[SF Event] Robotics Competition

[d7m fraser birk ♚ frankel]

Robotics Competition

Scrap metal and anything salvaged from the from the kitchen drawers are thrown together to make something humanlike, or maybe doglike? Each robot has its own purpose; to play, to save time, to waste time or be a complete burden on society.

Competitors were given a week’s notice to prepare and build a robot that has a very unique use. It must execute its desired purpose without any hitches as well as be pleasant to the eye.

The Rules
- Competitors were given a week to build a robot with a unique purpose.
- Competitors will be scored on: the purpose of the robot by giving a mini presentation to the judges, the robots appearance and how well it executes its purpose.
- Posts in this thread must be a minimum of 100 words long.
- 2 bonus points for an illustration of your robot.
- You have until 23:59 PST 2nd September to participate.

The Dice
Purpose - [*roll range="5-100"]
Appearance - [*roll range="5-100"]
Execution - [*roll range="5-100"]
Overall scores will be added together. Highest score wins.

Participants
1. Loïc Ursa
2. Tobin Stephanos
3. Joule Spark
More entrants welcome until the end of the event.

[admin kay]

LOïC URSA

It wasn't that they were only given a week to demonstrate genius.

It wasn't even that he was expected to devise a robot with a unique use. Picking a pencil out of a jumble of school supplies was far too easy!

No no.

It was that his creation, his miracle, had to be pleasant to the eye.

And just whose eye would that be?

His stomach soured. Without a doubt his famous cousin would be involved somehow. And what would the great victor think? Would he judge Loïc more harshly? Or would he be lenient, knowing the Ursa name was much a curse as a blessing? That puzzle - the questions surrounding Victor Ursa - stumped him more than the task at hand.

The structure was nothing extraordinary. Several rods formed the spine, a few welded bits a rib cage, arms made of forks. He'd sourced rubber and tread from tires to make the wheels and a butchered collinder with two buttons for a head. He'd made sure it could swivel all about.

When the judges called him, he walked upright, hands clasped behind his back, to the stage. His tidy but plain robot rolled exactly six feet behind him. On display, they turned as one to face the audience. "This," he said, taking time to gaze into the eyes of every judge, "is my robot. He can roll," and as he said it, the robot did, rolling forward and then back to position zero. "He can spin." The robot did so. "He can come," Loïc beckoned and the metal thing obeyed. "And he can go." He flexed his hand and the robot whirred off the stage.

A smattering of applause.

"And what makes him so - UNIQUE??" He lifted his voice, shouting into the far reaches. He drew his palms together, pressing them close, and uttered: "that he is completely mine and will only respond to my commands. My imagination. Thank you."

Purpose - aX8CBjP1QT5-100
Appearance - 5-100
Execution - 5-100

5-100·5-100·5-100

[10th retro gm | paxton hayes]

Tobin Stephanos

Tinkering with scrap metal to build a robot is fun but being in district six and seeing something other than district three is even more fun. Tobin has spent his life learning to build robots and other things with technology. Not once has he spent a week creating something to win a title, though. A week isn't enough time, yet Tobin knows the importance of making it work. Several times he's scrapped what he created to start something new in hopes it would bigger and better. But time is running out, and now the only thing he has to do is try to make something that is better than mediocre if that's even possible. With a heavy sigh, he carries his creation. Being proud of what he made is hard because it's not up to his standards, but maybe this is a chance to show that even in the shortest amount of time, he can build something great.

Purpose
Ky3pjgwv855-100

Appearance
5-100

Execution
5-1005-100·5-100·5-100

[hesper hart 🐺 d9f]

VAN

Technically they were only supposed to have 7 days to build their robots, and Van honored that, but he'd also already been brainstorming about building it for months at that point- just didn't end up getting around to it until he found out he could be rewarded for it. Plus, you know, free trip to District Six! His dad had always hailed this place as some kind of motherland- the birthplace of all knowledge, the standard in which he built himself and his business to uphold itself to. Part of him thought getting here would offer some sort of closure or something. Now that he was here... It's just a more daytime-friendly Three, like someone had gone out and replaced the cracked sidewalks with cobblestone while no one was looking and now he was expected to believe he was someplace different. He clapped his hands together, ready to begin his presentation as he came to a stop at the front of the stage in his display. The robot wasn't exactly pretty- again, only had a week to build it- but he figured it wouldn't matter so long as he really showed up with a cool idea. It was small, cube-shaped, almost like an oven with wheels. "By creating a very small hole in the stem- or where the stem was- of a fruit using this little arm here," he explained, gesturing to a small arm, which contained a special retractable needle-like instrument within it, "it can predict how ripe it is! Well, more specifically, it reads sugar levels, measures water content, and inspects the integrity of the fruit's skin." He held up a red delicious for them all to see. "Eventually, this will have different settings for different fruits but this one is currently only programmed for apples." He sat it onto the table in favor of a small remote, pressed a button, and watched as the robot's little arm extended, punctured through the top of the apple, and began blinking with crude white light. Maybe he really should have focused a bit more on appearance- something about it felt almost medical now. After a short wait, his remote beeped, and he held it up for the judges to see. "Here are the results!" Purpose: fzd8JUVr125-100 Appearance: 5-100 Execution 5-100

5-100·5-100·5-100

[kap]

Joule Spark

Did you see the sparks filled with hope?
You are not alone

♛

The robot that Joule decided to build was inspired by one that her brother had created back around the time of the 73rd Games. He'd built what he'd called "The Firefly", which was a little light-up robot that flittered around in the air when he controlled it with a remote. It didn't have much of a real purpose (aside from looking pretty and bringing some smiles), so Joule decided to create her own with a more practical function.

She made a small flying robot, but made sure it wouldn't be too small, as it would be supporting some weight: she created it with the purpose of carrying letters. It was strong enough to carry an envelope with a letter inside, or perhaps a rather light package, and had a flashing LED "spotlight" on the front of it to alert people as to where it was so it didn't get run into, since it wasn't super high-flying, flying about six feet in the air on average.

It functioned pretty well, from what she could tell. She was definitely one of the older and more experienced people here, so it might have given her an advantage, but that was still to be seen. Kids could be pretty smart. One could certainly outperform her if she wasn't careful.

word count: 213
lyrics: "Flares" by The Script

Purpose - lPhqZm0TNo5-100

Appearance - 5-100

Execution - 5-100

5-100·5-100·5-100

[Tom]

W A L L Y
M C C O Y

Robotics wasn't my style really. Joey on the other hand loved robots. My little brother had schematics of robots he'd tried to build through the years of our childhood, but none quite made it to full functionality. While I normally would support his decisions, nothing prepared me for the question he asked me out of the blue. A robotics competition complete with an entire judging panel and while I had fully supported him in his endeavors, I could see that pleading smile and puppy dog eyes on his face. The words still as clear as day from my own lips. "You can't be serious?" The only problem is I was weak to a sad little Joey. Anything he wanted, he got, even if it costed me an arm and a leg to freaking get.

All there was to lose was my own pride. A sigh is all I gave him as I agreed to being apart of his project. The glee was enough to know my decision had been the right one. So, we spent weeks building it in my room. Gears, nails, coils, and all sorts of stuff thrown around my room. It'd taken a good part of the time to complete and despite Joey's whines of imperfection, it was good enough to compete. At least, I hoped it would be. With the little bot in my hands, standing in line for my turn. I could only feel the way my hand twists. Someone calls for me and I only can whisper one thing to the air.

"C'mon, my brother's counting on me to show the bot off perfectly. No errors please."

Purpose - sZPwB7ZFz05-100
Appearance - 5-100
Execution - 5-100

5-100·5-100·5-100

[[ retro gm ] angel lí ✨]

wolf turing;

It occurred to me, perhaps seventeen years too late, that despite the family I was born into I could use my talents for good. Take the spare parts from the basement and the blueprints from the attic and reverse their intent. It won't take back what the Turings have created, nor wipe up any of the blood shed in the gallons by their hands, but it's a start. A flicker in the dark, a last breath. A chance to help me sleep a little easier at night. A single step towards shaping my own fate, not the one bestowed upon me by this cursed legacy.

"Hello, um-" I clear my throat, not used to speaking in front of so many people. Chin up, shoulders back, pretend. "This is a MedicAid. It's designed to speed up the process of bandage and salve application in hospitals."

And the arena, I think with a swallow.

I take a knife and slice my palm clean, wincing slightly as the blood seeps red. I try not to think about how much the inventions from the brains of my family have spilled. Penance - or at least a start.

An L.E.D light shines blue on my skin, turning the blood purple. Immediately a squirt of anti-bacterial gel lands on my palm, then the bandages begin their motions. A little tight, a little wonky - but the idea's there.


Purpose
pt9y5H74_Y5-100
Appearance
5-100
Execution
5-100

5-100·5-100·5-100

[d7m fraser birk ♚ frankel]

1st place - Wally with a score of 222 (3 bonus SF points)

2nd place - Loïc with a score of 188 (4 bonus SF points)

3rd place - Van with a score of 170 (3 bonus SF points)


Wolf - 158 (2 bonus SF points)
Tobin - 123
Joule - 98 (2 bonus SF points)