Eliminate " If the cap has an insert (e.g., used to enhance the seal) then it will be removed before the competition."and replace it with "Any sealing
insert in the cap must be an original manufacturer's insert.  Custom or
modified inserts will not be allowed." 10/13/99.

Scoring constant changed from 1000 to 10,000   (1/4/00)

1. You will be given 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the contest to adjust your device to handle the specific bottles and caps chosen for the contest at that site.  Bottles for this will be supplied at the contest.   Any sealing insert in the cap must be an original manufacturer's insert.  Custom or modified inserts will not be allowed.  Also, any anti-tampering strip on the cap will be removed from the cap as well.  You are not permitted to modify the bottle.
2. At the starting position, the bottle must be lying horizontal, in contact with the contest surface, and with its open mouth facing a destination target. The edge of the open mouth must be placed at the start position one meter from the target center.  The bottle may be restrained by rails, chocks, or a cradle, but may not be attached to any other part of the bottle transport mechanism.  All other parts of the transport mechanism must be at least 5 cm from the bottle.
3. After assembly and setup, and on a start signal from the judges,  you are permitted ten seconds to place the bottle and cap in their starting positions.
4. The judges will then give you two one-liter bottles, each containing 1000 ml (+/- 1 ml) of colored water.  After bottle and cap placement you must pour at least half  (1000 ml) of the colored water into a vented (unpressurized) reservoir on your system.
5. A start signal will be given to activate the system.  Once the system is activated (e.g., with a single button push), no external communication, interaction, fluid addition, or influence of any kind is allowed (i.e., the system must be completely autonomous).
6. The bottle must be transported as fast as possible and set upright in the center of the target.  Once the bottle is at the target location then it must be filled and capped as fast as possible.  The system is allowed up to two minutes to position, orient, fill, and cap the bottle, and to return to its original configuration ready to accept another bottle and cap.  The cycle time will be measured from the time of the start signal to the time, after filling and capping is completed, when the system comes to rest in its original configuration.
7. Once the bottle is capped it must not contain anything but the given fluid.  Moreover, you are not permitted to modify or insert anything into the cap.  After a trial the judges will remove the filled and capped bottle from your system for the sealing check  (see below). No portion of the system may be left in or around the cap or the top of the bottle that would interfere with the execution of the sealing check.
8. When the judges have removed the capped and filled bottle you may add any remaining liquid to your system if necessary.  Once this is completed, and upon a signal from the judges, you are immediately required to begin a second trial.  You are permitted ten seconds to place a bottle and cap in the same locations as in the first trial.  No system adjustments, modifications, repairs, etc., are permitted between trials.
9. The judges will dry off the exterior of the filled and capped bottle and will then place it on its side in a shallow container for the leakage test.  If any moisture appears around the edge of the cap when the bottle is placed on its side a leakage penalty of 100 points will be assessed.  The bottle must remain untouched on its side for two minutes.  At the end of that time the bottle and contents will be weighed to determine the liquid volume remaining in the bottle for use in the scoring formula calculation.
10. The system may be actuated only by unmodified Radio Shack DC motors (part no. 273-223 only).  Each motor may be powered only by a single battery (size AA, any type or brand).  No additional energy sources are allowed for actuation.  Also, any energy storage devices other than the batteries (e.g., springs, capacitors, falling masses, or magnetic devices) must each end a trial with the same or more energy than at the start of the trial.  If the system contains any control electronics (e.g., used in conjunction with sensors and transistors), the circuits may be powered by batteries of your choice.The complete system must fit within a rigid 30x50x30(cm) box (inside dimensions) before assembly.  The system must be assembled from the box, if assembly is required, and put into place within one minute to avoid a penalty.  Everything but the bottle, cap, and liquid and any tools used for assembly are considered to be part of the system.
11. The contest surface will be a relatively smooth flat and level table with a surface no smaller than 3x7(ft).  The surface may be covered with plastic sheeting or a plastic tablecloth to protect the table from spills.  Any such covering will be taped to the table to prevent sliding.  You are not allowed to attach or adhere any part of the system to the surface in any way that may cause damage or leave residue behind.
12. Your system will be evaluated with a score computed as follows:

SCORE = 10,000 - 10*T - 5*V + 10*R - P

where:

    T = time (in seconds to the nearest tenth) from the start signal to when the filled bottle and cap both come to rest at the target position and the system comes to rest in its original configuration.  If the system fails to completely return to its original configuration then
T = 120.

    V = volume(rounded to the nearest ml) of the original 1000 ml of colored water not contained in your filled bottle. This is measured after the seal test.

    R = target region number(see figure below). The target region number is defined by the outermost region that any portion of the bottle is in contact with at the end of a trial. For example, if at the end of a trial the bottle is placed on the target such that the bottom of the bottle is touching regions 5, 2, and 0 then R = 0. The target circle diameters are 70, 80, and 90 mm.

    P = Sum of all penalties, as specified below.
 

Failure to assemble the system within two minutes will result in a penalty of 10*P1 where P1 = # of seconds required to complete the assembly after the allotted two minutes.  A maximum assembly time of two minutes is allowed.
If the system fails to autonomously return to its original configuration then you may reset the system to its original configuration with a penalty of 10*P2 where P2 = # of seconds required.
There will be a 100 point penalty if the capped bottle is not well sealed.  The bottle will be considered "well sealed" if no liquid spills or drips out when the bottle is laid on its side for two minutes.
Failure to place the bottle and cap within the allotted ten seconds will result in a penalty of 10*P3 where P3 = # of seconds required to complete the bottle and cap placement after the allotted ten seconds.
Your rating will be the sum of the score for your two trials.  The winner will be the team with the highest rating.


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NOTE:  Contestants should also review the "Guidelines for Conducting the Contest" page, since additional information concerning the contest is available there.  The information is available at   Guidelines for Conducting the Contest


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Questions should be addressed to:
Dr. Charles J. Hurst, P.E., address hurstc@asme.org
Answers to all questions will be found in both the
Chronological Q&A section   and the Categorical Q&A section

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