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Challenge Briefing

Challenge Briefing

Image of the complete CTE Workcell

Getting Ready for the Logistics Sorting Challenge

To complete the challenge in this Unit, you will need to build the Complete CTE Workcell. 

Follow the steps in the 3D Build Instructions linked here to construct the Complete CTE Workcell.

Challenge Overview

In this challenge, your team must work together to plan and execute a project to accurately Deliver products from the Disk Feeder and the Pallet to the correct Loading Docks as quickly as possible. 

Watch the video below to discover more about the Logistics Sorting Challenge.

Challenge Details

Your team will be assigned a Shipping Manifest that includes:

  • Which products should be Delivered to each Loading Dock.
  • The maximum time in which the Delivery must be completed.
  • An optimal time in which to achieve exemplary Delivery efficiency.
  • Your team must fulfill the Shipping Manifest accurately, ensuring that each product listed on the Shipping Manifest reaches the specified Loading Dock.
  • Your team must fulfill the Shipping Manifest in under the specified maximum time, but should strive to do so in under the specified optimal time.

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

Image of a sample Shipping Manifest. The Manifest indicates that 1 red, 1 green and 2 blue products are going to London at Loading Dock A; 2 green and 3 blue products are going to Hong Kong at Loading Dock B; and 3 Red, 1 Green, and 4 Blue products are going to New York at Loading Dock C. The optimal time is listed as 4 minutes and the maximum time at 6 minutes.

Loading Dock Locations and Challenge DocumentImage of the CTE Workcell + Pneumatics + Distance build with the loading dock locations highlighted. Loading Dock A is on the Exit Conveyor to the left; Loading Dock B is in the center at the Side Diverter; Loading Dock C is on the pallet.

This Challenge Document provides important details about the Logistics Sorting Challenge.

Available Resources

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

Challenge Rubric

Your team's performance will be evaluated using a rubric containing the following categories: planning and brainstorming, pseudocoding, coding and execution, teamwork and collaboration, and accurate and timely completion of the Shipping Manifest. 

Workcell Automation Open-Ended 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 team's Shipping Manifest. 

Exemplary planning and brainstorming:

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

Icon representing the Planning and Brainstorming section of the rubric.

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 Workcell.
  • Thorough and efficient path planning.
  • Detailed comments.
  • Steps that are in logical order.

 

 

Icon representing the Pseudocoding section of the rubric.

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.

 

 Icon representing the Coding and Execution section of the rubric.

Teamwork and Collaboration

Teamwork and Collaboration is how well your team communicates and works together. 

Exemplary teamwork and collaboration means:

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

Icon representing the Teamwork and Collaboration section of the rubric.

Accurate and Timely Completion of the Shipping Manifest 

This category considers how quickly your team fulfilled the Shipping Manifest, 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 Shipping Manifest is fulfilled in under the optimal time provided on the Shipping Manifest.

Icon representing the Accurate and Timely fulfillment of the Shipping Manifest section of the rubric.

Phase 1: Planning

The Logistics Sorting 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 your team could use to successfully Deliver products based on your team's Shipping Manifest.

  • Review the Challenge Document as a 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 team's list down to the top ideas.
  • Your team's planning and brainstorming will be evaluated on how well you collaborate to make a comprehensive list of creative solutions.

A handwritten page titled “Ideas” with four numbered items, each featuring scribbled text and drawings with various lines and shapes highlighted in different colors including red, purple, green, and blue. The first item includes a small drawing of a disk feeder with some text scribbled out. The third item includes a sketch that resembles a conveyor belt system.

When your group is finished, check in with your teacher by sharing your list of ideas. 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 fulfill the Shipping Manifest.
  • 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 the Workcell (such as Conveyors and Diverters) to fulfill the Shipping Manifest.

Image shows the start of a plan as would be written in an engineering notebook. Step 1 reads 'Dispense Disk onto the Entry Conveyor'. The three substeps beneath that in order are 'Extend the Disk Feeder Pneumatic Cylinder'; 'Wait 0.5 seconds"; and 'Retract the Disk Feeder Pneumatic Cylinder'. Beneath the steps is an image of a part of the CTE Workcell with an arrow extending from the disk feeder to the entry conveyor to indicate disk dispensing.

When your group is finished, check in with your teacher by sharing your pseudocode. 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.

  • Use your pseudocode to build and test each behavior the automated sorting system needs 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 your time. 
    • Refine your plan and pseudocode as needed to achieve the highest possible accuracy and shortest possible time.
  • Your team's coding and execution will be evaluated by the number of errors made, and the time it takes to fulfill the Shipping Manifest. You must complete the instructions in the Shipping Manifest in under the Maximum Time. Striving to achieve a time under the Optimal Time and with zero errors will help your group to reach exemplary status.

The start of a VEXcode project is shown, with a question mark to the right to indicate testing. Beneath the When started block is a comment block that reads 'Dispense Disk onto Entry Conveyor'. The three blocks beneath that are, in order, a green block to set 'Pneumatic3 DiskFeeder' to 'extend'; a wait block for 0.5 seconds; and a green block to set 'Pneumatic3 DiskFeeder' to 'retract'.

Final Review

Once your team has 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 team’s planning, pseudocode, coding project, collaboration, and accurate and timely fulfillment of the Shipping Manifest.

Workcell Automation Open-Ended Challenge Rubric

Wrap Up Reflection

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

  1. How accurately and quickly did your team fulfill the Shipping Manifest? What specific actions or decisions contributed to this outcome? What improvements could you make to your project?
  2. What role did you play in your team during this challenge? How did your contributions help to reach team 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?