Robotics - Houston

Four ways to go abou t robot ics compet it ion

1. Students’ tireless efforts are rewarded

A familiar saying in competition is, “the cream always rises to the top,” preparation for both a Battlebots showdown among team members as
meaning the better teams usually end up vying for the championship. But what well as for new and bigger high school challenges.
usually goes unstated is the amount of effort, determination, and hours of “We get to work and have fun with the computers and LEGOs,” said Carlos,
practice that go into making the cream. an eighth grader. “We get to experience the future with engineering. When we
The robotics team at Miller Intermediate School in Pasadena, Texas, is a program, we think about the future. We don’t give up; we just keep working.”
prime example of self-made cream that has risen to near the top in area FIRST Bernabe said the
LEGO ® League (FLL) competition. Modules lab proved to be
Gidalthy, an eighth grader at Miller
Three years ago, a Miller team placed 18th at the regional event. The a good training ground
Intermediate School, creates a computer
following year, two teams were within the top 25. This past fall, with a core for the robotics team program that will eventually be downloaded
group of veteran robot builders who put in countless hours of preparation, members, who must learn to the NXT Intelligent Brick on his robot.
the Miller RoboTechs placed third and fourth out of 52 entries. Carlos, to be self-starters who
Gidalthy, Pedro, and Gregorio, who are members of the top teams, take set high standards for
seriously their opportunity to participate in robotics. Daily practice after themselves. “We discuss
school isn’t a burden to them. It’s a chance to improve their robots, have the necessity of goals and
fun, and learn a few things along the way. why it’s important to have
“Our success this year was due to their experience,” said RoboTechs goals,” Bernabe said. “I
coach and Modules lab facilitator Tony Bernabe. “Three of these boys don’t set goals for them.
were in the program last year. They were determined to walk away as That’s on them. They set
champions this year.” their own goals.”
Though they fell short of qualifying for state competition (only the And they make their
top two teams advance), the boys continue to work on their robots in own cream.

2. Teamwork translates into better bots

Fairmont Junior High School robotics
team members demonstrate their robot
while Pitsco Education Modules students,
left, observe.
There’s a reason the middle level robotics
competition in the Deer Park (Texas) ISD suggests
that four students work together to build and
program a robot for the challenge.
Four heads are better than one. And input
from several different perspectives can usually
yield a well-thought-out and more-refined final
product. Robotics team coach and Modules lab
facilitator John Roberts puts together teams of
students in his Modules classes and allows them to
work together to build, test, and refine their bots.
A second-hour foursome of Allie, Nicholas,
Blake, and Jahaziel pooled their collective abilities
and talents to create a robot that went on to
finish fourth in the district competition. When
demonstrating their robot on a field (plastic mat
with markings), pushing and pulling cans of tuna,
the students exhibited pride in their creation.
Allie, on the number of hours spent preparing
the robot: “I don’t really know if we can count
that high. We did a lot of work. We came in in the
mornings, and we stayed after school some days,
and then we worked throughout the entire day
because some of our teachers wanted us to win.”
Nicholas: “It was fun, but it was also frustrating.
It was a lot of fun going to the last tournament.”
Jahaziel: “I used MINDSTORMS® to do a lot of
the programming. It’s easy to use.”
Blake on a possible career: “I want to be a
professional soccer player, but if that doesn’t
work out, maybe an engineer.”
Roberts had six teams participate in the
district challenge this year, and all but one team
formed in the Modules classes, which makes
it easier for the students to work together and
get to know one another. A side benefit of the
arrangement is that students working at the
Modules take notice of the robotics team’s efforts
and might want to participate in the future.
The four students walk to a storage area
where robots from several other teams are
perched on tables and shelves. They point out
which features likely would make some robots
better than the others – size and type of wheels,
durable construction, efficient design.
The wheels are turning in their heads, too. A
brief discussion ensues. It’s time to get back to
work to improve their design. Indeed, four heads are
better than one.

12 The Pitsco Network

 Robotics - Houston

3. Hot idea for invention rooted in reality

Many inventions are born out of necessity,
so don’t be surprised if one day mobile fire/
heat detectors are commonplace in homes and
businesses. At least that’s what seventh graders
Colton and Steban would like to see.
The tandem from Fairmont Junior High School
in Deer Park, Texas, are in the early stages of
designing and building a mobile fire/heat detector
as part of the FIRST Inventions robotics challenge.
It was a lightning strike a couple years ago that led
Colton to suggest to Steban that they invent the
safety device.
“Lightning struck our house right above my
room, and I smelled something like it was burning,”
Colton remembered. “I called my dad. He went up
in the attic and found the fire. If I had a fire detector
that could have detected it, we might have found it
faster and it might have caused less damage.”
So how do a couple of curious seventh
graders invent a mobile fire/heat detector? With
the LEGO ® NXT programmable brick, various
sensors, and LEGO MINDSTORMS® software, ago, and then I noticed the robots in the classroom,”
nearly anything is possible. Steban said. “I’m experimenting at home. I go to
“There’s no limit. It’s based on how far you the LEGO MINDSTORMS Web site to see what each
want to go, how much energy and time you’ll put sensor can do and what you can do with the robot.”
into it,” Colton said. Remember, you read about it here first.
“I’ve always wanted to be an inventor since I
was a little kid, so I decided this would be fun to Teacher John Roberts has a curious and
determined pair of seventh graders in
try,” Steban added.
Colton, back, and Steban.
Heat and smoke sensors would serve obvious
purposes, and an ultrasonic sensor would aid the
robot as it travels throughout a house. That’s as far
as the planning has gone, but with the competition
set for next fall, the boys have plenty of time to
work out the details.
“They’ve done their brainstorming and have an
idea in process already,” said their teacher, John
Roberts, who also serves as a Modules facilitator in
the lab where students build their robotic creations.
Having the summer off won’t slow the boys’
efforts. Steban asked for and received an NXT set
last Christmas. “I first saw it in the store a few years

4. Robotics tests patience, teaches plenty

Brainstorm. Design. Build. Program. Test. Modify. Retest. . . .
Nobody said building a robot would be easy – or fast. But it sure is
fun. Just ask the kids in Hilda Cedillo’s robotics class at South Houston
Intermediate School. Giving just enough instruction and guidance to get
her students started, Cedillo steps back and watches as students take full
advantage of the LEGO® NXT sets, MINDSTORMS® software, and other tools
at their disposal to create robots capable of performing assigned tasks such
as following a line, lifting and
Students get a few pointers from Teacher moving a ball, or avoiding any
Hilda Cedillo during their robotics class obstacle in their way.
at South Houston Intermediate School. Students are in the
robotics class for just one
semester, and the spring
group has the opportunity
to participate in an Ecobot
Challenge with students from
other schools in the district.
The prospects of such a
challenge seem daunting
initially, but after a couple
weeks exploring the range
of options for robot design and programming, students are consumed with
nailing each step of the process to produce the best robot.
“I’m just trying to rig up a robot that needs to pick up stuff,” said Slade,
an eighth grader. “We have to put the sensor on it to follow lines. We have to
be able to make it go certain distances and make it push stuff.”
As for the upcoming challenge, he added, “I’m nervous because we have
to go up against other people. That doesn’t sound so fun.”
Overcoming such concerns, learning to work with and interact with
other students, and experiencing real-life applications of science and math
are among the lessons students learn in the robotics course.
Larry, an eighth grader new to robotics, is engaged in learning about
programming on a MINDSTORMS Web site, but he pauses for a few minutes to
comment on how math and science, which are among his favorite classes, are
essential to success in robotics. “When we put a turn in there, we can make it
360 degrees, 720, 90, whatever angle we need. We can also apply a distance
we want it to go, like three feet or whatever.”
Roman, another eighth grader, is eager for the Ecobot Challenge so he can
test the robot he’s been tweaking. “I’ve learned how to make my robot move
forward, go full circle, follow a line, go by sound, when to stop, and how to
stop. It’s pretty easy because it tells you the actions. I just hope we get to
finish the robot in time.”

April-May 2010 13