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Kicker Grades 9-12

Contact Info: jjnnings@memphis.edu
 

The competition is designed to test the ingenuity of the team to design an ‘artificial leg’ to kick a standard ping-pong ball into a target.

Rules:

  • The artificial leg must be mechanical in nature and must not receive any propulsive power from any non-mechanical source.
  • The artificial leg must contain the following:
    • a thigh (femur)
    • a shin (tibia)
    • a foot
    • and all three components must be able to rotate or be adjusted to simulate motion from the hip, knee, and ankle joints.
  • The musculoskeletal equivalents (major bones, major muscles, major ligaments/tendons) for the artificial leg must be indicated.
  • The artificial leg must be able to kick the ping-pong ball towards a target.
  • The artificial leg must fit within a box that is 2.0 feet in each dimension. It may be smaller than the box but it may not be larger.
  • The artificial leg must fit into the box when it is at its fullest extension in all dimensions.
  • The ping-pong balls may not be altered in any way.
  • The artificial leg will be placed on a level surface. The operator of the leg may hold the device on the surface during operation.
  • The artificial leg will be used to kick ping-pong balls from a distance of 4, 6 and 8 feet to a target that is 3 feet above the level surface. The target will be 2 feet in diameter. The target will be divided into three concentric zones, with the ‘bulls-eye’ being 0.5 ft diameter, middle zone 0.5-1.0 ft and the outer zone, 1.0-2.0 ft.
  • Each artificial leg design will be allowed three attempts from each distance to hit the target.
  • No modification of the device may be made (other than re- setting components) once the first kick has been made.

Scoring:

  1. Each successful kick into the target from a distance of 4 feet will be awarded 6 points, with 2 additional points for hitting the middle zone and 4 additional points for hitting the bulls-eye.
  2. Each successful kick into the target from a distance of 6 feet will be awarded 4 points, with 2 additional points for hitting the middle zone and 4 additional points for hitting the bulls-eye.
  3. Each successful kick into the target from a distance of 8 feet will be awarded 3 points with 2 additional points for hitting the middle zone and 4 additional points for hitting the bulls-eye.

Points also will be awarded for creativity of design concept and demonstrated knowledge of components and musculoskeletal equivalents.