ASME Kinetic Sculpture Race

About Race: Kinetic Sculptures are amphibious, human powered works of art custom built for the race. Each May, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) hosts the East Coast Kinetic Sculpture Race Championship on the shore of Baltimore’s in central Maryland. The eight-hour race covers 15 miles— mostly on pavement, but also including a trip into the Chesapeake Bay and through mud and sand. Kinetic Sculpture Racing traces its roots to Ferndale, California in 1969 when artist Hobart Brown upgraded his son’s tricycle into a 5-wheeled pentacycle that was part of a race down Main Street. (Hobart did not win.) Over the decades since, the California race evolved into a 3-day all-terrain Kinetic Grand Championship including treacherous sand dunes, water crossings, and elaborate sculptures and costumes.

Goals for students:

• Build a Kinetic Sculpture to win the Engineering Race! • Gain hands on engineering experience designing and building the Kinetic Sculpture, to give students a jump-start on internship or entry level engineering positions • Learn how to use Computer Aided Design software to prototype parts • Applying mechanics/materials to real world problems • Improve their teamwork, communication, and leadership skills

Team Information: Team Name: ??? Team Logo: Maryland Terrapin

Team Meeting Times: 2 hrs, 2 days per week -> total of 4 hrs per week Meeting days and times Tuesday: 6-8pm, Wednesday 6-8pm Meeting Location: 3108

Mentor Contact Info: Erik Levin (Team Leader) Email: [email protected] Phone: 410-353-1711

Justin DiPalo (Team Leader) Email: [email protected] Phone: 203-609-1698

Deadlines:

November 29, 2011 -> January 31, 2012 – Design Sculpture (40%) February 1, 2012 -> April 15, 2012 – Build Sculpture (50%) April 16, 2012 -> May 4, 2012 – Fine Tuning Sculpture (10%) May 5, 2012 – Race Day Specifics/Rules on Race: A No.1. HOBART’S LAW OF KINETICS Sculptures must be human-powered! No pulling, pushing, paddling, or other propulsive method is allowed except by Official Pit Crew and Pilots (sometimes called Kinetinauts). Stored energy is allowed for non-propulsive purposes only. It is legal to get assistance from the natural power of water, wind, sun, and gravity and friendly extraterrestrials. A1a. LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS RULE All Official Pilots, Pit Crew, and Barnacles in the race must accept and sign the waiver of all responsibility (Waiver Of All Responsibility Form). #1. IRS RULE Entry forms, waiver sheets and entry fees must be turned in by the proper deadline in order to receive any fringe benefits, like official stuff you need for the race. 1b. GEOMETRIC NEW MATH PRE-CALCULUS LAW OF PROPORTIONS Each Sculpture must be no more than 8 feet wide, 13 feet high and 35 feet long while on the road or highway 1+. PERSONAL SECURITY RULE Each Sculpture must carry at all times 1 comforting item of psychological luxury heretofore referred to as the “Homemade Sock Creature” (HSC). Homemade Sock Creature must be made in a home, from a not-too-recently- worn sock from the home, and resemble a creature homemade from a sock. (penalty: 1 hour) 2B. OR NOT TO BE You may not start the race until you have passed THE Official Safety Inspection! Inspections will be handled by the Baltimore City Police Department, Baltimore City Fire Department, Dock Master, Ramp Master, Kinetic Kops, and/or the Kinetic Safety Check Committee, all of whom are tough cookies. Inspections will also be conducted at the water entry, and as needed along the race course. The following safety equipment must be on board at all times. Citations will be issued for lost equipment! (penalty: 1 hour) • Approved warning triangle, 12”x12” • Coast Guard approved life preservers, one for each person on board the sculpture in the water • Operable and functioning brakes • Affixed tow ring, attached firmly to the front of the Sculpture close to the center, strong enough to heave the entire sculpture through and out of the water, mud, and other terrain • Drinking water (1 quart per pilot) • Paddle or Oar • Horn • First Aid Kit containing band-aids and antibacterial cream or wipes • A cell phone ready to receive urgent race-related calls—for which the number must be given to the race director • Each Pilot must have available an approved bicycle helmet on the Sculpture. At your own risk, you may wear other protective headgear including hard hats or batters’ helmets during the race. 2 +or-. TWO’S COMPANY RULE Each Sculpture must have 1 or more Pilots. Each Pilot must have 1 human Pit Crew member. Each Sculpture may have up to 1 human Barnacle. 2.1 I FOUGHT THE LAW AND THE LAW WON LAW OF NATURE All Law Enforcement orders must be followed in cases of hazardous conditions. (penalty: Banishment) 2bad. I FOUGHT THE LAW AND THE LAW WON LAW OF THE ROAD All Law Enforcement orders must be followed and all Sculptures must follow the rules of the road. A Maryland Vehicle Code Violation resulting in a citation issued by an official law enforcement agent also carries a Kinetic penalty. (penalty: 1 hour) 2big2b4gotten. PACK MULE RULE All special terrain equipment must be on board the Sculpture at all times. (penalty: 2 hours) 2C. SELF-EXPLANATORY EXPLANATION REGULATION Your Sculpture must not be dangerous or harmful to yourself or anything else in the world. Projectiles such as arrows, anchors, and grappling hooks fall into this category and are not allowed. 2D. SAFETY OF OTHERS RULE No Sculpture may carry on board any potentially dangerous items without receiving permission from the Race Director before the race begins. Your sculpture will be travelling through crowds of fans, who must not be harmed. (The best ways to locate the Race Director to discuss these matters are at volunteer meetings, or via telephone or email.) 2D or not 2D. MOM’S HIGH ANXIETY RULE Make sure you can get out of your Sculpture in an emergency. Each Pilot must have a quick exit path. In addition, life jackets must be worn while on the water! You will not be allowed to begin a water crossing unless you are wearing a life jacket. Go2. NO PUSHING AT START REGULATION The Kinetic Sculpture race begins at AVAM with a LeMans start. Pit Crews or spectators are not to assist Pilots at the start. (penalty: 1 hour) 2go go. VARIATION ON A THEME OF NO PUSHING REGULATION No pulling or pushing on Race course allowed except by Official Pit Crew and Pilots. Exception: in any Official- designated Push/Rope areas. 2 4/3. POETIC KINETIC LICENSE Your Official Kinetic License Plate must be visible on your Sculpture at all times. The name of your Sculpture should be visible to spectators, the major TV networks, local TV Crews, glossy magazine writers, Kinetic Kops, Officials, Posse, and Judges. 3. GILLIGAN’S DRIFT LIMIT The drift limit in the Harbor is to be set by the Coast Guard and/or Ramp Master. If you drift out of limits the Coast Guard or Posse will tow you back on course so as not to lose you to the High Seas. (penalty: 1 hour) 3D. DRAFT HOGGER REGULATION No drafting of motor vehicles on land or water. (penalty: 1 hour) 4xoxo. KINETINAUT CODE OF CONDUCT Harassment of Officials is disallowed. Officials are doing the best they can. If things are not going your way, take it personally—they are picking on you. Pilots, Pit Crews, and Officials will not involve themselves in incidents of kicking, biting, scratching, or fisticuffs. Anyone engaging in such outrageous activities is not honored, but disgraced. (penalty: 1 hour or Banishment) 4#@!%. HONK AND PASS POLITENESS LAW Sculptures honked upon must yield right-of-way and pull aside at the first opportunity to allow faster moving sculptures to pass. Passing pilots should gesture or display an obligatory sign of gratitude. 5. THE ROSIE RUIZ RULE All ACE Sculptures must stay on the course at all times. Only Official Kinetic Shortcuts allowed. 5A. MOTHER’S BIG : LITTLE RATIO At least one adult Pilot (over the age of 18 and having signed a Waiver of All Responsibility<) must be on board Sculpture at all times while traveling the course. (penalty: Banishment) 6. ARMAND’S ARM AND LEG LAW To become an ACE Pilot and receive the title of Most Visionary Professor and other accolades, your sculpture must be ridden by all Pilots at all times over the entire course. Therefore, at no time (including water entry and exit) can your sculpture be pushed, pulled, or otherwise propelled along the course by Pilots and/or Pit Crew except in any designated “Legal Push/Rope” areas. Your Sculpture may be moved sideways or backwards, either by Pilots or Pit Crew or both to areas to perform repairs or to gain better course conditions or to clear the course. In addition, no gadgets, such as skis, snowshoes, boards, etc. attached to your feet will be considered part of the sculpture. (penalty: 3 hours) 7.007. REAL THING/RIGHT STUFF RULE For the pilots on a sculpture to receive ACE status, no relief pilots will be allowed under any circumstances during timed competition. Pilots must stay with their Sculpture and are not allowed to ride on Pit Crew vehicle while Sculpture is progressing the course. In other words, you may not rotate pilots during the race. (penalty: loss of ACE status and 1-hour penalty) 7 1/2. THE AGONY OF DE FEAT LAW: THE NO TOWING RULE An ACE Sculpture must negotiate the course without assistance from any motorized vehicle. Receiving a tow suggests engineering improvements are required. Back to the old drawing board, and better luck next year! (exception: See rule 3, Gilligan’s Drift Rule) 8. THE DRUNK, DRANK, OR STILL DRINKING RULE The consumption of alcoholic beverages or use of controlled substances by any pilot or Pit Crew member while on the course shall result in Banishment. It’s not nice, and besides it’s unsightly in the eyes of spectators who look up to Kinetic Sculpture People with awe and wonderment, and it’s against the law pertaining to all road negotiating vehicles and sculptures. Sculptures in violation of this rule will be confiscated by strict Race Officials. The same is true for any Sculpture carrying any alcoholic beverage container, whether full or empty, excepting empty containers picked up as litter. (penalty: Banishment) 8ball. 8%TOTAL BODY WETNESS RULE Pilots are only allowed 8% total area of body/clothes wetness. The point here is to stay out of the Harbor waters. Therefore every effort should be made to keep bodies above the Harbor water line. Wear a good anti-perspirant. (penalty: 30 minutes) 9.00 ALWAYS TRUE RULE AND ITS COROLLARY FOR THOSE WHO DON’T GET IT In the event of sun, the race will run anyway. In the event of rain, the race will run anyway. 10M. MANDATORY FUN REGULATION! All Pilots, Pit Crew members, Barnacles, Officials, Spectators, Police, Marine Posse, Timers, and Passersby must put great effort into HAVING FUN! for it is such craziness as this that keeps us all sane. SPECIAL RULES, REGULATIONS, AWARDS BARNACLE BONUS For optional collection of additional valuable advantages (usually a time bonus) non-powering humans (*Ages 18- 100; with a minimum weight per barnacle of 93 pounds) can be carried aboard on a specially designed “seat” and may essentially be a “passenger” throughout the entire course. Barnacles may not be substituted and must sign the entry and waiver form. Barnacles may not in any way assist in the movement or propulsion of the sculpture and must stay seated while “clocked in” on the course. The Barnacle may direct and encourage the pilots by yelling and being an annoying backseat nudge, but must refrain from using really bad, ugly words. *BARNACLE UNDER 18 REQUIRES A NOTARIZED WAIVER. THE INEVITABLE EVENTUALITY RULE In the event the Official Race Course must be altered while the Race is in progress, Diverted Sculptures will receive an appropriate time adjustment (positive or negative) by an Race Official. If the detour is essentially the same as the closed route, then let’s forget the whole thing! In the event of a course change, course closures, or difficult timing problems, etc., Pilots must obey all alternative rules, timing, and course changes set into motion by Race Officials. Awards: THE ACE AWARD The ACE Award is the most prestigious individual honor a racer can garner. This prize is a special hand-made medal (think Congressional Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, and Einstein Genius Knights of the Round Table Award). Many of the machines and pilots that race in other parts of the world do so only for this award and eschew any other glory or honors. A pilot who obtains this medal has conquered not only a race course, but his machine, and himself. When an ACE pilot enters a room all must stand to give honor to his or her status and must be addressed as “Most Visionary Professor.”

THE VERY COMPETITIVE NON-COMPETITIVE CATEGORY OF AWARDS GRAND EAST COAST NATIONAL MEDIOCRE CHAMPION Awarded to the Sculpture and pilot finishing in the middle. At The World Championship in Ferndale, California, you would win a very mediocre classic car, like a 1957 Rambler, which is, in fact, a really nice mediocre prize. But in the Baltimore East Coast National Championships you are guaranteed to win a really mediocre prize.

THE SPIRIT OF THE GLORIOUS FOUNDER AWARD Granted by the Glorious Founder of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, Hobart Brown, who with his infinite wisdom and mysterious means known only to him, chooses the most worthy winner.

THE NEXT TO THE LAST AWARD Awarded to the Sculpture and Pilot finishing, well, next to last. That way the end of the race can get pretty exciting.

WORST HONORABLE MENTION Lowest Award known to Humankind. This is given to the Sculpture whose half-baked theoretical “engineering” did not deter its Pilot from the challenge of the race.

THE GOLDEN DINOSAUR AWARD Awarded to either the first Sculpture to “breakdown” or the “most memorable breakdown.”

BEST PIT CREW Awarded and judged by various Officials, and has no real criteria (which reflects the wisdom of Pilots in choosing a pit crew, or conversely, the wisdom of some Pilots’ “friends” in volunteering to be the pit crew.)

BEST COSTUME Awarded by the The Fashion Police who keep the criteria a closely closeted secret.

PILOTS’ CHOICE AWARD Awarded to the Pilot receiving the most votes from his fellow Pilots.

GOLDEN FLIPPER AWARD Awarded to the Sculpture with the most interesting water entry.

THE VERY VERY COMPETITIVE CATEGORY OF AWARDS GRAND OVERALL EAST COAST ACE CHAMPION The Grand Overall East Coast Ace Champion must ACE the course. The award is determined by Mysterious Mathematical Means which include a point scoring system based on artistic merit, engineering prowess, and blinding speed of the Sculpture. The Sculpture with the highest average score in art, engineering, and speed is the Grand Champion. In the case that the Grand Champion has the highest score in any of the three categories of art, engineering, or speed, then the lesser art, engineering, or speed prize is forfeited in favor of the BIG ONE, to share the Glory, and not hog all the biggest prizes!

THE ART AWARD Awarded by the Art Judges. Category includes consideration of color, costumes, two and three dimensional “artistic designs,” kinetic motion, humor, theatrical appeal, and mass crowd- and media glory-seeking.

THE TOM BRUNE ENGINEERING AWARD Awarded by the Engineering Judges. Category includes consideration of ingenious conquering of course obstacles through Sculpture design as well as any ingenious facet of the design that functions in a truly unique or Glorious Manner.

THE SPEED AWARD Awarded to the Sculpture and Pilot with the fastest elapsed course time after any time-penalty infractions have been added.

Things to Note:

• You’ll probably need someone who can braze—or better yet—weld. The structure needs to be held together strongly in order to survive the race. While it may seem a lot easier to assemble a frame out of PVC pipe or lumber, the frames of sculptures that make it to the finish line tend to be made of brazed or welded metal. • Test! And test some more! Frank Conlan and Peter Stern’s team of Make Believers builds some of the best innovative sculptures each year. In 2002, they had a novel stair-stepping propulsion technique on their DeVine Stompers sculpture. In 2003, they built the Teapot, and in 2004 the Cirque de Sore Legs train. Fabulous art combines with very effective engineering with that bunch. Even then, the Cirque experienced the most exciting mishap in years of racing when it was blown off course and broke apart while being towed by the Baltimore Police. These guys are the best, and still have unanticipated excitement. So if you’re building a sculpture for the first time, you must test it thoroughly, because you don’t want to be one of those sculptures that breaks down in the first hundred yards of the race! • Wear Costumes! Outfitting your pilots and crew with costumes that match your sculpture’s theme is essential in creating a spectacle. Don’t forget your helmets—giant pieces of meat, huge sombreros, or some other thematic enhancement to your bike helmets will make a huge contribution. • Work the Crowd! Spectators love to join in. Especially at the water entry, one of your crew can encourage the crowd to cheer along. If we have room, the Spectator’s Guide can include a cheer that you provide on your application form or send to us at KineticBaltimore.com. • Plan any surprises carefully! Some teams like to surprise the crowd with a dramatic flourish—like when the It Cain’t team transformed their Titanic Ocean Liner into a rowboat on the water in 2005. You can surprise the crowd, but be sure to tip off the media so the surprise can be documented. You can email us here at KineticBaltimore.com, include a note about where your surprise will occur on your entry form, or at least have a pit crew notify all nearby media a few minutes before you do it. Here are some technical tips you might want to consider from past years’ entrants: • 2001: These guys drove into the water at the Canton loop and immediately sank. Their floatation relied on a little bit of gray styrofoam and some long yellow PVC tubes. But the tubes were simply tied with twine, which was clearly not up to the hundreds of pounds of force they were about to face—horizontally. The tubes shot forward, and the rear of the sculpture sank like a stone. Lesson #1: Be sure everything is held together solidly. Twine does not count. Lesson #2: Be sure to test your sculpture in all terrain. Really test.

• 2002: This sculpture had an artistically clever design—a cow with a configuration like a Conestoga wagon, and hinged cow legs to look like it’s galloping. Bicycle wheels without tires perhaps seemed a good idea in the design stage, because they look slightly more like wooden wheels. However, less than halfway through the race, I saw two exhausted Kinetinauts struggling to keep the cow going. Amazingly, they explained that they had started the race as mere spectators, and that the original Kinetinauts who designed the sculpture had gotten so worn out that they had abandoned it to them! These recruited Kinetinauts were already tired and tried to recruit us. But The Galloping Cow actually made it across the finish line, with conscripted Kinetinauts! Lesson #3: If you start with an existing concept (like a bicycle)—and you probably should your first year—don’t remove any features (like tires) without understanding why they’re there. Lesson #4: Never give up—even if you have to recruit strangers to drag your sculpture to the finish line. Lesson #5: As a spectator, you never know what you’ll be called on to do.

• 2003: A reprise of Lesson #1 from above, with styrofoam and air mattresses that aren’t held together as securely as they might be. But in true innovative fashion, these guys designed their sculpture so they were riding backwards through the race. But despite this questionable design choice, they finished! They won the Next-To-Last award, but they finished! Lesson #6: The race is 15 miles. Imagine piloting your sculpture all day. Lesson #7: Never give up, even if you have to drive backwards! You can do it!

• 2004: Louie the Dog was out for his second year through the course, a first-class veteran, and was making mincemeat of the competition without breaking a sweat. Then he got into the water at Canton. Some extra weight added since last year really got to Louie; he started sinking on one side. (See the Pontoon Effect footnote at the bottom of the 2005 Race Description. Left to his own devices, Louie would have probably inverted himself, upside down and completely under water. Louie is proof that it’s possible to win the Engineering Award one year for an incredible design, and the next year to win the Golden Flipper Award for almost capsizing! Lesson #8: Past performance is no guarantee of future success. Lesson #9: If you don’t make physics your friend, it may be your enemy.

• 2005: The Galloping Cow Rides Again. A picture is worth a thousand words. Lesson #10: Tis better to race and capsize than never to race at all.

• 2006: Subdude had a paddlewheel, but it was completely under water—thus useless. Lesson #11: Paddlewheels require precise calibration to ensure they’re submerged just enough but not too much. Be sure to test the sculpture with the same amount of weight on board you will have during the race.

• 2007: Kinetic Airways suffered a drivetrain failure trying to drive out of this pothole. Without a pit crew or spare parts, it couldn’t finish the race and was brought to the end of the race in a trailer. Lesson #12: Have a pit crew. Lesson #13: Have spare parts.

• 2009: In a Mexican restaurant, tacos are good. In a Kinetic Sculpture Race, they’re often doom. Bicycle wheels seem ideal for Kinetics—but it’s quite easy to overload them laterally. When you apply too much lateral force, they bend like a taco. Each year, at least one sculpture tacos a bicycle wheel. You almost certainly won’t have the tools to de-taco a wheel with you, so finishing the race may depend on having a spare wheel or two. Lesson #13: Try to avoid over-stressing your components, especially wheels and brakes. Lesson #14: Bring spare wheels, ready to be installed