The individual competition required the robot to perform the primary course objectives, and optionally, the secondary course objectives. The primary course objectives included starting with the light, pressing the correct button on the control panel, removing the wrench from the base, flipping the car jack, moving the fuel crank at least 5°, and pressing the final button. The secondary objectives included depositing the wrench into the garage and moving the fuel crank 180°. The team was allowed three test runs for the individual competition. During the first test, the course details were randomly selected. During the second, the instructor selected the course and the control panel/fuel crank specifics. For the third test, the team was allowed to tailor the run to the most optimal setup. The tests occurred on March 30, 2018, with the first test occurring at 3:40 P.M., the second at 4:10 P.M., and the third at 4:40 P.M.
The robot design for the individual competition remained consistent from Performance Test IV. Notable changes included the addition of rubber bands around the powered wheels and water bottle plastic around the non-powered to remove some resistance. Additionally, during testing, the robot’s encoders tore, rendering them unusable, forcing the code to be changed to time, supported by RPS. As a result, the team forewent the upper level of the course, which included only the eight points from the fuel crank, in favor of maximizing points on the bottom level.
During the first test, which occurred on Course B, the robot successfully activated with the light but missed the control panel button. It then proceeded to get stuck on a part of the course directly after, causing the remainder of the run to fail. The robot earned nine points from this run.
During the second run, which occurred on Course H, the robot not only activated by the light, but also narrowly tapped the blue control panel button. It missed the wrench, but points were still earned for touching it. Finally, the robot successfully lifted the car jack, resulting in a total of 46 points.
Finally, during the third run, which occurred on Course D, the robot maintained a flawless run until after it lifted the car jack, where it incorrectly turned, preventing it from reaching the final button. The final run totaled 58 points, marking the best attempt.