Learn more about the 2015 game by watching the game animation from BEST, Inc.  More details about this year's game can be found on the BEST website here.

2015 Game: Pay Dirt

The BEST, Inc. Mining Division has recently purchased a new mining location. The mine has already been started and has large deposits of valuable ores, however the mine is unsafe for human workers. BEST is looking for a robotics solution to repair the mine and retrieve the valuable ores from beneath the surface.
GEARS, Inc. has worked long and hard to produce a robot capable of repairing the mine and collecting the ores.
They competed against other companies at the 2015 War Eagle BEST Competition on October 10th and will compete again at South's BEST on December 5th & 6th.

Tasks

Restrictions
The BEST, Inc. Mining Division has laid out the tasks that the robotics solution must perform. The tasks include:
  • The ability to travel between ground level and all three sub-levels.​​
  • Repairing the mine's air filtration system by replacing the air filter in the first sub-level.
  • Collecting Coal and Magnetite from the first sub-level.
  • Collecting Chalcopyrite and Bauxite from the second sub-level.
  • Repairing the broken pipe by transporting and positioning a replacement pipe in the second sub-level.
  • Collecting Spodumene from the third sub-level.
  • Collecting core samples from the third sub-level for soil analysis.
  • Transporting all commodities and core samples back to the ground level.
GEARS, Inc. had to take several restrictions into consideration during the design and construction of the robot:
  • The robot must be built using only the materials provided.
  • The robot must be able to fit into a 24"x 24" x 24" cube in the smallest position.
  • The robot must weigh less than 24 lbs.