Robotics

Twenty metres of flat board. Get across it in under fifteen seconds. Everything after this is harder, so use it to feel out the drivetrain.

Ten metres flat, then an eighteen-degree climb. The gearing that won you the sprint will sit at the bottom of this hill and hum.

A twelve-degree climb on polished tile. There is plenty of torque available. That is not the problem you have.

A hundred and forty metres of mixed terrain, and no charging station at the end. Finishing is not enough — finish with charge in the pack.

Carry a twenty-five-kilo instrument mast up a twenty-degree slope. It is tall, it is heavy, and it is mounted well above your deck.

A painted line that bends, and a sensor that tells you how far off it you are. Turn that number into steering. Get the gain wrong in either direction and you leave the track.