Here are photos of some of the other amazing devices from the competition.  There were 3 levels - elementary school, middle school, and high school.

(Pardon the poor quality of the photos - credit goes to Logitech)
 

	This unit combined velcro front wheels with a sensor arm that caused the device to sense the edge of the crater, and return to the bottom.
	This unit combined a roving base unit with a steerable radio controlled  balloon.  Strong building drafts created different results in the trials than in the lab...
	Here is a unit with a little help overcoming gravity.  Perseverance is definitely a key tech challenge team  characteristic.
	This unit drove across the starting line, and then after a delay, shot a grapple over the top, or in this case, by a judge leaning over to investigate the delay.
	Angels with an elementary school entry with a "stomp actuated" missle and grapple.  I think they won "best costume" award.
	The one that got away.
	This was an amazing high school entry that comprised a scissors with rubber band loaded hinges (each scissor had a piece of surgical tubing that wanted to close each scissor).  Here is is folded up...
	And unfolding its way up.  It reached the top line after a bit of shaking and encouragement.
	Sharky the SJ Sharks mascot made an appearance.  The team wore sharks outfits.
	Here is a pair of wheels with a hanging weight for stability.  Often, the cords providing power would cause problems, in this case providing a moment which steered the unit off the track.
	This unit had an RC control driving velcro tank treads which provided both traction and steering.
	There are always starting line design changes to be made...
	Here is another unit fouled by its power cord (seen hanging below).  The device made it within 6 inches of the top, and then the ever-increasing weight of the cord caused the rear wheels to lift.  This was an amazing equilibrium point, as the operator actually returned the car to this point several times, when the wheels would pop up.  I don't understand the mechanics of how this happened, since the moment should pop the front wheels, but hey, that's what the tech challenge its all about!

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Modified 04/06/01