Minds will be as important as mechanicals in 2014 game for students
By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Before Hillsborough students can build the better robot, they have to decide what they want it to do.
In this year’s challenge for the RoboRaiders 75, the 120 students in the robotics club will build a robot that must grab and throw two-foot-diameter exercise balls over a wall or push it through portals.
These kids have seen that kind of stuff before. No sweat.
But what’s the best way to score the most points in the game they will engage in, starting with local competition in Mount Olive in early March, and culminating in the national championship in St. Louis in April?
Go on offense, and be the star who scores all the points?
Or go for more valuable “assist points,” and help other teams in your game-day alliance put the ball in places to register points?
And, if your team chooses one avenue — say, going for assists over scoring – how do find complementary allies on competition day?
It’s a classic case of form following function. That’s why in the hours following the Jan. 4 announcement of this year’s FIRST competition, called “Aerial Assist,” the RoboRaiders spent hours plotting strategy first. What was decided — shhh, it’s a secret — determines how the robot will be constructed.
”It could be beneficial to be a defensive robot in this game,” said Elina Dave, a junior and an officer in the RoboRaiders club.
The game melds the mind with machinery. It will also put a premium on having team members scout out other schools’ creations on game day in the quest to find the two perfect partners in any 150-second game. The three-robot team must work together with just one ball to score and retrieve the one ball for the alliance. So, who’s good at scoring? Who has an assist-oriented robot?
Teamwork “is always essential, but this year it’s even more important because of this game,” said Elina.
So, after hearing the game described on a nationwide video link, the students broke down into teams — engineering, mechanical, strategy, etc. — to plot the best strategy.
Brian Francis, a Hillsborough resident and J&J mechanical engineer taking over the reins from Carmine Rizzo as head mentor, said “Designing is a passion of mine and this year presents the perfect opportunity to match design with mentorship.”
Five weeks and three days to build and perfect the right robot.