Okay guys, here's the challenge: build a robot capable of lifting stuff.  The goal is to see how heavy a load you can give your crane to lift without it breaking (broken cranes aren't very useful for later jobs).  For the most part you're free to build it however you like, but here are a few guidelines to make sure no one does anything too terribly weird:

• The robot must use some sort of string or cabling to do the lifting, as this is how most (traditional) cranes do it.  The material you use is entirely up to you.  Twine, fishing line, your mom's sewing thread (ask her first!), etc.: it doesn't matter (though I recommend against the sewing thread idea; I have a strange feeling you won't get very far) .
• The robot must be capable of lifting the load a minimum of one (1) foot (0.3 meters) off the surface on which the object(s) rested before being picked up.
• The robot must be capable of lowering the load back down in a different spot from where it was picked up.  This means no just raising and lowering a load all in the same place (after all, what's the good in that?); the robot must actually move the load to a new location, a minimum of one (1) foot (0.3 meters) from the its original resting place.  (Note that the load does not necessarily have to be a foot off the ground the entire time it is being moved, but it must never touch the ground until it is being set down.)
• You may have your robot lift anything you so desire, so long as a mother would not be upset if her five-year-old saw a picture of it on the web.
  

Alright guys, go start building!  If you have any questions, always feel free to post right here in this discussion.  Once you've completed your robot (no uncompleted robots will be accepted as entries), send the following to webmatakemeoutster@natepickens.com:

• Pictures - Lots of pictures, please!  There must be at least one image included, or your entry will not be accepted.  But please send as many as possible.  People like to see detail.  (Please keep the size of each under 200K.)
• Description - A description of how your robot works in a simple text file (no Word documents!) is required.  Please also include the max weight your robot actually lifted.  No estimates: please use a scale to get as accurate a measurement as possible (preferably to the nearest pound or better).
• Video (optional) - If you have the capability (even a webcam clip is better than nothing), please also send a video of your robot lifting its max lift.

If you exclude any of the above items (except for the video) your entry will not be accepted.

And lastly, here is how your robot will be judged:

• Weight of load (50%) - The heavier the better your score in this area
• Creativity (30%) - Don't lock yourself down to an image you have in your mind of your typical crane: let the creativity flow!
• Speed (20%) – Remember, you're paying that crane operator by the hour: the faster he gets the job done, the less you have to charge your customers, and the happier they will be.

You have until 11:59PM on Friday, December 16, 2005 to submit your entry.

Good luck, and Play Well!

Nate