Around 72.2% * of Indian population lives in villages. They constitute the backbone of our country but unfortunately they are also the most underprivileged section of our society. The major cause for this being lack of the social, religious and technological maturity.

Here is an opportunity for you to do something about it. Advent gives you a chance to take your ideas out the brainstorming phase and boost them into an implementation mode where they will directly benefit the targeted population. Send in your best ideas for implementing socio-technological changes in the rural community.

Report Submission
Your team has to submit a detailed project report and conduct a short pilot before coming to TRYST 2012. The report should be mailed with the subject “Advent-YourProjectTopic” to advent@tryst-iitd.com before 23:59 hrs on 17th Feb., 2012.

Open Round
In the open round of the competition the shortlisted teams must give a presentation about the implementation of the project to the judges. The concept as well as the execution of the pilot must be included in that presentation.

Your team may consist up to 4 members from any academic background. Cross college teams are also allowed.

All students with a valid identity card of their respective educational institutes where they are pursuing their degree are eligible to participate.

Round 1: The report is judged on the following basis:

• 
  Creativity
• Relevance towards Society
• Feasibility of the Project
• Target group of the project
• Ground Implementation of the project
• Sustainability of the project
• Impact Potential

Round 2: 10 min Presentation & 5min short Question-Answer Session.

• Assessment by the Jury
• Final result is declared based on the same criteria as mentioned above
• 25% weight is given to the Q-A round

You need to frame an intellectually valid and well-engineered research paper to prove that nothing can survive below the earth’s surface. It does not need to be scientifically correct, but must be written logically and must be based on the principles of science.

Report Submission
Your team has to submit the research paper to fakeresearchpaper@tryst-iitd.com before 23:59 hrs on 17th Feb., 2012.

Final Round
The shortlisted teams must present the paper and convince the audience of its authenticity. There will also be a Q&A round with the panel and the audience where the paper will be put under scrutiny.

Your team may consist up to 2 members from any academic background. Cross college teams are also allowed.
All students with a valid identity card of their respective educational institutes where they are pursuing their degree are eligible to participate.

Round 1: The paper will be judged on the basis of :

• Creativity
• Logical flow
• Use of correct scientific principles
• Structure and formatting

Round 2: The presentation will be judged on:

• Clarity of concept presentation
• Convincing ability
• Question and Answer round

The theme shall be open, meaning that you can choose any theme you like but keep in mind that you should be answerable as to why you chose the theme.

There will be 2 stages
Stage 1:-
Participants are supposed to submitan online abstract which contains details about the game and submit it by 18th of Feb (tentative).

Stage 2:-
The D-Day. All selected candidates from stage 1 will be called upon to deliver a final presentation before the judges. Please note that the participants may be asked to prove the authenticity of the game and if found otherwise, they may be disqualified by the organizers at will.

Specifications
Gaming Platform can be Flash, C and JAVA ( includes JAVA 3D)
Also, use of 3rd party plugins such as 3D plugins, tweening plugins etc are allowed, but not any game related SDK’s or Softwares.
It is recommended that you strictly adhere to the above specifications only as we might check for these during the final round (Stage 2).
The organizers reserve the right to disqualify any entry at any stage in case it finds any discrepancy with the said specifications. Team Details
Teams of upto 3.

Graphics : 30%
What’s a game without decent graphics. Even a very simple game can be made quite engaging with visually pleasing graphics and animations. Score will be deducted for poor/pixilated graphics.
Theme : 20%
We all know why Mario tries so hard. It’s to save the princess. We will be looking for theme based games along with complementing stories.
Engagement and Immersiveness : 10%
How well does this game use scoring and levels of challenge to be interesting and engaging? Is the user dying to play it again even before the current one finishes?
Interactions and Feedback : 15%
How well are the keyboard and mouse controls used? How is the response in the game in respect to a keyboard stroke or a mouse click or is there any noticeable delay? Is the FPS too low? Does the game support other game controllers, provide Haptic Feedback?
Fidelity : 15%
How well does this game represent or simulate one or more aspects of reality? This may include physics laws, real life situations, etc.
Sounds : 10%
The visual feedback isn’t enough. Sounds plays a very important role in any game and it must not go unnoticed especially the background score.

Design a self-sustaining underground city with the following guidelines:

• The city plan must mention sources of energy, air supply and how essential resources are being generated and circulated within the city complex.
• Features for convenience of residents such as transportation, social hubs etc must be well planned and practical.
• All technical complexities associated with building underground structures may be explained with innovative conceptual diagrams (energy source, earthquake resistant design, stability of support structures and evacuation system.

Report Submission
Your team has to submit the architectural plan to minesofmoria@tryst-iitd.com before 23:59 hrs on 17th Feb., 2012.

Final Round
The shortlisted teams must make a presentationand explain their concept. There will also be a Q&A round with the panel and the audience.

Team Specifications
A team may consist of a maximum of 3 members. Students from different educational institutes cannot form a team as this is an Inter-Institute Competition.

Eligibility
All students with a valid identity card of their respective educational institutes are eligible to participate.

Justification of choice of buildings with their need to be built considering limitations of space and their location
Innovation in concept evolution
Analysis of city’s vulnerability with depth due to temperature changes and tectonic movements
Depth of detailing out the concept

To design and build an autonomous line-follower robot that negotiates a maze of made out of white lines on black surface in the shortest time.

Rules for the robot

• A robot shall be self-contained (no remote controls) or a power cable can be connected.
• A robot shall not leave any part of its body behind while negotiating the maze.
• A robot shall not skip, scratch, mark, damage, or destroy the lines of the maze.
• A robot shall not be larger either in length or in width, than 25 centimeters. The dimensions of a robot that changes its geometry during a run shall not be greater than 25 cm x 25 cm. There are no restrictions on the height of a robot.
• Any violation of these rules will constitute immediate disqualification from the contest and ineligibility for the associated prizes.

Rules for the Maze

• The maze is composed of made with white lines of width 2 cms. on a black painted surface. The maze is made of wood, finished with non-gloss paint. The minimum perpendicular distance between two parallel line is 20 cms.
• WARNING: Do not assume the lines to be consistently white, or that the floor is consistently black. Fading may occur; parts from different mazes may be used.
• There could be acute and obtuse angled turns in the maze.
• The start of the maze is located at one of the four corner.
• Multiple paths to the destination square are allowed and are to be expected.

Rules for the Contest

• 1. Each contesting robot is allocated a total of 10 minutes of access to the maze from the moment the contest administrator acknowledges the contestant(s) and grants access to the maze. Any time used to adjust a robot between runs is included in the 10 minutes. Each run (from the start cell to the center zone) in which a robot successfully reaches the destination square is given a run time. The minimum run time shall be the robot’s official time. First prize goes to the robot with the shortest official time. Second prize to the next shortest, and so on. NOTE, again, that the 10-minute timer continues even between runs. All robot who enter the center square within their 10 minute allotment are ranked higher than those who do not enter the center square.
• 2. Each run shall be made from the starting square. The operator may abort a run at any time. If an operator touches the robot during a run, it is deemed aborted, and the robot must be removed from the maze. If a robot has already crossed the finish line, it may be removed at any time without affecting the run time of that run. If a robot is placed back in the maze for another run, a one-time penalty of 30 seconds will be added to the robot’s next run time.
• 3. After the maze is disclosed, the operator shall not feed information on the maze into the robot however, switch positions may be changed.
• 4. The illumination, temperature, and humidity of the room shall be those of an ambient environment.
• BEWARE: Do not make any assumptions about the amount of sunlight, incandescent light, or fluorescent light that may be present at the contest site.
• 5. The run timer will start when front edge of the robot crosses the start line and stops when the front edge of the robot crosses the finish line. The start line is at the boundary between the starting unit square and the next unit square clockwise. The finish line is at the entrance to the destination square.
• 6. Every time the robot leaves the start square, a new run begins. If the robot has not entered the destination square, the previous run is aborted. For example, if a robot re-enters the start square (before entering the destination square) on a run, that run is aborted, and a new run will be deemed begun, with a new time that starts when the starting square is exited.
• 7. The robot may, after reaching the destination square, continue to navigate the maze, for as long as their total maze time allows.
• 8. If a robot continues to navigate the maze after reaching the destination square, the time taken will not count toward any run. Of course, the 10-minute timer continues to run. When the robot next leaves the start square, a new run will start. Thus, a robot may and should make several runs without being touched by the operator. It should make its own way back to the beginning to do so.
• 9. The judges reserve the right to ask the operator for an explanation of the robot. The judges also reserve the right to stop a run, declare disqualification, or give instructions as appropriate (e.g., if the structure of the maze is jeopardized by continuing operation of the robot).
• 10. A contestant may not feed information on the maze to the robot. Therefore, changing ROMs or downloading programs is NOT allowed once the maze is revealed. However, contestants are allowed to:
  • Change switch settings (e.g. to select algorithms)
  • Replace batteries between runs
  • Adjust sensors
  • Change speed settings
  • Make repairs
• 11. However, a contestant may not alter a robot in a manner that alters its weight (e.g. removal of a bulky sensor array or switching to lighter batteries to get better speed after mapping the maze is not allowed). The judges shall arbitrate.
• 12. First prize will go to that robot which travels from the start square to the destination square in the least amount of time. Second and third prizes will be awarded to the second and third fastest respectively.
Robots that do not enter the center square will be ranked by the minimum distance from the center square.

Contest Eligibility

• A team may consist of up to three people. The team members may be from different academic institutions.
• The teams have to qualify in the preliminary round to contest in the final round. Certificates will be awarded to the teams clearing the prelims ONLY.

SAMPLE MAZE
(Please note, the maze during the competition will be different and will be disclosed on the day of the event).

Design and construct a remote controlled robot which can fight with another robot in a one on one round.

Winning Criteria:
To win make your opponent immobilized for at least 30 seconds or throw it out of the boundary of the Arena.

The competition will be played on a knock-out basis.
Maximum number of participants in a team is three.
The maximum duration of each round will be 5 minutes.
In case when no teams will be declared winner within the time limit (i.e. 5min) while fighting a single match then an extra time of 1 minute will be allotted.
In case the result is not obtained in extra time then the result will be declared by the judges based on performance of the machines.
The machine would be checked for its safety before the race and would be discarded if found unsafe for other participants and spectators.
Judges decision shall be treated as final.
The organizers reserve the rights to change any or all of the above rules as they deem fit.

The machine should fit in a box of dimension 600 mm x 600 mm x 1000 mm (lxbxh) at any given point during the match. The external device used to control the machine is not included in the size constraint.
The machine should not exceed 25 kg of weight including the weight of pneumatic source/tank. This does not include the external power supply (if used). Weight of onboard power supply will be counted as 0.5*actual weight.
All robots must have controlled mobility which include Rolling (wheels, tracks or the whole robot), Linear-actuated legs and novel non-wheeled drive systems.
Flying, Hopping and Jumping of any kind is not allowed.
The machine can be controlled wirelessly or with wires.
If the machine is wired then the wire should remain slack under all circumstances during the competition. All the wires coming out of the machine should be stacked as a single unit. Use proper rated wires.
Two frequency remote control system
Batteries must be sealed, immobilized-electrolyte types (such as gel cells, lithium, NiCad, NiMH, or dry cells).
Robots can use any type of weapons like magnetic weapons, cutters, flippers, saws, lifting devices, spinning hammers etc. with some exceptions like:

• Liquid projectiles
• Flame based weapons
• Any kind of inflammable liquid
• Explosives
• High power magnets or electromagnets

Spinning weapons should not come in contact with the arena at any point of time.
Machine will be checked before the match and will be allowed to participate after passing all the safety tests.

Choose from your side the task you want to perform and complete the task in as many steps as you can.
The mechanism must lie within an imaginary box whose dimensions are (l*b*h)3meter * 3meter * 3meter.
For electrical appliances, team will be provided with a power supply of 230volts/50 Hz.
The space provided would be open, which means no wall will be there to support your arrangement. Teams have to bring theirown supporting system.

Participant teams will compete to design a machine that uses the most number of processes to complete a simple task. Processes or Steps can be mechanical or electrical or anything else. Each team can have up to a maximum of 5 members. The participants have to submit their abstract by 20 February (tentative) to the email id ‘rubegoldberg@tryst-iitd.com’. The shortlisted teams will be contacted separately.

Shortlisted teams will be provided with 3 trials to make their arrangement working. Each team will be given 90 minutes to setup their arrangement at the event area before the very first attempt. After that 15 minutes will be given between every attempt to reset their arrangement.
The number of steps for the completion of the task must be more than 10.
The time for each trial should not exceed 4 minutes.
Teams must bring their own materials and instruments etc. to setup their arrangement and nothing will be provided by the organizers. On the other hand the teams are allowed to share their materials.
Once initiated, no manual intervention is allowed.
No combustibles, flammables, fire or hazardous materials may be used. The organisers have the right to disqualify any team if the arrangement is found to be unsafe.
Contestants are responsible for removing their arrangement and any debris left after the completion of their 3 trials.
Judges' decision shall be final and binding to all.
The teams must adhere to the spirit of healthy competition. Organizers reserve the right to disqualify any team indulging in misbehaviour.
The organizers reserve the rights to change any or all of the above rules as they deem fit.

Team Composition:
A maximum of 5 members are allowed per team. Students from different educational institutes can form a team.

Eligibility criteria:
All students with a valid photo identity card of their respective educational institutes are eligible to participate in RUBE GOLDBERG at TRYST 2012.

The winner is decided on the basis of maximum number of steps required to complete the task. Bonus marks will be awarded for innovative ideas and design. Parallel processes will not be counted in the total number of steps. Parallel steps are the steps which do not affect the machine even if they are removed. Therefore only those steps which when are necessary for the proper functioning of the machine will be counted in the total number of steps.

Design and construct a robot which follows your instructions perfectly.

Winning Criteria:
The Robot which completes the arena in minimum time will be declared as winner. In case if no robot will be able to complete it then the winner will be decided on the basis of maximum number of check point crossed.

A team can consist of maximum 4 members.
Bot must not exceed 200mm x 200mm x 300mm as l x b x h in dimensions at the starting of the match.
The weight of the robot must not exceed 5kg.
The size of the robot can change during the match.
The robot may be wired or wireless. In case of a wired robot, the wires must remain slack at all times during the Game.
The voltage difference between any two points of the machine must never exceed 24 volts dc.
If the robot causes any kind of damage to the arena it will be immediately disqualified.
The machine will be checked for its safety before the race and will be discarded if found unsafe for other participants and spectators.
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.

Arena consists of a number of hurdles and sharp turns.
Final Arena will be disclosed just before the event.
Some of the hurdles are shown in the figures.
There may be more hurdles in the arena but they are of same nature as those are specified.
Maximum height of speed breakers is 2cm.
Maximum angle of inclination of the ramp is 20 degrees.
The dimension of the box is 15cm x 15cm x 15cm (lxbxh).
Weight of the box is 200g.
Box and arena both are made of wood.

Robot will have to clear preliminary round to enter in the final round.
There will be more hurdles in final round than prelims.
Robot will have to start from the starting point specified in the arena and completes the arena by passing through the checkpoints.
Points will be awarded for every checkpoint crossed.
Bot will be allowed to take maximum 3 tries in a time interval of 10 minutes.
Maximum score of 3 turns will be used for deciding the winner.
Controller can take as many retakes as he/she wishes to but will have to start from last checkpoint crossed and timer will not stop.
In the end robot will have to push a box and slide it into a specified region to complete the game.
Team scoring maximum points at the end of three trials will win the game. In case of tie winner will be decided on various criteria like the time taken, agility, mechanism etc.