MANALAPAN — It’s beginning to look like a scene from the movie Toy Story, but that’s not all. Robots made by Manalapan High School students are talking, showing expressions, and conquering orbits and mazes with the assistance of lasers and infrared sensors.
"The robots displayed at the competition are not made from kits," said David Peins, electronics and engineering teacher. "The students design the circuits, make printed circuit boards, solder the components to the printed circuit boards, test them and construct the robots. Each year the robots become more intricate and more complex."
Peins started the competition four years ago to highlight the students’ projects and their knowledge of electronics, computer science and robotics.
The most popular robots at the show this year had a slight resemblance to the children’s toy Mr. Potato Head; except that these "potato heads" could talk and show a full range of emotions. With moving mouths, eyes, eyebrows and facial expressions, the robots were able to convey sadness, happiness and surprise.
Students enrolled in the Physics Applications with Electronics class programmed the robots to produce digital stimuli that would produce emotional responses, Peins said.
"Electronics has definitely become the integration of hardware and software," the teacher said.
The expressional robots were invented by Robodyssey Systems, a company co-owned by Peins and Brian Patton, a teacher in Newtown, Pa. Peins develops durable robotic platforms, chasses, for various robot bodies, as well as for Patton’s Expression Systems for Robotic Animation (ESRA).
According to Patton, an ESRA robot is being used by the National Association for Child Abduction Prevention to make safety presentations to nursery school and elementary school children.
"Children are fascinated by the moving robot and readily accept its safety messages," he said.
Patton also noted that ESRA has shown success in working with autistic children.
"Children with autism have a natural aversion to making eye contact and talking with other people; yet early studies show remarkable interaction with robots," he said.
Jesse Edelstein and Anthony Agro, winners of the firefighting robot competition, cheered their robot to victory as it navigated a 6-by-6-foot maze to locate and blow out a lit candle.
Chris Murphy and Daniel Reich came in second.
"This is a very difficult competition," Peins said. "Students do not see the maze until the day of the competition so the robots, which are completely autonomous, no remotes, have to be successfully programmed to detect obstacles and heat with infrared sensors. Once the robot is placed in the box it is on its own, no outside help is allowed."
This technology is the forerunner of future robotic firefighting technology that will be used in conjunction with smoke detectors.
In another competition, robots were programmed to autonomously follow a black line on a white surface. Again, not knowing the layout of the line’s path, students had to program their robots to follow the mark with the use of sensors. Winners of the robotic line-following competition were Alex Zebede and Sam Asbeck.
Students from the Science and Engineering Specialized Learning Center at Manalapan High School used robotics to secure laser transmission.
"Rather than physically using a computer or remote, we used a laser to control the robot," senior Aaron Carlson explained. "This could have future value for military in securing transmissions since laser beams don’t spread out like radio waves."
According to Peins, the school’s electronics classes allow students to work independently with advanced technology typically found in college.
"These are very unique programs to find at the high school level," the teacher said. "We are able to develop the skills and confidence that most kids don’t get until college."
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
Course sees students
design, build robots