[See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification – Section 1] “Universities, Colleges, BTECH and other science educational institutes can run internal qualifiers to select up to two teams per category to progress to their respective Regional Finals.”

[See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification – Section 1.1] “The competition is open to teams of three to six students.” The aim of the competition is to promote teamwork, collaboration, delegation, time and tasks management among the students, not compatible with smaller or individual team and not productive for larger teams, that could be split in multiple groups.

[See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification – Appendix 3] “Any team could compete in 4.13.3 Advanced Challenge, if desired.

Any college plus the levels highlighted in green are considered the max threshold for competing in 4.13.1 Concept Challenge and 4.13.2 Foundation Challenge.”

[See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification – Appendix 3] Table 1 shows the equivalence between English and Scottish systems.

[See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification – 4.23 and 4.25] The battery size is not specified, providing it is not lithium based. A single battery and at least a single main fuse shall be present.

In IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification 1 “The team that accumulates the most points overall will be declared the overall winner of the Design Challenge Competition event, subject to the following conditions:” and “1.6 Teams must have a valid score in all the applicable sections.”

Refer to 12.2 “If there are less than three teams entering per category, there will be no peer review competition.”. Hence the interpretation is: if a peer review is held, and in the unfortunate event a team gather 0 points, 0 is a valid score. If a peer review is not held because there are not sufficient number of teams, the peer overall valid sections will not include the peer review, for all teams.

[See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification – 15.21 to 15.24]

Between a week and more than 24 hours form the competition - 50% score reduction

Within 24 hours from the competition - 0% - 50% score reduction

The same penalty will apply to the elements 1.1.1 - Design Competition; 1.1.2 - Poster Competition; 1.1.3 - Presentation Competition; and 1.1.6 - The Challenge.

[See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification 4.14 and 4.15] In the Advanced category the teams must show capability of programming electronics with a language. The solutions listed above don’t require any software or language for time setting and, therefore, are permitted in both Concept and Foundation categories. Other mechanical, electro mechanical or electronics circuits based only on logic can be used to manage time delays, regardless of the category.

See section 2 “Lines on the vertical pipes shall be marked with a pipe cutter, leaving light marks of maximum 0.2mm wide, without cutting the pipe and without raising edges, see Figure 4.” Hence, all the targets are fixed and not movable.

We did all our testing on a pipe in the lab and with the same device controller, with the same chain. When we got to the internal selection our prototype did not perform, plus the device controller was not available and we had to swap. The pipe was different and with a diameter variability. Can we repeat the event?

[See IMechE Design Challenge – Project Specification] One of the elements of the competition is to test the robustness of the device. It should be able to cope with commercial pipe of nominal 22mm diameter – 4.6 -, deal with potential different load attached – 4.8 – and swap onto a different pipe – 5.9 – without affecting performance. Unfortunately the prototype in this example has shown little tolerance to variable conditions (ow robustness) in the event.

For parts manufactured by the team (e.g., via 3D printing or machining), should the BOM include only the raw material cost, or should it also account for manufacturing factors such as machine time, labour, and maintenance?

[See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification 4.8 and 6.14 to 6.16] Tools used to produce the prototype and not forming part of the prototype shall not be costed. Technologies used to produce the parts via additive manufacturing, CNC or laser cutting are costed as detailed in Section 6.

[See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification 6.12, 6.26 to 6.27.4 and Appendix 1 – Figure 5] The BoM requires to include the hyperlink of where that element can be purchased at that cost. From 2026 there is an optional and not included in the main score environmental – business impact analysis that will account for the location where the product is purchased from.

How big the surface should be? Shall it be circular or have a contour to slide around the pipe for connection? If we use limiting switch, can they protrude?

Answer: [See IMechE Design Challenge – Project Specification – Section 4.3] The top shall be flat and without protrusion or switches or other mechanism eventually needed by the design of the reversing system. A cut to fit the device around the pipe is perfectly allowed.  The flat surface, as reference, shall be at least 50% of the largest cross section of the device: this is to enable a clear identification of the position along the pipe and on any marked line.

[See IMechE Design Challenge – Project Specification – Section 3] The pipes will be in as bought condition, cleaned between the beginning of the competition and not further cleaned between runs. The device shall be capable of coping with normal environmental condition and industrial tolerances, showing adaptability and robustness.

How many batteries could be in the power supply pack and does it have to be one battery only? Does the limitation of voltage for battery apply to the motor?

Answer: [See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification Section 4.22] A single accumulator or battery pack is allowed, no indication or limits on how many cells it may contain. A single electric line shall exit form the battery pack with a main fuse. No limitation or indication of voltages for batteries or motors.

Would it be acceptable for the design to include the split or hinged frame that allows the robot to be mounted around the pipe before starting? Could you attach the device from the bottom of the pipe by putting it through the structure rather than attaching it from the side?

 

[See IMechE Design Challenge – Project Specification – Section 2] The bottom of the pipe shall be considered not accessible. Any method to perform connection to the pipe, providing it does not exceed the allowed envelope or pose risk to safety, will be permitted.

[See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification Section 4.26 to 4,29] Electrical joints and movable parts shall be protected, regardless the category or their nature. Any part in relative movement shall be managed to avoid tangling, rubbing, trapping. 

[See IMechE Design Challenge – Project Specification – Section 5.9 and 6.11] The initial setup time as well as time to swap form a pipe onto the next one is 2 minutes. It is not possible to start connecting the device onto a pipe outside the time window or before the judging panel has indicated it.

Within the poster and video development would we have to follow a universal outline, or would it be possible to push our luck and try and design a different, unique, (yet still informational) poster / presentation?

Answer: [See IMechE Design Challenge - General Specification – Sections 8 to 11] providing the poster and the presentation comply with the rules specified (file format, length – duration / dimension) and cover the content they will be scored against, there is no requirements on the style. Different file formats (e.g. .pptx instead of *.PDF, *.MOV instead of .MP4) will not be considered valid and scored as 0 points.

Will the intermediate target location be the same (same nominal position) for all heats? Or its nominal position will be different for each pipe?

Answer: [See IMechE Design Challenge – Project Specification – Section 2 figures 3 and 7] Within manufacturing and assembly tolerances, all the rigs should comply with the same geometry and target positions as shown in figures 3 and 7.

[See IMechE Design Challenge – Project Specification – Figure 7,  sections 5.8 and 6.10] The device shall perform all the movement and activities autonomously, including getting to the final position. For the Foundation category, the final position is passing the starting point located at 400mm form the base, for the Advanced category is stopping and holding onto the pipe in the proximity of the intermediate target located at 1300mm form the base.

[See IMechE Design Challenge – Project Specification – Sections 4.12, 5.9 and 6.11] The operator intervention on the device, rig and chain is limited to the connection onto the pipe, switching to operate “On” and swapping onto a different pipe. No intervention is allowed outside the install or move onto the next pipe allowed windows.