Challenge Stages

There are 3 stages to the Challenge:

Stage 1 - Project Folder

Produce a project folder detailing your approach to the Challenge, the project stages and your results and conclusions. For further information on the marking criteria and a suggested content for the project folder see Marking Criteria. The deadline for project folder submissions is Wednesday 29th February 2012.

After submitting your folder, the teams with the best entries will be invited to participate in the next stage of the competition - a regional final with the chance to win £250 for your school and entry into the National Final.

Stage 2 - Regional Competition Day

• Finished vehicle assessment
• Oral presentation to the Judges and other teams
• Vehicle race
• Points will also be awarded for the use of recycled materials this could include waste items such as plastic bottles
• Points will also be awarded for your team identity
• £250 prize money will be awarded to the winning team in each categroy plus travel expenses at 26 pence per mile to attend the National Final Competition

Competition Dates:

* potentially these two finals could be combined at either Wales or Burnaston, Derby (Midlands)
Regional finals may take place on more than one day due to number of teams participating.

Stage 3 - National Final Day

• Finished Vehicle Assessment.
• Oral presentation to the Judges, other teams and the audience.
• Vehicle Race.
• Points will also be awarded for the use of recycled materials and your team identity.

£750 prize money and an activity holiday in France will be awarded to the winning team in each category. Accompanying teachers must reflect the gender of the students participating during the holiday. For single gender teams, 1 teacher can attend the trip paid for by Toyota. For mixed gender teams, 2 teachers can attend the trip paid for by Toyota.

The Toyota Technology Challenge can run in parallel to the national curriculum or as part of it. The activity resulting from each task can meet a number of national curriculum requirements, depending on how teachers frame the activity. See PIC Vehicle and Solar Vehicle for further details. The basic challenges can also be extended by adding new criteria, for example, work relating to weight and structural integrity.

The Race

Solar

Solar teams must charge their vehicle using only the lamps provided by Toyota and Rapid at the competition venue. Any team requiring to charge their vehicle using a DC power source will have points deducted, before charging takes place teams will be required to show the race judges the capacitor has been discharged.

Solar teams are given 15 minutes in the charging area before both their practice session and the final race proper. If the vehicle is removed before the 15 minutes is up, the vehicle cannot be returned to be recharged.

Solar teams will have time to practice on the racetrack, but this practice time may be shared with other teams so you should take it in turns on the track.

For the final race, solar teams will be given up to 3 attempts in 5 minutes to achieve the quickest times across the track. Points are also awarded for consistency.

PIC

PIC teams are given a 10 minute practice session separate from their final race. Within this time teams can ‘tweak’ the vehicle if necessary.

Teams may bring a laptop or suitable equipment to reprogram or make adjustments to programs between practices. This equipment must be battery powered and fully charged as mains points may not be available.

For the final race, teams will be given up to 3 attempts in 10 minutes to achieve the fastest times across the race track. No reprogramming will be permitted during the final race proper, but multiple microcontrollers with different programs may be interchanged between races.

Race officials may move the position of obstacles on the PIC racetrack between the practice race and the final race.

Race notes

Points are awarded for all 3 attempts during the final race. Teams should aim to build a consistently fast vehicle.

Any team with a vehicle which does not complete the track will be penalised and points will be awarded for distance.

Please test your vehicle on a variety of surfaces in preparation for the race i.e. lino and hard & soft surfaces.

Please note supporting teachers are required to sit at a teacher's station and whilst available to support, teachers must not give direct instructions, otherwise penalties will apply.