Bruce Wayne is out for blood this time. His old, cranky BatPod is no longer a match for the rising crime in Gotham City. And he needs your help... Design and build a fully remote controlled 3 wheeled BatPod for him according to his specifications and get into his good books. Remember...The Dark Knight does not forgive...
Gross Technical details of the BatPod:

• fully remote-controlled

• 3 wheeled vehicle with single rear wheel

• powered by an IC engine

Testing will be done by going around a track in the shortest possible time. The track may consist of jumps, rough terrain, sand pits and tight turns. Visual appeal and design will be considered in final evaluation of entry.

Phase I of the competition, Online Design Evaluation, has now been completed and 22 teams have been selected for participation in Phase II of the event which will be held over the four days of Shaastra, from Oct 1^st to Oct 4^th. All teams are requested to send us a confirmation of their participation in Phase II of the event as an email containing the team name, list of team members and team leader and the college/institution.

DAY 1: (Oct 1st, 2009)

PRELIMS:

• Teams will present their vehicle to the audience and the judge(s) explaining the various subsystems and the unique way in which their vehicle has accommodated them.

• In this round you will be required to make a PPT presentation of not more than 10 slides and duration not exceeding 10 minutes.
  

• The presentation should only touch upon the main subsystems: The Chassis, Suspension, Steering, Transmission systems-type, how manufactured, how each is unique etc. You may also touch upon any problems that you faced and explain how you solved that problem effectively.
  

• You will be required to bring your vehicle for display purposes only( i.e no need to start your engine).

1 team adjudged the best designed Trike will be awarded the "Ingenious Design Award" and be given maximum points in this round. The rest of the teams will be awarded points scaled accordingly.

Challenge 2

Teams will be tested on their vehicle’s speed and maneuverability and also on their driver’s skills as they try to achieve fastest times on a flat track.

General Rules

• If the machine is found unsafe to run on the track, that team will be disqualified from the race. The coordinators decision will be final and binding in this respect.
• All vehicles should have a complete body covering all internal mechanisms of the vehicle.
• At the time of registration, teams will be provided with a registration number and allotted time for qualifying rounds
• Any team that is not ready at the arena at the time specified will be automatically disqualified.
• The vehicles are not allowed to leave any loose parts on any part of the arena. Any vehicle disintegrating during the race will be disqualified.
• The teams must adhere to the spirit of healthy competition. The coordinators reserve the right to disqualify any team indulged in misbehavior.
• There will also be an evaluation of the machines for other prizes such as most innovative design, best fabrication etc at a time and date specified in the schedule which will be put up at a later stage. Any team that does not turn up at the specified time will not be considered for these prizes.
• Judges decision shall be treated as final and binding on all.
• The organizers reserve the rights to change any or all of the above rules as they deem fit. Change in rules, if any will be highlighted on the website and notified to the registered participants.

VIDEO AND ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

Participants have to submit a portfolio describing their machine, consisting of a written abstract and a video of the working model before the competition. This portfolio will be used to shortlist teams for the competition. Only short listed teams will be eligible to participate in Fire and Ice at Shaastra 2009. For teams requiring accommodation, the last date of submitting the portfolio is ( 10th September 2009). For teams not requiring accommodation, the date is (15th September 2009).

All the portfolios will be used strictly for the elimination purposes. The elimination procedure will be objective and the evaluation of every participant will be published on the website. Shaastra takes the responsibility that no information will be made available to any third party. The portfolio of your machine will be helpful everywhere in future as an evidence of your hard-work, along with determining your position for the competition. So please pay adequate attention to it. The portfolio is meant to assess the efforts put in by participants. Thus even if you are not able to meet the requirements asked in the portfolio, please send us the portfolios based on the current state of your machine before the deadline. That means even if your machine is incomplete, please send the portfolios anyway, instead of not sending them or requesting permissions for sending them late.

The Rule Book containing all the rules and regulations can be downloaded here separetely and is also available with the Registration Form.

ENGINE

a) The machine must use only mechanical power generated by an internal combustion (IC) engine for propulsion. Only one IC engine should be used in the machine. Use of any other sources such as chemicals, compressed gas, rockets etc is not allowed.

b) Maximum piston displacement allowed is 3.5 cc.

c) There is no restriction on the type of IC engine (either glow or diesel cycle engine), but the engine must have throttle control.

d) It is also not necessary to use engine specifically made for car/ trucks, airplane engines can be used however they will require torque increment by using gears.

 FUEL

a) The fuel to be is should only have these constituents, methanol, castor oil/synthetic oil, nitro methane. The percentage of nitro methane should not exceed 20% by volume in the fuel.

b) Utmost one filter can be used in the fuel line.

 VEHICLE DIMENSIONS

a) The machine should fit in a box of dimensions 700 mm X 500 mm X 500 mm at every given point of time in the race. The external device used to control the machine is not included in the size constraint.

b) VERY IMPORTANT: THE THREE WHEELED VEHICLE (TWV) SHOULD HAVE TWO WHEELS AT THE FRONT AND ONE WHEEL AT THE BACK.

 MACHINE SPECIFICATIONS

a) The vehicle has to have rear wheel drive. The single wheel at the rear should be the only one receiving power from the engine. Any vehicle with front wheel drive will be immediately disqualified. This implies that the TWV has the engine delivering its power to the wheel at the rear.

b) The machine should have front wheel steering. The rear wheel should not be used for steering.

c) Any kind of transmission may be used. Participants are advised to use shaft transmission. Roller chain transmission can also be used.

d) The machine should have suspension system at the front and rear. Independent front suspension will be evaluated higher in the design evaluation phase.

e) The minimum wheel diameter is 100mm.

f) The minimum wheel width is 55mm.

g) The vehicle should have a minimum ground clearance of 60mm.

h) All the three wheels (and tires) should be identical in all respects. Any vehicle with bigger (or smaller) rear wheel will be immediately disqualified.

i) Vehicles having tilting type suspension will have a significant advantage in the design evaluation phase.

j) The body of the exhaust pipe (muffler) should be aligned in a front-rear direction. The direction of release of exhaust fumes is immaterial.

k) The machine has to be controlled by a wireless remote control mechanism throughout the competition.

l) The machine must not be made from Lego parts, or any ready-made assembly kits other than the parts mentioned below. Readily available chassis layouts are not allowed. Any machine found to have a ready-made chassis will be disqualified.

m) Remote control systems from toys might be used. Remote control systems available in the market may also be used.

n) The machine may be roughly classified into structural and functional parts:

FUNCTIONAL PARTS - Gears, differential gear shift, engine with clutch, pulley and pulley belt, braking mechanism, springs, shock absorbers, motors and servos (non propulsion purposes only), batteries, wheels, wheel hub are allowed to be used as available in the market.

STRUCTURAL PARTS - Chassis, body and body cover, steering mechanism and suspension (excluding suspension spring and shock absorber) have to be built by the participants themselves. JUDGING for the same will be strict and the participant will be IMMEDIATELY DISQUALIFIED if any of the above structural components is found to be ready made.

 POWER SUPPLY

a) The machine must have an on-board power supply to provide power to any mechanism requiring electric power.

b) The potential difference between any two points on the machine should not exceed 12V at any point of time.

 CLUTCH & BRAKE

a) It is very likely that wheel speed will vary to a large extent. The engine may die out if the rpm goes below a certain limit. Therefore, participants are strongly advised to incorporate a clutch and a brake in their designs.

b) Please note that these are not mandatory.

 RADIO CONTROLLERS

a) The machine has to be necessarily controlled by a wireless remote control system.

b) Note that participants are required to bring 2 remote controls of distinct frequencies or a dual- frequency remote control.

c) Note also the teams will have to control three components of the car viz. the engine throttle, steering and brake system(if used).

This section will help the novice, the expert and everyone in between get an idea of what they will have to work with to get their Trike up and roaring. Click on each section to read on that particular sub system or click here if you have some queries.We just might have already answered them...

• What you need to know about the heart of your beast : The IC ENGINE
• What you need to know to control your beast : The RADIO CONTROL SYSTEM
• What you need to know to make it last : The SUSPENSION SYSTEM
• What you need to know to build the skeleton : The CHASSIS

The last two modules can be understood by visting our Forum at : http://groups.google.co.in/group/fireniceshaastra2009/web/updates
All information about the event, regular updates and discussions will be available here. Use it to your maximum advantage.

Some issues which might not be clearly understood from the Complete Events Module :

1) Will fuel and charging facilities be provided at the venue?
a) Fuel will be sold at the venue for the benefit of outstation participants. The fuel will be according to the specifications listed in the Complete Events Module. There will also be a 220V AC power output for charging purposes.

2) What does  the Design Evaluation Stage comprise of?
a) It comprises of a Presentation Round where teams will have to present their unique designs and fabrication details in front of a panel of judges who will decide the Best Design Award. Teams stand to win great prizes and recognition through this phase of the event.

DOWNLOADS

1. Complete Event Module -

   Get all you want to get started in this event ; Complete Rule Book, Tech Specs, FAQ's, Tutorials and more...Please join the Fire 'n Ice Forum : http://groups.google.co.in/group/fireniceshaastra2009/web/updates
   All information about the event, regular updates and discussions will be available here. Use it to your maximum advantage.
   

2. FAQ -

   Frequently Asked Questions

3. Tutorials -

   For the newbie and the expert alike, an introduction to the various subsystems in your RC vehicle.
   

• IC Engine
• RC System