Skip to main content

Challenge Briefing

Challenge Briefing

The Connecting Multiple CTE Workcells build shown, where two complete CTE Workcells are connected side by side. The Exit Conveyor of the system on the right connects to the Entry Conveyor of the system on the left.

Getting Ready for the Double Dock Challenge

To complete the challenge in this Unit, you will need to construct the Connecting Multiple CTE Workcells build. 

Note: This build uses two CTE Workcell Kits. Construct the build together with your partner team. 

Follow the steps in the 3D Build Instructions linked here to construct the Connecting Multiple CTE Workcells build.

Challenge Overview

In this challenge, your team must work together with a partner team to use two systems collaboratively. Together, you will plan and execute a project to Deliver products from one system to Loading Docks on both systems.

Watch the video below to discover more about the Double Disk Challenge.

Challenge Details

Your teams will be assigned a Shipping Manifest that includes:

  • Which products should be Delivered to each Loading Dock.
  • Information about the Incoming Products on System Number One. 
    • Incoming Products will be loaded in the Disk Feeder and placed on the pallet.
  • Together with your partner team, fulfill the Shipping Manifest accurately, ensuring that each product listed on the Shipping Manifest reaches the specified Loading Dock as quickly as possible.
  • The Incoming Products must be set up as described on the Shipping Manifest.

Shipping Manifests for this Unit can be accessed below. Your teacher will specify which Shipping Manifest you and your partner team should use.

The Pack-n-Ship Co. shipping manifest labeled Extension Sample Only lists shipments to four warehouse destinations with corresponding loading docks. Hong Kong (Dock A) receives red (1 unit), green (2 units), and blue (2 units) products. Antwerp (Dock B) receives red (1 unit), green (2 units), and blue (1 unit). Manila (Dock C) is assigned red (2 units), green (1 unit), and blue (3 units). New York (Dock D) receives red (2 units), green (1 unit), and blue (3 units). The factory instructions specify that incoming products should be loaded onto the System 1 pallet, following the layout shown in the image on the right, which displays red, green, and blue units arranged on a pallet.

Loading Dock Locations and Challenge Document

Top-down view of a fully assembled CTE Workcell with the 6-Axis Arm, EXP Brain, conveyors, Signal Tower, etcetera. Points A, B, C, and D represent the loading docks from the previous shipping manifest, indicating where products should be sorted based on their color.

This Challenge Document provides important details about the Double Dock Challenge.

Available Resources

The following resources may prove useful to solving the Automated Sorting Challenge:

Challenge Rubric

Partner teams' performance will be evaluated using a rubric containing the following categories: planning and brainstorming, pseudocoding, coding and execution, teamwork and collaboration between and among partner teams, and accurate and timely completion of the Shipping Manifest. 

Extension - Double Dock Challenge Rubric

A summary of each category, along with an overview of exemplary work in each category, is provided below. 

Planning and Brainstorming

A solid plan is essential for successfully fulfilling your Shipping Manifest. 

Exemplary planning and brainstorming:

  • Results in a list of several innovative, comprehensive ideas for solving the challenge.
  • Shows that the partner teams have collaboratively discussed the pros and cons of each idea.
  • Reflects the varied perspectives of all team members.

A circular icon with a dark background, displaying a white notepad or document symbol with lines representing text. Overlaid on the notepad is a pencil icon, symbolizing writing or editing.

Pseudocoding

Pseudocoding is the process of breaking down your ideas for fulfilling the Shipping Manifest into human-readable steps before you begin to code. You have practiced pseudocoding in previous Units when you have made project plans.

Exemplary pseudocoding includes:

  • All the main parts of the Workcells.
  • Thorough and efficient path planning.
  • Detailed comments.
  • Steps that are in logical order.

 

 A circular icon with a dark outer ring and a white center, displaying a bulleted list symbol. Four dark horizontal lines with circular bullet points to the left represent a list format.

Coding and Execution

The Coding and Execution category evaluates the success of your coding project. 

Exemplary Coding and Execution means the project:

  • Fulfills the Shipping Manifest with no mistakes.
  • Is highly efficient.
  • Includes comments for each section.
  • Has been thoroughly tested.

 

A circular icon with a dark outer ring and a white center, featuring a stylized representation of stacked, notched blocks. The blocks decrease in width from top to bottom, resembling an organized or hierarchical structure.

Teamwork and Collaboration

Teamwork and Collaboration is how well the partner teams communicate and works together. 

Exemplary teamwork and collaboration means:

  • Members of the partner teams actively support each other.
  • All team members contribute to discussion and play a role in solving the challenge.
  • Communication is ongoing, clear and productive.

A circular icon with a dark outer ring and a white center, depicting three person symbols below a lightbulb with rays, representing collective brainstorming or group ideas.

Accurate and Timely Completion of the Shipping Manifest 

This category considers how the two systems worked together to fulfill the Shipping Manifest as quickly as possible, as well as whether errors were made in doing so.

Exemplary completion of the Shipping Manifest means:

  • No errors are made when Delivering products.
  • The two systems are fully integrated and operate together seamlessly to fulfill the Shipping Manifest.

A circular icon with a dark outer ring and a white center, featuring an open box with a checkmark symbol above it. The design conveys concepts of completed tasks, approval, or readiness for shipment.

Phase 1: Planning

The Double Dock Challenge can be solved using a three-phase process. The first phase is Planning. The goal of this phase is a list of several ideas you and your partner team could use to successfully Deliver products together, based on the Shipping Manifest.

  • Review the Challenge Document together with your partner team. Ensure everyone fully understands the goals and requirements of the challenge before brainstorming ideas. If you have questions about the challenge, ask other groups or your teacher.
  • Collaborate with your whole team to come up with a list of several thorough, innovative ideas for fulfilling the Shipping Manifest. Be sure to record them in your engineering notebook.
  • Narrow your list down to the top ideas.
  • Your planning and brainstorming will be evaluated on how well you collaborate as partner teams to make a comprehensive list of creative solutions.

A handwritten, dotted-page brainstorming sheet titled Ideas, featuring four numbered points with scribbled text lines and various colored annotations. Each point includes colorful arrows, underlines, and boxed highlights in red, green, purple, and blue, indicating connections or emphasis. Point 3 contains a small sketch of an object with arrows pointing to associated notes, suggesting an illustration or diagram within the idea flow.

When you are finished, check in with your teacher by sharing your list of ideas, together with your partner team. Do not move on to the next phase until your teacher has approved your ideas. 

Phase 2: Pseudocoding

After your plan has been reviewed by your teacher, the next phase is pseudocoding.

  • Begin by recording the high-level steps needed to solve the challenge in human-readable language. 
    • These steps should become the comments in your coding project.
  • Break down your high-level steps into the individual behaviors the automated sorting system will need to complete to fulfill the Shipping Manifest.
    • Be sure to note which system is carrying out the behaviors.
  • You have used this process previously, when you created plans for coding projects earlier in this Course.
  • Your pseudocoding will be evaluated on how clearly it is written, how thorough it is, and how well you use the components of both Workcells (such as Conveyors and Diverters) to fulfill the Shipping Manifest.

A top down vide of the CTE Workcell, with the following written above the CTE Workcell. 1, Dispense Disk onto the Entry Conveyor. a, Extend the Disk Feeder Pneumatic Cylinder. b, Wait 0.5 seconds. c, Retract the Disk Feeder Pneumatic Cylinder.

When you are finished, check in with your teacher by sharing your pseudocode together with your partner team. Do not move on to the next phase until your teacher has approved it. 

Phase 3: Building and Testing

The next phase of the process is building and testing your project, together with your partner team.

  • Use your pseudocode to build and test each behavior the systems need to complete to fulfill the Shipping Manifest. 
  • Test as you go! Do not try to build the entire project at once before testing. This will make it easier to troubleshoot issues that arise.
  • Iterate on your project frequently to improve your accuracy and optimize how the systems work collaboratively. 
    • Refine your plan and pseudocode as needed to achieve the highest possible accuracy and optimization. 
  • Partner teams' coding and execution will be evaluated by the number of errors made, and how well the two systems work together to fulfill the Shipping Manifest. You must complete the instructions in the Shipping Manifest as quickly as possible. Striving to achieve seamless integration of the two systems with zero errors will help you to reach exemplary status.

A stack of blocks starting with a when started block. Underneath is, in order, a comment block that reads Dispense Disk onto Entry Conveyor, a set Pneumatic 3 Disk Feeder to extend block, a wait 0.5 seconds block, and a set Pneumatic 3 Disk Feeder to retract block with a question mark icon to the right of the stack of blocks.

Final Review

Once you and your partner team have fulfilled the Shipping Manifest as quickly and accurately as possible, meet with your teacher to review your progress throughout all of the phases of the challenge. You will complete the rubric together. It will evaluate your partner teams' planning, pseudocode, coding project, collaboration, and accurate and timely fulfillment of the Shipping Manifest.

Extension - Double Dock Challenge Rubric

Wrap Up Reflection

Once you have completed the Double Dock Challenge together with your partner team, it is time to reflect on your process and progress. First, answer the questions below in your engineering notebook. Then, meet again with your partner team to share and discuss your answers with one another.

  1. How accurately and quickly did your teams fulfill the Shipping Manifest? What specific actions or decisions contributed to this outcome? What improvements could you make to the projects?
  2. What role did you play in your team's partnership during this challenge? How did your contributions help to reach your shared goals? How would you improve on your ability to collaborate effectively?
  3. How could the skills and knowledge you gained from this challenge be applied to future challenges, or to real-world problems? 
  4. What aspect of this challenge did you find most difficult, and what did you learn by working through it?