Barbados Robotics Innovation Challenge (BRIC)

1. BRIC OVERVIEW

The Barbados Robotics-Innovation Challenge (BRIC) is a series of robotics projects, consisting of 4 phases for each project, where all phases may be run in parallel. BRIC is open to Barbadian citizens or residents who can demonstrate that they have lived in Barbados for the past 4 consecutive years. Applicants must be more than 15 years old on January 1 of the year the applicant first applies to participate in Phase I of the BRIC. Secondary and tertiary students, members of Robotics Clubs and Associations, and curious innovators are all encouraged to submit proposals. Persons from low-income households and females are encouraged to enter the BRIC.

Conducted by the Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF) in partnership with the Abed Foundation, BRIC encourages creative thinking and practical problem-solving and rewards teams for applying creative problem-solving approaches to address challenges that are relevant to the needs of Barbados and the world. Teams may develop robotics projects to address these challenges. Examples of projects may include a Coconut Harvesting Robot, Sargassum Cleaning Robot, and Sea Island Cotton Harvesting Robot. Applicants may also suggest other challenges that affect Barbados and the world. Applicants are strongly encouraged to check the website often for updates and new projects. A maker space which houses standard machines, tools and materials as well as partial funding (on a rolling basis) are available to assist teams that have sound engineering designs to build, redesign, rebuild, and test prototypes of their robots before manufacturing.

The primary objectives of BRIC are:

• To spark greater interest in technology and engineering
• To help Barbados build the workforce of the future
• To assist the teams to go beyond BRIC, form companies, and develop their projects into globally competitive products

1.1 Definitions

“Applicant” refers to the person participating in the Barbados Robotics-Innovation Challenge (BRIC).

“Team” refers to an individual applicant or a group of applicants competing together under the same team name.

“Challenge” refers to a problem relevant to the needs of Barbados and the world.

“Project” refers to the robotics solution designed to address a challenge.

“Phase” refers to the implementation stages of a project’s development. The 4 stages are: Phase I – Engineering Design, Phase II – Prototype Development of Most Critical Component, Phase III – Full System Redesign and Prototyping, and Phase IV – Manufacturing and Product Marketing. Phases may be run in parallel, and there are 4 phases in each project.

1.2 Outline of BRIC Operating Phases

The BRIC has 4 implementation phases which are identical across all projects. However, each project will have its own timetable, timeline, and information sessions.

1. Phase I is the robotics system engineering design phase. Proposals can be submitted at any time but will be reviewed during 2 review periods (see the Timetable specific to the project).
2. Phase II is the prototype development of the most critical components which starts after Phase I is completed. This phase focuses on building and prototyping only the most critical parts of the robot. Partial funding at this phase will be provided by BRIC.
3. Phase III is focused on the full system redesign and development of a premanufacturing prototype. Partial funding in this phase will be provided by BRIC.
4. Phase IV is the manufacturing and product marketing phase. No funding will be provided by BRIC for this phase. Instead, teams will be introduced to institutional capital to develop their project into a globally competitive product.

1.3 Rules of the BRIC

1. All teams should apply to Phase I of the BRIC project in which they would like to participate.
2. Teams may also suggest other challenges, and consequently projects, that affect Barbados and the world.
3. All BRIC participants must be more than 15 years old on January 1 of the year the applicant first applies to participate in Phase I.
4. Robots entered into BRIC must be operated in a safe manner and must not pose a hazard to humans.

1.4 Virtual Information Sessions

The CSF will hold BRIC Information Sessions for each challenge a few times per year to answer questions about the competition. The dates for these sessions can be found in the Timetable specific to the project below. At these sessions you will:

• Get additional guidance on how to prepare a competitive design proposal
• Ask lots of questions
• Meet other participants
• Network and connect
• Potentially find teammates if you need them (Teamwork can be a key part of the experience)

2. PHASE I: ENGINEERING DESIGN

Phase I invites engineering design proposals which should be focused on designing the most critical parts of the robot. Proposals can be submitted at any time via the link in ‘HOW TO ENTER BRIC’ section below.

Once submitted, proposals will be reviewed by the BRIC Evaluation Committee (BEC) (Proposals submitted by 03 April 2027 will be reviewed in Period 1 and proposals submitted between 04 April 2027 and 01 November 2027 will be reviewed in Period 2. See the Timetable specific to the project below for more details). Teams will then be contacted to schedule a date and time when they can present their engineering design proposal to the BEC. Teams are encouraged to continue making updates to their engineering design between the time of submission and their presentation.

At the presentation, teams will receive (1) feedback and guidance on their proposal, and (2) suggestions for next steps on their project, which may include resubmitting their proposal or submitting an application for funding to build the most critical parts of their robot (for funds at least US$ 2,000 per team) to begin Phase II.

Teams are expected to submit a sound engineering design proposal by employing the design-build-test-redesign engineering approach. The first step of this approach is to brainstorm robotics technology solutions. This means that teams are expected to employ basic principles from physics, mechanical engineering, sensor technology, and microcontroller programming in the design of their robot. The use of AI and machine-learning algorithms to control the robots is encouraged.

Applicants may revise their Phase I Engineering Design as many times as needed up to the start of the review period for which they are submitting their project. Note that, proposals submitted by 03 April 2027 will be reviewed in Period 1 and proposals submitted between 04 April 2027 and 01 November 2027 will be reviewed in Period 2.

The Phase I designs will be evaluated for innovation, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness by the BRIC Evaluation Committee (BEC). An outline for the design proposal is given below.

2.1 Engineering Design Proposal Template

All teams must follow the proposal outline below to ensure submission of the required information:

• Cover page with at a minimum: (a) Team name, (b) Team members’ names, email addresses and affiliations, (c) secondary school, tertiary institution or club/association being represented (if applicable), (d) Team Leader’s name and e-mail address (all correspondence will be sent to this person)
• Detailed Robot Description that includes principles of operation, dimensions, figures and photos showing the system design and how all the parts fit together to accomplish the task
• Detailed Engineering Designs Analysis with explicit calculations of all forces, currents and voltages, materials strengths and materials chosen for the various components, etc. Scaled drawings of all critical parts must be provided (CAD drawings are recommended). Your engineering design must include an Identification of Components that meet the calculated Engineering Design specifications. We want to make sure that the components actually exist and will do the job, as machines generally fail from poor design or inappropriate choice of materials or components.
  • Please note that applications that are lacking the very important above engineering design analysis will be deemed not qualified to move forward in the competition. That is, beautiful drawings alone are not enough to convince the BRIC Evaluation Committee (BEC) that your robot can perform the specified task.
• Parts list of key components with vendors, catalog numbers and prices (no need to list parts costing less than US$ 5.00).
• Key Personnel: Provide a short biographic sketch (no more than 2 paragraphs) of each team member. Be sure to highlight the educational and technical experience of each team member.
• A table listing the People Supporting the Team. The names, e-mail addresses, affiliations and roles of your coaches, teachers, financial supporters, or others providing the team with support.
• Appendices as necessary to provide additional information to the BRIC Evaluation Committee (BEC).

3. PHASE II: PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT OF MOST CRITICAL COMPONENTS

Phase II involves building and prototyping the most critical parts of the robot. Successful Phase I teams, in addition to being offered partial funding, will be required to make use of a maker space that will be provided. This maker space houses standard machines, tools and materials that will be useful for building their robots.

Once teams have built prototypes of the most critical parts of their robots, they must schedule a time to present it to the BEC. Teams with impressive prototypes may be invited to demonstrate the operation of their robots at the Final Projects Showcase of the Barbados Junior Robotics Camps (BJRC), which will be open to the public.

4. PHASE III: FULL SYSTEM REDESIGN AND PREMANUFACTURING PROTOTYPE

Phase III is the premanufacturing phase which will be carried out within the maker space. At the start of Phase III, teams are required to refine and submit a sound engineering design proposal for their full system.

Once teams have a full system design proposal, they will contact the CSF to schedule a date and time to present their proposal to the BEC.

At the presentation, teams will receive (1) feedback and guidance on their proposal, and (2) suggestions for next steps on their project, which may include resubmitting their full system design proposal or submitting an application for funding to build their full system.

To conclude this phase, teams will be required to provide a final report. In lieu of a final report, teams may submit a business plan for manufacturing of the Phase III prototype to BRIC Evaluation Committee (BEC). Teams that submit business plans as their final report may be offered the opportunity to pitch their business plans to the CSF for feedback and guidance. All teams will be encouraged to submit their business plans to the Caribbean STEM Startup Challenge, a part of the Caribbean SEED Summit.

5. PHASE IV: MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCT MARKETING

Phase IV is the manufacturing and product marketing phase which will not be funded by BRIC. Instead, the CSF (if needed) will (a) continue to assist with further refinement of the business plan, and (b) introduce teams with high-quality, full working system prototypes to institutional capital to begin manufacturing their systems into globally competitive products.

6. HOW TO ENTER BRIC

6.1 Expression of Interest

For planning purposes, both the CSF and the BRIC sponsor would like to know in advance how many teams are considering or planning to enter the Barbados Robotics Innovation Challenge. To this end, we ask you to please assist us by sending us an email as soon as possible (it takes only 3 minutes) with the following information that constitutes your non-binding Expression of Interest:

1. A confirmation statement of your intent to compete (one sentence)
2. The names and e-mails of your team members (if you have them)
3. If you have no teammates at this time, indicate that you are currently seeking team members if this is so
4. The BRIC project you will be entering. Note that teams may suggest other projects to work on, but they will be required to explain the challenge.

Please send your email with these 4 items to: applications.csf@gmail.com with the subject line “Expression of Interest in Competing in BRIC”. Submission of your Expression of Interest ensures that you will receive important updates, guidance, and support throughout Phase I.

6.2 Registration Form

All persons entering BRIC, whether as an individual or as part of a team, must register with the CSF by filling out Section 1. Only one copy of the Engineering Design Proposal should be submitted using Section 2. It is the team leader who should attach the Engineering Design Proposal to their Section 2. Phase I applications can be submitted at any time. However, proposals submitted by 03 April 2027 will be reviewed in Period 1 and proposals submitted between 04 April 2027 and 01 November 2027 will be reviewed in Period 2.

The Registration form can be filled out and submitted HERE . Note that the form cannot be edited after submission. If you make an error, please resubmit your form.

7. Project No. 1 – Coconut Harvesting Robot

The first project of BRIC is the Coconut Harvesting Robot. Teams entering this project are tasked with designing and building a remote-controlled robot that can:

1. climb a coconut tree,
2. trim away dead or dying leaves,
3. cut the coconuts away from the trunk of the tree and
4. lower the reaped coconuts to the ground in a safe manner

7.1 Phase I Requirements of the Coconut Harvesting Robot

The Phase I engineering design proposal focuses on designing the most critical parts of the robot which in this case is a robot designed to climb a vertical pole (with a rough coconut-tree-like surface). The specifications of the robot are as follows:

• Pole diameter: 15–20 cm
• Minimum height robot to climb: 2.5 meters
• Minimum load robot to carry: 5 kg
• Climb time: under 4 minutes
• Maintain stability & safety

Such a pole will be supplied by the CSF during the Phase II, but contestants may secure a pole of their own for design and testing purposes.

We anticipate that the engineering design proposal will be completed within 6 months after the expression of interest. At the end of Phase I, teams will be required to present their proposal to the BRIC Evaluation Committee (BEC), after which they may be invited to apply for funding (at least US$ 2,000 each) to be used in Phase II. See ‘PHASE I: ENGINEERING DESIGN’ above for more details.

7.2 Phase II to IV of the Coconut Harvesting Robot

In Phase II teams build their robot designed to climb a vertical pole (with a rough coconut-tree-like surface). We anticipate that teams will take 6-8 months after funding to build the prototypes of the most critical parts of their robot. At the end of this phase, teams present their prototype to the BEC, and may be invited to demonstrate the operation of their robots at the Final Projects Showcase of the Barbados Junior Robotics Camps (BJRC), which will be open to the public. See ‘PHASE II: PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT OF MOST CRITICAL COMPONENTS ’ above for more details.

In Phase III, teams must submit a full system design proposal, that is, a design for a robot that can (a) climb a coconut tree, (b) trim away dead or dying leaves, (c) cut the coconuts away from the trunk of the tree and (d) lower the reaped coconuts to the ground in a safe manner. Once teams have a sound, full system design, teams can apply for partial funding to build their system. By the end of this phase, teams should have a full working system prototype.

To conclude this Phase III, teams will be required to provide a final report. In lieu of a final report, teams may submit a business plan for manufacturing of the Phase III prototype to BRIC Evaluation Committee (BEC). See ‘PHASE III: FULL SYSTEM REDESIGN AND PROTOTYPING’ above for more details.

Teams with high-quality, full working system prototypes then move on to Phase IV as described in the ‘PHASE IV: MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCT MARKETING’ section above for more details.