# Sample Questions ## Autonomous Award * How does your robot perceive its surroundings during autonomous? * What sensors are you using, and why were they selected? * How do you account for sensor noise, field variability, or lighting changes? * How does your robot localize itself on the field? * How do you ensure mechanisms are positioned accurately before executing a task? * What happens if your robot starts slightly misaligned? * How do you ensure consistent and reliable performance over many matches? * What factors did you identify that could interfere with autonomous success? * How did you design around traffic or interaction during autonomous periods, including any autonomous actions in teleop? * What testing process did you use to validate repeatability? * How did your autonomous routines evolve from concept to competition? * What metrics did you track to evaluate improvement? * How did you balance scoring potential with reliability? ## Creativity Award * What is the most creative element of your robot? * Where did the idea originate? * Can you trace the evolution of this feature from initial concept to final design? * How was this feature intentionally designed rather than discovered accidentally? * What alternatives did you consider before choosing this approach? * How does this creative feature enhance your game strategy? * When functioning as designed, how does it improve match performance? * What risks did this creative solution introduce? * How did you mitigate those risks during development? * What testing validated that this idea was competition-ready? ## Excellence in Engineering Award * What specific game problems did you identify as priorities? * Why did you choose to focus on those challenges? * How does your robot incorporate solutions to those problems? * How do your subsystems work together seamlessly? * What tradeoffs did you accept in your design? * Can you trace this solution from concept through CAD, prototyping, and final fabrication? * What iterations significantly improved performance? * How did you validate that your solution did not introduce new problems? * How does this engineering solution contribute directly to match success? ## Industrial Design Award * How does your robot balance function, efficiency, and aesthetics? * What makes your entire machine elegant and practical? * How does the overall robot architecture support performance? * How did you ensure the design is simple and executable rather than overly complex? * What visually or structurally distinguishes your robot from others? * How does your design language carry consistently across the whole robot? * How does your design improve driver interaction and clarity? * How does your layout improve maintenance efficiency? ## Innovation in Control Award * What is innovative about your control system? * How does it differ from standard implementations? * How is your control system integrated with mechanical systems and overall strategy? * How does it support drivers or human players? * Can you trace the control concept from idea to deployment? * What testing and tuning did you perform? * How does your system perform under competition stress? * What redundancy or safeguards are built in? * How does your control system directly address this year’s game challenge? ## Quality Award * What was your quality plan heading into build season? * How did you design for robustness across the entire event? * What fabrication standards does your team follow? * How do you ensure consistency in manufacturing and assembly? * How does your robot withstand defensive play and repeated match cycles? * What redundancy is built into critical systems? * What common failure points did you proactively design against? * How has your robot maintained performance throughout the event? * How does your build quality contribute directly to on-field success?