CAT B CHALLENGE BOOKLET 2018 JOINTLY ORGANISED BY: SUPPORTED BY: PARTNERS: Page 1
CHANGE LOG Version Release Date Description 1.0 06 Nov 2017 Official challenge booklet release Page 2
CONTENTS SINGAPORE AMAZING FLYING MACHINE COMPETITION 2018... 4 1. INTRODUCTION... 4 2. CATEGORIES... 4 3. GENERAL SAFMC 2018 RULES... 6 4. FORMAT OF COMPETITION... 7 4.1 PRESENTATION... 7 4.2 CHALLENGE... 8 4.3 COMPETITION SCHEDULE... 8 5. CATEGORY B AWARDS... 9 5.1 THE CHAMPIONSHIP AWARD... 9 5.2 THE BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD (B1)... 10 5.3 THE BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD (B2)... 10 5.4 THE MOST CREATIVE AWARD... 10 5.5 THE THEORY OF FLIGHT AWARD... 10 5.6 THE BEST PRESENTATION AWARD... 11 5.7 THE BEST AESTHETIC AWARD... 11 5.8 MYSTERY AWARD... 11 5.9 MERIT AWARD... 11 5.10 PRIZES... 12 6. CATEGORY B: UNPOWERED GLIDER - LAUNCHER... 13 7. CATEGORY B: UNPOWERED GLIDER CHALLENGE B1... 17 7.1 SCORING FORMAT... 17 7.2 LAUNCHING PROCEDURES... 20 7.3 GENERAL RULES & REGULATIONS... 21 8. CATEGORY B: UNPOWERED GLIDER CHALLENGE B2 (OPTIONAL)... 23 8.1 SCORING FORMAT... 23 8.2 LAUNCHING PROCEDURES... 23 8.3 GENERAL RULES & REGULATIONS... 23 9. PRESENTATION... 24 10. COMPETITION DAY: FLOW OF EVENTS... 25 10.1 CHALLENGE B1... 25 10.2 CHALLENGE B2... 26 Page 3
SINGAPORE AMAZING FLYING MACHINE COMPETITION 2018 1. INTRODUCTION Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition (SAFMC) is an exciting and unique event organised by DSO National Laboratories and Science Centre Singapore, and supported by Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). Open to all schools and students who want to explore the science behind flight and create their very own flying machines, this annual competition promises a fun-filled learning journey with special talks, workshops and live demonstrations. 2. CATEGORIES CATEGORY A PAPER PLANES Each team should consist of TWO (2) to THREE (3) members. Category A1: Paper Planes (Primary Schools) Design and fold paper planes to achieve the longest, farthest or most accurate flight. Category A2: Paper Wonders (Primary Schools) Design and fold paper wonders to demonstrate showmanship and creativity. CATEGORY B - UNPOWERED GLIDERS Each team should consist of TWO (2) to FIVE (5) members. Category B1: Furthest Distance (Secondary Schools / Integrated Programme) Design and build small unpowered gliders to be bungee-launched from designated launcher in a bid to fly the furthest. Category B2: Longest Time Aloft (Secondary Schools / Integrated Programme) Design and build small unpowered gliders to be hand launched in a bid to stay aloft the longest. Page 4
CATEGORY C RADIO CONTROL FLIGHT Category C1: Fixed Wing Radio Control Flight (Secondary Schools / Integrated Programme / Junior Colleges / Institute of Technical Education) Each team should consist of TWO (2) to FIVE (5) members. Design and build a small remote-controlled fixed-wing air platform to navigate an obstacle course. Category C2: FPV Flight (All Schools) Each team should consist of ONE (1) to THREE (3) members. Bring or design a FPV (first-person view) air platform to navigate an obstacle course. CATEGORY D SEMI-AUTONOMOUS / AUTONOMOUS Each team should consist of TWO (2) to FIVE (5) members. Category D1: Semi-Autonomous (Polytechnics/Universities) Design and build a semi-autonomous small air platform to perform a multitude of tasks in an indoor open course. Category D2: Autonomous (Polytechnics/Universities) Design and build an autonomous small air platform to perform a multitude of tasks in an indoor open course. CATEGORY E UNCONVENTIONAL (Open to Public) Each team should consist of TWO (2) to FIVE (5) members. Design and build unconventional air platforms or showcase co-operative technology, and demonstrate its flight within a confined indoor area. Page 5
3. GENERAL SAFMC 2018 RULES The deadline for the competition registration is 31 January 2018. Participants registered under a school must be a full-time student at the point of competition. Home-schooled participants and teams consisting of students from different schools should register as Independent teams. Participants will be notified upon successful registration within two weeks of the registration deadline. The decision made by the SAFMC organising committee is final, and is subject to the availability of the competition schedule and logistics support. Each member can only participate in one team within a category. However, the person can participate as a member in different categories, i.e. a person can be a member for a team in Category B and another team in Category C but the person cannot be a member for two teams in Category B. Teams are allowed to take part in categories higher than their educational standard, i.e. Primary school students are allowed to take part in Category B, C, D or E. Secondary school students are allowed to take part in Category C, D or E. Members and family members of the organising committee are not allowed to participate in SAFMC. The organisers reserve the right to amend the rules and regulations. In the event of any change, all teams will be informed FOUR (4) weeks prior to the start of the competition. Prizes will be awarded to the designated recipient(s), stated in the registration form. A safety net will be set up around the perimeter of the competition field for Categories B, C, D, and E. There will be a top net approximately EIGHT (8) meters above the ground, which will limit the maximum flight altitude of flying machines. During the challenge attempts, teams are strongly encouraged to fly their aircraft a safe distance from the netting to avoid accidental entanglement. Page 6
The organisers of SAFMC 2018 will not be held responsible for any damage to, or the loss of, any flying machine(s) throughout the entire competition. All participants will be held responsible for the safe flying of their flying machine(s) throughout the entire competition. The organisers reserve the right to ground the flying machine(s) of any team. For any queries regarding the competition, please send an email with the title addressed to the relevant category (e.g.: [CAT B] - Clarification about task locations) to the following email address: SAFMC@science.edu.sg 4. FORMAT OF COMPETITION Once the teams have confirmed their registration for the competition, they are expected to start work on the different aspects of the competition, the Challenge and the Presentation (excluding Category A2, B2 and C2 which do not require presentation). Teams are encouraged to give equal attention to both the Challenge and the Presentation aspects of the competition. The top team from each category will be bestowed with the championship award to be presented at the SAFMC 2018 Awards Presentation Ceremony on 7 April 2018. 4.1 PRESENTATION During the presentation for Category B1, teams will be allocated a specific time slot to present about their flying machine in Science Centre Singapore. Teams will present their flying machine design and learning journey in this competition to a panel of judges. These teams will be assessed for a number of awards. The presentation plays an integral part for teams who wish to vie for the SAFMC Championship Award. Teams that do not bring their flying machines for the presentation will be disqualified immediately. Depending on the category, there may be additional requirements to the Presentation segment. Page 7
The Chief Referee or Judge for each category reserves the right to deduct points if the flying machine used in the Challenge is drastically different from the flying machine presented in the Presentation. 4.2 CHALLENGE For the Challenge aspect, teams should expect the following during the course of the competition: The competition hall will open at 8 am. Only registered team members of the participating teams can enter the competition hall from 8 am to 6 pm. As for spectators, there is a separate entrance to the spectator hall and they are not permitted within the competition zone (playing field and team booths). 4.3 COMPETITION SCHEDULE Date Event 20 October 2017 Challenge Announcement (Category D and E) 26 October 2017 Challenge Announcement (Category A, B and C) November 2017 - March 2018 Workshops. For more details, please visit www.safmc.com.sg 31 January 2018 Deadline for registration 29 March 2018 Category A 2 April 2018 Category B 3 April 2018 Category C1 4 April 2018 Category D1 5 April 2018 Category D2 and E 6 April 2018 Category C2 7 April 2018 Awards Presentation Ceremony Page 8
The venue of the competition, from 29 March 2018 to 7 April 2018, will be Science Centre Singapore Annexe Hall. Participants will be informed of any changes to the above schedule for the various categories by 15 March 2018. 5. CATEGORY B AWARDS The judges make all scoring decisions and their decision is final. For arbitrary cases, the organising committee will have the final say. There is no limit to the number of awards that a team can win, but there may not be a winner for every award. Awards may not be given out if the team do not meet the minimum standard determined by the SAFMC organisers, or if there are insufficient participants for each category. The winning flying machine may be displayed in Science Centre Singapore for public viewing after the Award Presentation Day. 5.1 THE CHAMPIONSHIP AWARD This is the most prestigious award that any team can win. It is bestowed on the team that embodies the spirit of SAFMC. Teams are considered for the Championship Award based on their overall excellence and total learning experience during the course of the competition. Award Weightage Performance (B1) 50% Creativity 10% Theory of Flight 20% Presentation 15% Participation in B2 5% Total 100% Page 9
5.2 THE BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD (B1) For the team that attains the highest score in the challenge. The total score from the two scoring rounds will be used to vie for the award. In the event there is more than one team having the same highest score after the two scoring rounds, the affected teams will have one final tie-breaker challenge. The teams will attempt to launch their glider and the team which scores the highest points in the attempt wins The Best Performance Award (B1). 5.3 THE BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD (B2) For the team that attains the longest timing that the platform stays aloft. The best time score from two scoring rounds will be used to vie for the award. Genuine participation in Category B2 will automatically give teams a 5% score towards the Championship Award. Teams with insincere attempts may be denied this bonus score. 5.4 THE MOST CREATIVE AWARD For the team that shows the most innovative and original design in their unpowered glider for Challenge B1. Criteria Areas of Consideration Unique Design or Strategy Creativity Flair and Appearance Functionality 5.5 THE THEORY OF FLIGHT AWARD For the team that best demonstrates a sound understanding and appropriate application of aerodynamic design principles, as shown by their unpowered glider for Challenge B1. Criteria Aerodynamics Areas of Consideration Aerodynamics Control & Stability Design and Integration Page 10
5.6 THE BEST PRESENTATION AWARD For the team that best exhibit creativity, fluency, confidence and flair in the presentation of their team's work (for Challenge B1), and demonstrates that "WOW" factor during the interview sessions. Criteria Areas of Consideration Fluency Presentation Confidence Flair 5.7 THE BEST AESTHETIC AWARD For the team whose flying machine is the most artistically decorated (for Challenge B1). As it does not contribute to flying qualities, it does not contribute to the scoring for the Championship Award. 5.8 MYSTERY AWARD There will only be ONE (1) mystery award for Category B, and will only be awarded to the team that meets this mystery criteria. 5.9 MERIT AWARD This award is given out to all teams exhibiting a high quality in Design and Performance. Overall scores will be taken into consideration for this Merit Award. Page 11
5.10 PRIZES CATEGORY B Award Medal Trophy Cash Prizes Remarks Cat B Championship Award $1,000 Cat B 1 st Runner Up $800 Cat B 2 nd Runner Up $600 Cat B Best Performance Award (B1) Cat B Best Performance Award (B2) Cat B Most Creative Award Cat B Best Theory of Flight Award Cat B Best Presentation Award Cat B Best Aesthetic Award Cat B Mystery Award $300 $300 $200 $200 $200 $100 1 st and 2 nd runner up will receive only medals Cat B Merit Award Certificate of Merit will be given to teams exhibiting a high quality in design and performance Page 12
6. CATEGORY B: UNPOWERED GLIDER - LAUNCHER The unpowered glider launcher for the challenge is shown in Figure 1. FIGURE 1: UNPOWERED GLIDER LAUNCHER The launcher consists of the platform, resistance band and two upright poles. The resistance band will be wrapped around and secured to the two upright poles at both ends and it will act as a bungee cord for launch of glider. The launcher will be placed on a table of height 0.75m. The dimensions and angle of inclination of the launcher is shown in Figure 2. During launch of the glider, teams will hook their glider on the resistance band and draw back the glider to the designated line marked on the platform as shown in Figure 3. The hook position from the glider will be used as a reference when the glider is being draw back to the marked line on the platform. Upon tension to the marked line, the total tension force will be 4kgf. The diameter of the resistance band used will be around 15mm. Each team is required to incorporate a hook or slot onto the underbelly of their glider No adapter plates will be provided by the organiser, hence teams will need to design and fabricate their own hook attachment or incorporate a slot design in their overall glider design. Illustration of examples of hook attachment and slot is shown in Figure 4. It is the responsibility of the team to ensure that the hook or slot design on the glider is sturdy enough to withstand the tension force of bungee cord without giving way when Page 13
the glider is being drawn back to the launching position. The team must also ensure that in the design of the glider, there are no components of the glider that come into contact with the launcher at any time during the launch. FIGURE 2: UNPOWERED GLIDER LAUNCHER PLATFORM DIMENSIONS FIGURE 3: UNPOWERED GLIDER LAUNCHER LAUNCHING LINE Page 14
FIGURE 4: EXAMPLES OF HOOK ATTACHMENT AND SLOT Teams are also strongly encouraged to fabricate and build their own launcher for practice prior to the competition. Teams can improvise and build their own test launcher based on following guidelines: 1. Tables, boxes, or poles can be used together as the test launcher platform. 2. Exercise resistance band that can be purchased from any sports retail shop can be used as the bungee cord for launcher. Figure 5 shows a typical exercise resistance band that can be used. 3. Tie both ends of exercise band to the poles or table legs. 4. Mark out the launching position by using a pocket balance to pull on the middle of the bungee cord till it reads 4kg on the balance scale. Figure 6 shows a pictorial illustration. 5. Ensure the angle of inclination is kept at 5 degrees from horizontal and the launch tension is to be 4kgf. Page 15
FIGURE 5: TYPICAL EXERCISE RESISTANCE BAND FIGURE 6: MARKING LAUNCHING POSITION OF 4KGF TENSION FORCE USING POCKET BALANCE NOTE: Teams are to use the official launcher build by the organiser on competition challenge day and teams are not allowed to use any parts of their own build launcher during the competition. Page 16
7. CATEGORY B: UNPOWERED GLIDER CHALLENGE B1 The team is expected to design and build a small unpowered glider (of limited wingspan) to be bungee-launched from a designated launcher into scoring zones to see how far their unpowered glider can reach. Figure 7 shows the competition setup for Category B1. FIGURE 7: COMPETITION SETUP OF CATEGORY B1 7.1 SCORING FORMAT The competition floor will be segregated into different scoring zones with respective allocated scores for each zone as shown in Figure 8. The dimension of the floor layout is shown in Figure 9. Page 17
FIGURE 8: FLOOR LAYOUT WITH SCORING ZONES AND RESPECTIVE ALLOCATED SCORES Page 18
FIGURE 9: DIMENSIONS OF COMPETITION SCORING ZONES Page 19
7.2 LAUNCHING PROCEDURES 1. Teams will place their glider onto the launcher platform and hook on to the bungee cord before drawing back the glider to the designated launching line. 2. Teams will release their glider for launch whenever they are ready. Teams will be given up to THREE (3) minutes to launch the glider and they are to adhere to the instructions given by referees during launching. 3. After the unpowered glider is launched, the first contact of the glider with the landing zone will be the landing spot (assuming the glider remains intact). Note: In the event that the glider breaks into pieces or drops any loose parts during the flight, the landing spot will be taken to be the glider part contact point. 4. A team member will accompany the referees to determine the landing spot of the glider after the launch. 5. Teams will be awarded the score allocated to the scoring zone where the landing spot of glider is determined to be. 6. If the glider landing spot falls on the intersection lines between various scoring zones, the highest score of the affected scoring zones will be awarded. FOR SECOND SCORING ROUND ONLY 7. Teams will be given an opportunity to score bonus points in the second scoring round 8. A big object (e.g. orange traffic cone) will be placed at the centre of scoring zone of the team s choice. Teams will launch their glider as per normal. 9. Teams with gliders that hit the object will be awarded 1.5 times the allocated score of the scoring zone which the object is placed at. A hit is awarded when the first contact point of the glider is on the object. Page 20
10. Teams with gliders that do not score a hit on the object but manage to have the landing spot of the glider within the same scoring zone will be awarded 1.2 times the score allocated to the scoring zone where the landing spot is determined to be. 11. Teams with the landing spot of the glider falling outside the scoring zone where the object is placed will be awarded the same score allocated to the scoring zone where the landing spot is determined to be. 12. Summary of point #8 #11 as reflected in the table below. Scenario Hitting the big object Land in the same scoring zone Land in other scoring zone Score 1.5 x scoring zone points 1.2 x scoring zone points Points of that scoring zone 13. It will be at the teams own discretion and decision to go for the bonus point s opportunity. Teams will need to inform the referees of their decision of opting for the bonus point opportunity before launching their glider in the second scoring round. 14. Teams that do not opt for the bonus point opportunity will be awarded scores as per normal for second scoring round, i.e. score allocated to the scoring zone where the landing spot is determined to be. 15. The total score from the two scoring rounds will be taken to vie for The Performance Award. The referees make all scoring decisions and their decision is FINAL. For arbitrary cases, the Chief Referee will have the FINAL say. 7.3 GENERAL RULES & REGULATIONS Each team is to design and build ONE (1) unpowered glider based on the following guidelines: 1. All parts of the glider must be fabricated by the teams. Kits or off-the-shelf models or parts, i.e. servo motor, receiver, transmitter are not allowed. Page 21
2. The glider must - have a minimum wing span (tip to tip) of 0.30m - be able to fit into a 0.60m x 0.60m box - have a wing with an aspect ratio (span to mean chord) of 6.0 or more - weigh no more than 250 grams 3. The glider design must incorporate a hook or slot at the base of glider that allows the glider to be hooked onto the bungee cord of launcher and be capable of being drawn back to the marked line to be launched. Teams must ensure the hook or slot is sturdy enough to withstand the tension force of bungee cord without giving way when the glider is being drawn back before launching. 4. Metallic materials and fibre reinforced materials (carbon fibre, glass fibre, etc.) will not be allowed for the fuselage (main body of glider). E.g. Carbon wing spars and metal ballast are allowed. 5. No balloon or airship design will be allowed. No gaseous substance lighter than air will be allowed. 6. Each participating team is allowed to bring TWO (2) identical gliders for this challenge in the competition hall. 7. Any teams caught using significantly different unpowered gliders for the two scoring rounds shall have the better result VOID. The Chief Referee shall have the final say in cases of unforeseen situations, i.e., glider is damaged during first scoring round and major design changes are required to be conducted on the damaged glider to avoid such damages on the second scoring round. Page 22
8. CATEGORY B: UNPOWERED GLIDER CHALLENGE B2 (OPTIONAL) The team is expected to design and build a small unpowered glider to be hand thrown vertically from the ground of the competition hall to see how long the glider can stay aloft in the air. Genuine participation in Category B2 will automatically give teams a 5% score towards the Championship Award. Teams with insincere attempts may be denied this bonus score. 8.1 SCORING FORMAT The winner will be determined by the longest time that the glider stays aloft. The timing will start when the glider leaves the competitor s hand. The timing will stop when the platform first touches the netting or the ground. 8.2 LAUNCHING PROCEDURES The competitors will stand in the middle of the competition hall and hand-launch the platform vertically upwards. Note that the height limit of the competition hall is EIGHT (8) metres. 8.3 GENERAL RULES & REGULATIONS Each team is to design and build ONE (1) unpowered glider to be launched from ground of the competition hall based on the following guidelines: 1. All parts of the glider must be fabricated by the teams. Kits or off-the-shelf models or parts, i.e. servo motor, receiver, transmitter are not allowed. 2. The glider must - have a minimum wing span (tip to tip) of 0.30m - be able to fit into a 0.60m x 0.60m box - weigh no more than 250 grams - not be the same glider used for Challenge B1 Page 23
3. Metallic materials and fibre reinforced materials (carbon fibre, glass fibre, etc.) will not be allowed for the fuselage (main body of glider). E.g. Carbon wing spars and metal ballast are allowed. 4. No balloon, airship and parachute design will be allowed. No gaseous substance lighter than air will be allowed. 5. The glider must be hand launched. Assisted launch (e.g. sling launch) is not allowed 6. The winning criteria is solely based on the recorded time. 7. Each participating team is allowed to bring TWO (2) identical gliders for this challenge into the competition hall. The referees make all scoring decisions and their decision is FINAL. For arbitrary cases, the Chief Referee will have the FINAL say. 9. PRESENTATION During the presentation, teams will be allocated a specific time slot to present about their flying machine (meant for Challenge B1) in Science Centre Singapore. Teams will present to a panel of judges the work they have done for this competition. These teams will be assessed for the following awards: 1. The Most Creative Award 2. The Theory of Flight Award 3. The Best Presentation Award 4. The Best Aesthetic Award Each team is given only a total of TEN (10) minutes [FIVE (5) minutes for presentation, FIVE (5) minutes for Questions & Answers session] for the preliminary and final rounds. Presentations using laptops will not be allowed. Each team from Category B will be allowed of maximum TWO (2) A1 size posters as visual aid for their presentation. The presentation plays an integral part for those teams who wish to vie for the SAFMC Championship Award. Category B teams are required to bring their flying machines Page 24
that they are using in the competition for their presentation. Teams that do not bring their flying machines for the presentation will be disqualified immediately. The Chief Referee reserves the right to deduct points in each of the award category if the flying machine used in the Challenge is drastically different from the flying machine presented in the Presentation. 10. COMPETITION DAY: FLOW OF EVENTS Teams should expect the following during the course of the competition day: 10.1 CHALLENGE B1 All teams shall go to the Reporting Point to obtain the competition schedule for their teams. At the allocated competition schedule, the team shall report to the Inspection Point. A flying machine inspector will check the unpowered glider for any violation with the category rules and regulations and also ensure that all obstructions or equivalent that might hinder the launch are removed. After inspection, the unpowered glider will be quarantined in a Holding Area prior to the launch of the glider. The SAFMC referee will get the teams ready for the next launch. During the launcher setup, the team will place, hook, and draw back the unpowered glider on the launcher via the bungee cord before releasing the glider for launch. The position and orientation of the launcher will be fixed by the SAFMC officials and cannot be adjusted by the team. Each team is given a total of THREE (3) minutes to setup and launch their unpowered glider. There will be TWO (2) scoring rounds for teams to score points. The scoring rounds will not be consecutive, and will be in different sessions. The team is allowed to repair or make simple modification to the glider before the next scoring round. Page 25
10.2 CHALLENGE B2 Upon completion of Challenge B1, teams shall go to the Holding Area for Challenge B2 if they have registered for the challenge A flying machine inspector at the Holding Area will check the unpowered glider for any violation with the category rules and regulations and also ensure that all obstructions or equivalent that might hinder the launch are removed. After inspection, a team member will come forward on the designated launching point to manually throw his team s unpowered glider vertically upward. The exact launching position will be fixed by the SAFMC officials. Each team is given a total of THREE (3) minutes to launch their unpowered glider. There will be TWO (2) scoring rounds for teams to attempt the best time aloft. The scoring rounds will be consecutive. Note: In the event the flying machine fails the inspection, the team is given FIVE (5) minutes to rectify the problem. If the team is unable to rectify the problem within the given timeframe, that attempt will be declared as VOID. Page 26