PiPool Challenge and BBQ 2016 Saturday 20th August

by cymplecy · Published 5th August 2016 · Updated 10th August 2016

Following on from last year’s inaugural event, PiPool is back!

Book your tickets here

Some say its bigger and better than last year’s but in fact its exactly the same except the garden’s been tidied up!

What are the challenges?

The challenge is to simply produce an autonomous water travelling craft that can:

Get from one side of the pool to the other
Circumnavigate the pool

Rule clarifications

Autonomous means once I say ready steady go, the craft must be let go and from then on be under no external human control. On-board or external computer control is not only allowed – its is positively encouraged .

Fastest time wins, if no craft achieves the objectives, the one completing it the nearest or best (regardless of time spent) will win.

Notes based on last years entries

Your craft is very liable to sink (really – plan for it!) DO NOT equip it with expensive electronics/devices that you are not prepared to lose e.g use PiZero not Pi3

We had 3 types of craft – a conventional Pi2 paddle boat, an Arduino bot mounted on foam using a steerable fan (bit like an Everglades boat), and a propellor boat driven by a rubber band

Due to sinking of paddle craft and lack of ANY control on the rubber-band boat (apart from intial rudder setting), the Arduino won both events by running alongside the side of the pool to reach target (large red buoy) thereby 100% completing Challenge 1 and 50% completing Challenge 2

Your main problem is wind so your craft will tend to drift from any straight line course. Suggestions are follow curve of pool or on-board inertial compensation or even better – computer vision and steer towards larg red target buoy 🙂

BBQ Facilities

These are, without question, the best all-weather BBQ facilities in the North-West of England if not the world 🙂

So even if you don’t fancy making an entry into the challenges, why not come along for the afternoon just for the food and company 🙂

: Codebug Paddle Boat

: The PiPool Cup

: Idea – never made it to competition

: BBQ!

: Winning Craft

: Winning Team Moore

: Mickey taking entry by Dr Bateman PhD