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New Tech students build robotsSep 24, 2011 (The Anson Record - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- They have the technology. They can rebuild it. Students at Anson New Tech in the Robotics Club, or Robo Wolves, are working for the second year toward a robotics competition near the end of the school year. The club held its second meeting on Wednesday. Different teams from as far away as Ohio competed this past April in Raleigh at the North Carolina Regional Tournament of the First Robotics Competition. Students built robots that accomplished specific tasks like placing rings on a pole or launching a miniature robot. After an inaugural year where only juniors and seniors were able to join the team, the club has opened up to all students. Only two of the 14 have returned for the growing club, which now boasts 22 members. Science teacher Steffany LaBree leads the club. She spent most of the meeting introducing students to what is left of last year's robot and explaining its pieces and their functions. Running on a shoestring budget, the students must be careful and clever. "When extra parts are a couple hundred bucks, you don't have a lot of spare parts lying around," she said. In fact, at competitions clubs will sometimes give parts to each other, especially if a team has already been eliminated. She dubs this "coopertition." Because of this, some functions of the robot are not working properly. For example, ingenious use of technology like a car window motor is used to control the robotic arm's claw. The arm opens quickly but closes slowly. The robot consists of a box with all of its wire guts inside of a metal case. It has six wheels and is two-wheel drive. A robotic arm with claw extends from the top of the case. LaBree hopes to make the robot into a four- or six-wheel drive vehicle over the course of the school year. The robot has its own wireless network and runs off of a 12-volt battery. Students control the robot, which is not only fast but surprisingly nimble, with two joysticks hooked up to a laptop. One joystick controls the robotic arm and the other moves the robot itself. Students can see the robot's point of view through an attached webcam that feeds into the laptop. LaBree expects two students to work together to control the robot in the future. The students will divide the labor between marketing, mechanical and programming teams. Senior Curtis Crump is one of the returning members. He said he was immediately interested when he learned about the club last year because he wishes to major in computer engineering and electrical engineering. However, he didn't join right away. He came and helped out regularly until he was asked to join and come to the competition. Last year, he worked on the mechanical team. He helped build bumpers and the robot's shielding. He even designed and created a launcher for the miniature robot that was used in the competition. "It was really, really fun," he said, but hard work. Now, he wants to help program the robot. The competition will require a period where the robot is completely autonomous and teams are not allowed to interfere. It must be programmed to accomplish a task. He said the club has taught him patience and discipline. His school work seems easier because he can see the payoff. "You get out what you put in," he said. Cynthia Weirsum, a junior, is one of the many new members. She said she plans to join the engineering team, which will work on tasks like fixing the robot's wheels. Wiersum thought the club sounded interesting. She also enjoys the camaraderie fostered by a small school combined with a common goal in the club. "It's like a family," she said. Right now, the Robo Wolves are considering a slogan: "Byte me." The preparation for the competition will begin in January. Teams will have six weeks to build their robots. ___ (c)2011 The Anson Record (Wadesboro, N.C.) Visit The Anson Record (Wadesboro, N.C.) at www.ansonrecord.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |