Welcome back to BWTLink Design Challenge (BDC) 2025!

This year we are trying something new, focusing on a different aspect of the engineering world - the art of Reverse Engineering.

Implementing a functionality does not always require many servos or motors. The "Kill two birds with one stone" design philosophy can be deployed to achieve the requirement. The BWTLink staff have put together their own design, embodying the "design for the real world" ideology we strongly believe in - we have strived to create the most high-performing yet mechanically efficient design possible! You are expected to DIVE deeper into understanding the design principles behind our CAD model and, through reverse engineering, explain to the best of your ability how each subsystem functions and why its design is advantageous. We recognize this approach may differ drastically from this year’s competition robot trends (the meta, if you will), so critical thinking is essential to uncover the real-world inspiration behind each mechanism. Our hope is that you take inspiration from this challenge to elevate your future design strategies for FTC and beyond!

Study our CAD by downloading it or viewing it online or watching its video

Basic requirements:

• Describe in as much detail as possible how each subsystem (listed in the scoring rubric below) functions and what its advantages are.
• Submissions will be submitted under the team affiliation (Multiple submissions are allowed and will be considered individually). 
• Submission will be in PDF format (mp4 demo is optional).
• Student explanations selected as winners will be published and showcased towards the robotics community.

Scoring Rubric for each Subsystem:

Climbing/hanging (45 points)	Intake/delivery (45 points)	Drivetrain Operation (10 points)
- Power Transmission - Overarching Design	- Power Transmission - Overarching Design	- Power Transmission - Overarching Design

• Descriptions and understanding (e.g. principal and usage; which mechanism is "Kill two birds with one stone" design? etc) are primarily weighted in terms of accuracy and detailedness.
• Bonus points will be awarded for prototype demo.

Prizes:

• There will be prizes ($150, $100, and $50) in grant money for the top three places (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) respectively for the affiliated team(s) of the winning student(s) to aid in their coming season’s competition.
• The winning student(s) will win a custom certificate recognizing their individual(s) in depth understanding towards our proposed design.

Important Dates:

• Event Kickoff: Jun 1st, 2025
• Submission Deadline: Aug 3rd, 2025  Click HERE to submit your work.
• Awards Announcement: Aug 9th, 2025 on BWTLink website. Winner(s) will receive a notification email.
  A video showing how this real robot works (hardware and software) will be posted on our website!

Should you have any questions, please contact us HERE!