Jerome J Lohr College of Engineering- South Dakota State University
BEST - Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology
New Controller Hardware Design has not yet been announced!
The use of Simulink will become much more important at that point to program the robots. Matlab is a national sponsor and gives all teams free license to use this software for a year. They have a lot of online content designed specifically for BEST robotics (all the drivers for our hardware, tutorials, examples, etc.)
The first hurdle is getting it all installed. You must have administrator access to the computer you intend to use, and it needs a lot of space to work. Here are the system requirements: • Operating System - Windows 11 - Windows 10 (version 20H2 or higher) - Windows Server 2019 - Windows Server 2022 • Processor - Minimum: Any Intel or AMD x86–64 processor - Recommended: Any Intel or AMD x86–64 processor with four logical cores and AVX2 instruction set support.
Note: A future release of MATLAB will require a processor with AVX2 instruction set support. • RAM - Minimum: 4 GB - Recommended: 8 GB • Storage - 3.8 GB for just MATLAB - 4-6 GB for a typical installation - 23 GB for an all products installation - An SSD is strongly recommended It also requires a significant time to download all the content for the install over the internet, so I would recommend a wired connection if possible. My advice would be to work with your school’s IT support as early as possible to see if they have a device that will accommodate the software, and even perform the installation for you.
Our national organization is working to make our training resources more readily available, and relevant. There are training ‘tracts’ that will take you through certain topic or roles. Training covers everyone – coaches, team members, mentors, etc. Check it out!
Each year teams are looking for Mentors from the industry to help them develop their student's ideas into a working robot. Mentors help guide work, teach safety, listen and share industry concept with Middle and High School students as they construct their teams' robot.
Event Dates!!
September 16th: Kick-Off Day The playing field and game are revealed for the first time. Teams learn the game objectives, receive the kits for their robot, and can attend training sessions.
October 21st: Practice Day
This is an optional opportunity for teams to practice with their robot on the actual competition playing field, scope out the competition, and make robot changes.
November 10th: Game Day!!
Teams are rewarded for their hard work with a funday competing with their robot and are also judged on their Engineering Notebook, Exhibit & Interview, Marketing Presentation, and Spirit & Sportsmanship. Winners advance to regional competition.
Register Your Team Today!
To Register your Team, visit the My Schools - BEST Robotics. Newteachers/coaches will need to first click on the ‘Create Account’ button and set up your account, and login. Returning teachers, if you have forgotten your password, click on ‘Login’ and there are instructions there to reset it.
Current Registrations for 2023!!
We currently have 12 Teams registered for the upcoming competition.
They are:
Baltic School District
Beresford Public School
Canistota
Freeman Public
Jackson County Central
Mitchell Christian School
Mobridge-Pollock High School
Northern Cass School
Northwestern
Sioux Falls Christian
Sunshine Bible Academy
Viborg- Hurley
If you think you may have registered, but don't see your team here, please try again.
If you do not have a coach or mentor but would like to participate in the competition, please let us know. We will try our best to find a mentor for your team.
Thank you to all of the coaches who have registered.
Past Competition Video's
Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, 1151 8th St, Brookings, SD 57007
