Screw

Background: 

Robots are commonly used to automate routine tasks in a factory environment. A UR-5 Robot Arm, equipped with a power screwdriver, is used to drive screws at various locations within an automotive component. A bin full of screws are available, but they need to be picked up, properly oriented and fed to the power screwdriver in order to truly automate the screw driving process. The screw bit on the screwdriver is magnetic.

Problem Statement:

Enable a UR5 to pick up only one screw at a time that can be used to fasten parts. Screws will be placed in a bulk container to start. More UR5 details are listed here.

Design Constraints:

  • Screws must be picked up from a separate apparatus due to space limitations.
  • Screw feeders directly on the robot are not allowed.
  • The orientation of the picked-up screw must match the orientation of the screw bit.

View full challenge details and rules here

 

Challenge: Pick ‘n Sort 

Background: 

A number of black-and-white rounds shaped rubber plugs from an assembly line fall to the ground below and must be picked up. Currently, the plugs are collected by broom or vacuum and are either discarded or must be manually sorted in order to have them be reintegrated into the supply.

Problem Statement:

Collect and sort four different sizes of plugs into separate groups so that they can be fed back into production.

Design Constraints:

  • No use of the UR5 robot arm for the process due to space
  • 4 different sizes of plugs: 12mm, 20mm, 25mm, 35mm
    • 100 of each in the competition area will be dropped in at the start
  • The design can collect them as they fall or after they are on the ground
  • Plugs must not be picked up directly by a human hand

View full challenge details and rules here

 

Competition Awards

Total of 30,000$ in prizes across both challenges. Full Details Here.

 

2018 Competition Page

Hosted By:

Sponsored By: