Preparation

First stage
Stage Two
Stage Three
Assembly Kit
Tool

The competition is held in several stages in the mode of face-to-face competition of teams. Teams work autonomously, in a specially designated area with a time limit.

First stage

Each team must assemble three (!) models in three hours, each with a different principle of movement. There are five such principles, but each team uses three of them, in accordance with its age group, and competes with its peers.

Age group 9 – 11 years		Age group 12 – 18 years
moving by steps using four supports (king of animals)
displacement caused by the oscillating motion of the lower element (jumping rat)		movement by means of rotating wheels (dragon bus)
movement by means of multiple supports (crack ant)		movement by crawling (crawling larvae/bug)

 
The models to be assembled must include:

• electromechanical lower part, providing movement of the model, and
• decorative upper part.

The electromechanical lower part, which ensures the movement of the model, is assembled during the first stage only from parts included in identical kits, distributed to all participants before the start of the competition.

The decorative upper part is made by the participants before the competition from their own materials. It can reproduce fairy tale and/or cartoon characters, fictional characters or designs, or other.

The originality of the upper part and its logic in combination with the lower part are assessed by the judges. Thus, the project of the future model should be thought out long before the start of the competition.

The final stage of the first stage is the jury’s assessment of the models’ compliance with the weight and size requirements by placing the models in a measuring box:

• height – no more than 35 cm;
• width – no more than 22 cm;
• length – no more than 40 cm;
• weight of the assembled model – no more than 700 grams.

Second stage

The second stage consists of three competitions of assembled models: a relay race, an elimination race and a tug-of-war.

Relay is a sequential activation of one model by the next using microswitches installed on the models. The first launched model must reach the second model and turn it on by pressing the switch installed on the model. Accordingly, the second model must similarly include the third model. The 32 teams that showed the best results in the Relay are admitted to the next competition.

Knockout race is a relay race, but with two models: for the age group 9-12 years - a model that moves using oscillating movements (jumping ret), and a model that moves using multiple supports (crack ant); for the age group 12+ - a model that moves using four supports (king of animals), and a model that moves using wheels (dragon bus).

8 teams with the best results in the Elimination Races are allowed to proceed to the next competition.

Tug of war is a competition in which two models of the same lower part design are connected to each other with a rope. For the age group of 9-12 years, this is the king of animals model (movement by means of four supports); for the age group of 12+, this is the crawling larvae model (movement by means of crawling). The model that outpulls the other wins. Based on the results of this final competition, three winning teams are determined.

Third stage

The third stage is a judicial assessment of the assembled models for their compliance with the criteria:

• aesthetics of perception;
• rationality of the material used;
• adequacy of taking into account the properties of the material;
• realistic reproduction of movement;
• smoothness of movement;
• quality of assembly by hand;
• uniqueness and ability to perform additional functions.

Assembly kit

• 2 sets for gearbox assembly
• 2 electric motors
• 1 set of screws and nuts
• 3 metal axles
• 2 plastic tubes
• 2 wires
• 2 battery compartments
• 2 dense plates
• 20 flat rounded sticks

 

Tool

Only mechanical tools may be used to assemble the lower part; electromechanical tools are not permitted.

Participants may bring the following tool with them:

• hand-held mechanical drill or brace,
• Phillips screwdriver;
• pliers;
• nippers;
• hacksaw;
• jigsaw;
• wood drill bit set;
• file;
• fine and coarse sandpaper;
• glue gun (battery-powered);
• glue;
• a set of clamps;
• a ruler;
• a pencil;
• a workbench or flat board that allows you to do the work without damaging the table.