Beyond food, air, and water, it could be said that there is one commodity that is essential to enable our civilization. It surrounds us, we use it countless times day and night, yet we rarely think about it. Then a natural disaster takes it away from us, and it is one of the highest priorities for us to get back.
Electricity is generated in many ways and transported all over the world via a high voltage distribution network known as the power grid. Carefully managed supplies and loads make sure it is available at the flip of a switch, until it isn't. With over 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and over 5.5 million miles of local distribution lines, in just the U.S. alone, disruptions are inevitable. When those disruptions affect thousands of miles of grid, like they did with hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, anything that can help get the grid back up faster is invaluable.
Our linemen have the most dangerous job in the world. Disaster areas are the most dangerous of all because of live high voltage wires that have fallen to the ground and the substantial debris and obstacles that exist after such an event.
A new type of lineman is needed to repair the power grid. Working with robots, the new generation of linemen will act as pilots/drivers and interact with the robot by loading payloads and equipment to be installed on the grid.
BEST Robotics is looking for an all-purpose system to repair the electric grid when catastrophe happens. Maintenance and repair of the power grid is one of the more dangerous occupations, so your goal is to help mitigate this problem by designing a robotic system to repair aerial high voltage lines, residential lines and underground buried cables; to transport and replace line insulators and transformers; and to clear and remove ground debris such as trees and limbs. In addition, your robotic system may be tasked to go into the most dangerous areas where the ambient field levels are so high that the system must autonomously navigate to deliver equipment to the towers.
Kickoff: September 14, 2019 WSU Hughes Metroplex
Practice Day: October 19, 2019 WSU Heskett Center
Game Day: October 26, 2019 WSU Charles Koch Arena
Wichita Collegiate High School
Salina South High School
Council Grove High School
Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School
Andover Central High School
Minneapolis Jr/Sr High School
Wichita Homeschool
Wichita High School East
Pike Valley High School
Atchison High School
Cunningham High School
Smoky Valley High School *
Rose Hill High School
Kansas City Christian School
Wichita Southeast High School
Garden City High School
Circle High School
Rock Creek Jr./Sr. High School
Solomon High School
Osage City High School *
Campus High School
Valley Center High School
Canton-Galva High School
Southeast of Saline *
Washburn Rural High School
Augusta High School
Minecraft Challenge
1st - Garden City HS, 2nd - Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic HS, 3rd - Kansas City Christian School
BESTManial Challenge
1st - Garden City HS, 2nd - Kansas City Christian School, 3rd - Wichita Collegiate HS
Spirit AeroSystems Innovation Award
Kansas City Christian School
Textron Aviation Founder's Award
Kansas City Christian School
Team Exhibit and Interview
1st - Kapaun Mt Carmel Catholic HS, 2nd - Council Grove HS, 3rd - Rose Hill HS
Marketing Presentation
1st - Kapaun Mt Carmel Catholic HS, 2nd - Circle HS, 3rd - Wichita Collegiate HS
Engineering Notebook
1st - Garden City HS, 2nd - Kansas City Christian School, 3rd - Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic HS
BEST Award
1st - Kapaun Mt Carmel Catholic HS, 2nd - Council Grove HS, 3rd - Circle HS
Autonomous Time Trials
1st - Southeast of Saline, 2nd - Garden City HS, 3rd - Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic HS
Virtual Time Trials
1st - Garden City HS, 2nd - Salina South HS, 3rd - Kansas City Christian School