Scoring

Full Rubric (100 points)

#	Category	Points	Key criteria
1	Technical Measurement Performance	30	Both mandated sensors active; readings within ±10% of reference; top band requires independent navigation
2	Data Output & Visualisation	10	Legible, labelled units (NTU, %); graph or log; available immediately after run
3	Build Quality & Workmanship	5	Robust structure; tidy insulated wiring; manoeuvrability
4	Innovation & Engineering Design	10	Novel solutions; 3-min Day 1 pitch; iteration evidence
5	Robot Aesthetics	5	Finish, branding, professional look
6	Closing Night Case Competition	40	Data-driven argument; tradeoffs; Q&A; teamwork
	Total	100

Official rulebook section headers contradict this table (Cat 1: 40 vs 30; Cat 6: 25 vs 40; Cat 3: 10 vs 5). The table totals 100 and is treated as authoritative; confirmation has been requested from the organisers. Under any reading, Cat 6 is the largest single category.

Category 1 bands (from the rulebook)

Points	Descriptor
23–25	Both sensors within ±10%; robot navigates independently, full run
18–22	Both sensors active; one within ±10%; minor navigation assistance
12–17	One valid sensor, or both outside ±10%
5–11	Unreliable readings; significant intervention
0–4	No valid measurement

Implication: an RC robot with two accurate, calibrated sensors lands in the 18–22 band. Autonomy buys the last ~3–7 points of Cat 1 — calibration accuracy is worth more than autonomy.

Deductions

Infraction	Penalty
Prohibited component installed	−10 pts or disqualification
Run exceeds 8-minute limit	−5 pts
Pre-loaded or hardcoded sensor data	Cat 1 and Cat 2 zeroed (and DQ risk)
Arena surface damage	−5 pts per incident

Priority Order

Cat 6 (40) ≥ Cat 1 (30) > Cat 2 (10) = Cat 4 (10) > Cat 3 (5) = Cat 5 (5)

Time budget follows points: presentation practice and sensor calibration before anything else.

Per-Category Strategy

Cat 1 — Technical Measurement (30 pts)

Both SEN0189 and Capacitive v2.0 are mandated — substituting either risks penalties up to DQ.
Calibrate against references before Testing Day; verify morning-of. See Calibration.
RC mode with operator sector-tagging gives clean, correctly-labelled data.

Cat 2 — Data Output (10 pts)

Serial prints every sample with units — the rulebook-approved format, always on.
results.json at 192.168.4.1/data within seconds of run end.
Webapp visualiser as the showcase layer — pending written approval from Project Directors for use as the official output method.

Cat 3 — Build Quality (5 pts)

Wiring cable-tied, terminals insulated, sensors on rigid mounts.
Accessible power switch — officials can order instant power-down.
Wheels sized for grass/sand; L298N ventilated.

Cat 4 — Innovation (10 pts)

Real, defensible innovations (judges probe — never claim hardware that isn't on the robot):

Seesaw arm — one servo deploys two sensors; replaces two actuators.
Pond-safe sampling — colour-sensor lookahead + automatic reverse-away so wheels never touch the recessed water slots.
Dual-mode firmware — RC + autonomous wander from one codebase; WiFi AP serves its own RC page from flash, zero external infrastructure.
Dual I2C bus — solved the TCS34725/VL53L0X 0x29 address clash without a multiplexer.
Frozen JSON pipeline — robot output drag-drops straight into an offline visualiser with arena replay.

Cat 5 — Aesthetics (5 pts)

Team name/branding on chassis; consistent cable colours; clean sensor mounts.

Cat 6 — Case Competition (40 pts)

See the Competition Guide — 1-hour prep plan, argument template, Q&A bank.

Day 1 — 3-Minute Innovation Pitch Outline

Time	Content
0–35s	Seesaw arm: one servo, two sensors, half the failure modes
35–70s	Pond safety: sensor lookahead + auto-reverse — wheels never touch water
70–105s	Dual-mode firmware: phone RC over the robot's own AP; autonomous wander as stretch
105–140s	Engineering depth: dual I2C bus for the 0x29 clash; voltage divider + recalibrated turbidity curve
140–180s	Data pipeline: live JSON → offline visualiser; buffer for questions

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