What kind of projects can you submit?
Robotics, HCI, home automation, RFID, art projects, useful mods & hacks,
fun/entertaining projects, etc. are the areas we like to focus on, but it’s
difficult to draw any hard lines. Have you made wireless entry into your car?
That works for us. Did you make an electric backyard catapult? That works too!
Are you creating a robotic army to enslave humanity? Sure, why not! Homebrew/DIY
projects are just as good as improving an off the shelf item.
Complete systems or components for systems are all welcome. If you created
a vision tool for a robot, a keyless entry lock, a system for interpreting sensor
inputs, part of a home automation system, or even an elaborate
Rube Goldberg machine,
that’s cool too! It could be some navigation or
voice recognition software or even a new drive train or gripper design. With or without our products, we love
projects that focus on solving particular problems because others can then use
those ideas in their own projects.
What probably won’t make the grade:
Projects like computer case mods that are purely aesthetic improvements won’t
thrill us. We’re looking for functionality. Mount some insectile legs
on that computer, add a few lasers, take it for a walk around the block; and
then we’ll be impressed.
If you love tinkering with new technologies, or repurposing existing products
for new and unique applications, then we want to hear from you!
Projects will be judged on the following criteria:
Wow factor - Just how much does your project make jaws drop?
Do people gasp in glee at the bright lights and noises? Do they slap their heads
at how brilliant the concept is? Your project can be either entertaining or
everyday useful, either kind can have zing. The more zing the more bling in
your pocket.
Ingenuity - How brilliant is your project? Is it just sorta
meh… or will it seriously pump up your geek cred? The more widgets, computers,
code, and electronics involved the more you’ll score in this category.
Creative Spunk - How far did your mind have to stretch into
the 4th dimension to come up with your project? Did you just invent another
way to put the toilet seat back down, or is it so out there that it needed not
one, but three flux capacitors? The farther projects are in the future, look
like they belong in an art museum, or maybe should be safely kept behind glass,
the more points awarded in this category.
Presentation, Documentation, & Explanation! - Describe what you built: Separate and
organize the content into sections, add some bullet points, etc. Don’t simply post a picture with a two
line description, nor a twenty line paragraph crunched with all of your documentation. Tell us what made
you think of of your project. Tell us the parts you used and the problems you solved. Be sure to add links
to all of the products you used! We don't expect you to cover every minor detail, but spend enough time with the presentation,
documentation & explanation so that others could duplicate the project if they wanted to try.
Qualifications:
- Embedded pictures and/or videos are required. If there is
no graphical element to your submission, it won't be counted. We want
to see media displayed in your post, rather than just links to the media. YouTube videos easily embed into posts. Use your best
judgment with what you believe is the best option to use that will do your
project justice: picture, video, both. If
you're having trouble with this, ask an admin or fellow forum member for
help.
- You have to post information, not just links to information.
External links are fine, just don't rely too much on external content to get
your point across. This will effect your score in the "Presentation,
Documentation & Explanation" category. Linking to products used in your project
is recommended.
- Include all relevant info about your project in your initial post.
If at any time you want to go back and edit your original post to add more
info, please feel free to do so. If people have questions about your
project, go ahead and answer them in the thread, but add the info to the
original post if you think it will expand people's understanding of your
project.
- Organization counts! Try to be clear and coherent. The more organized and easy to follow
your post is, the better chance you have at winning.
Remember: We want to see you win this contest! The more effort
that is put into your submission post, the better chance you have to win :)
To post your project go to Project
Showcase in our forums. Please use the
thread prefix [Contest Entry] to show us that you would
like to submit your project into the TR contest.
Good luck to everyone!
- The Trossen Robotics Team
** Certificate to: Trossen Robotics. All certificates are non-transferable and will not be accepted for cash.
"To have a great idea, have a lot of them." — Thomas Edison