Innovation/Originality

As of the 2023~2024 season REC Foundation has provided a new Innovate Submission Form that must be used in order to be eligible for the Innovate Award.

While there is a specific award around this area, overall the primary objective is to ensure teams are coming up with their own design solutions and are not just copying and pasting information. While it is fine to take inspiration from others, it is great to show how the team is iterating upon that solution.

For instance it is okay to show and provide citations for another design as that demonstrates research. Showing or stating how this solution may be effective in one's own design while evaluating the pros and cons further shows independent analysis. Furthering this, a team may demonstrate testing of a solution and how well it performs and whether or not they have decided to maintain it or opt to disregard and go another direction that may enhance the initial usage/implementation.

One thing to remember in this area is that innovation/originality is not just related to the physical build but can also be related to programming or strategy. There are numerous programming solutions that could be implemented and documented that demonstrate originality. As an example path planning