Self eSTEAM Challenge ’24 – FAQ

• the boat with the most creative look:

Your boat impresses with its appearance. Feel free to use additional material and help your boat become more beautiful. Show us what your boat can become. There are no limits to your creativity.

• the most sustainable boat

• the boat with the most surprising mechanical function

If your boat can do more than just navigate through the pond, then show it to us! No matter if the additional function has something to do with crafting or with coding, the more extraordinary your idea is the better.

• the technically most sophisticated boat

• the boat with the coolest code

This is something for the programmers among you. How can you improve the boat by adding some lines of code to it? The boat may be able to navigate better through the pond and/or have new abilities.

• the biggest boat

Your boat surpasses all the other boats with its size. How can you pimp the boat to make it taller and/or wider? If your giant boat still makes it through the pond.

• the fastest boat

At the Maker Faire we let your boat compete in a race against time. How can you make the boat faster? So your task is to finetune all aspects of the boat. Please be aware that the boat still needs to be able to pass on our race track (see below).

• the boat with the coolest 3D printer

Here you can show off your 3D design and 3D printer skills: No matter how many parts, no matter if it’s to improve the floating or to give the boat a particularly beautiful or practical outer shell: everything is allowed, as long as you can add more parts to the already existing 3D holder for the antenna.

• the most minimalistic boat

This is for the tinkerers among you. How can you build the boat and make it move… by using as less components as possible. You managed to downsize the number of parts anough? Or do you find some more part to leave out?

• the most colorful boat

How many different colors can you integrate into the boat? Decorate your boat with as many colorful materials as possible and/or let it shine in different colors. The more the better!

• the most ingenous boat only with parts from the kit

• You need enthusiasm and motivation to try it out and to tinker. The materials, you can order them for free via this form.

• In order to have a chance to win one of the trophies, you have to send us a photo with a small description to office@makeit.lu

• The final gathering is on the 25&26.6.22 in the frame of the Maker Faire in Rosport. It is not mandatory to come, yet we want to encourage you to show your boat to the public and – eventually – get your trophy on a the Self eSTEAM stage.

• Check our news section. Here is where we publish the dates and locations to pick up your Self eSTEAM kits.
• Or join us at the Grand Finale, on May 18 and 19 during the Maker Faire in Rosport. Yes, you only need about 2 hours to have your own boat ready to compete in one of the categories.

• Can happen… and it should not block you. You replace it yourself with another piece you find at home, at a store nearby or online. Most parts used for the boat are pretty ordinary.

• If you can’t find the missing piece(s), do not hesitate to contact us. We will invite you to pass by the Makerspace in Esch/Alzette or you fix it at the Grand Finale, where we will have a sufficient amount of spare parts.

• We recommend that the children work in small groups. 2 to 4 children have proven to be a good number. This way the children can help each other fixing the cables and develop an even more creative idea together.

• If you order for your own children, encourage your children to work together or consider the option that your children work together with their friends. Especially if your kids have different ages, each of them can collaborate with peer friends.

• Even if we have already numerous reports from kids who managed successfully to build their boat, yes, some kids might not succeed at once.

• Still, we encourage you, as a parent or carer, not to start “taking over” the craftsmanship. Most of the times, it is important to give your kid time and space to really let them try on their own. If you feel the need to assist, try to limit yourself to occasional encouragement. If it does not work immediately, try to see what they DID manage already and congratulate them for the steps that they have mastered.

• If you really need to assist and you are lost yourself, no worries. Come to see us in Esch or at the “MakerBuzz Self eSTEAM Tour”. With your kid(s) and their kit. For a quick boost.

• Don’t blame your kid, don’t blame yourself. Give it a few days. No stress, give it another try later.

• And if at the end you don’t see it happening: Please don’t toss the hardware! Maybe there is another kid that you know that would like to pick up the challenge. Or bring the kit back to us so that we can give it a second life even if by now a few things might be missing.

• Yes, of course. You can do a joint pick-up for other families and groups as well. We will ask you to tell us the email address of the other person who ordered a kit.

• Please send us a separate email indicating where you are located and how many kits you ordered. We try to find an individual solution for you, to either bring the Self eSTEAM kits to you directly to you or to plan our MakerBuzz Self eSTEAM tour accordingly.

• Of course you are welcome to pick up the kits yourself in Esch/Alzette 🙂

• Remember there are no limits to your creativity! You set you own goals. You decide if your boat should be technically more sophisticated or very creative. All your ideas are welcome! 
• For this you can use as much additional material as you like

• The only things you should keep in mind: 

  • The boat needs to able to float and move forward.
    

  • Make it move as straight as possible. Still, it does not have to move 100% straight. At the Grand Finale, we will have a guidance (rope) so that it can get along the whole length (5 meters).
    

• If you want to compete in the category of the “biggest boat”… you set the limit… ideally you can still bring it to the Grand Finale in Rosport 🙂

For all other categories, and particularly for the “fastest boat”, you shall try to fit your boat on our pond that will be installed for the Grand Finale:

• The pond will have a length of 5 meters;
• The water will be about 15cm deep, we advise to build your boat with a maximum draft of 10 cm;
• In order to properly move forward without the need of steering aids, we will pull a guidance rope at a heigth of 23 cm above the waterline. Your boat should therefore have an airdraft of maximum 20 cm, while the mast (“antenna”, e.g. the chopstick from the kit) should reach a heigth of 30 cm above waterline. 

[Draft – The distance between the keel of the boat and the waterline; indicates the minimum depth of water the vessel needs to float

Air draft – The distance between the ship’s waterline and the highest point of the boat; indicates the distance the vessel can safely pass under]

• Yes, you can!

• The initial Self eSTEAM kit does not contain a processor that allows any programming. You will have to choose yourself, which coding platform you think you can use and how you pimp the functions of your boat.

• Great job! You can keep the boat, we are just asking you to send us a photo with a short description of your boat via email office@makeit.lu. Only if you send us a photo, you will have chances to win a trophy.

• We will also be looking forward to welcome you with your finished robot at the Self eSTEAM final event in Rosport (18./19.5.2024).

• The final event of the Self eSTEAM Challenge is on the 18&19.5.2024 in Rosport in the frame of the Maker Faire. At this finale, we will set up a giant pond, in which you can test your boat. Until then you can build and continuously pimp your boat.

• If you want to win a trophy, please send a photo and a description before the 18.5.2024 to office@makeit.lu