Preparing for FIRST Lego League state finals Dec. 15, Robo Storm of Sashabaw Middle School has quite a to-do list: move faster, better reliability, and finish more missions, said Linda Zbarcha, who coaches the team with John Shutty.
‘They’re ambitious goals,? Zbarcha said. ‘But they do a great job ? these guys are really good.?
Team members Noah Shutty, Michael Ray, Kelton Zbarcha, Amanda McKean, Sharvil Patel, and James Heckendorn build, program and operate a robot in the international robotics league.
At competitions, Lego models of various energy installations, including oil rig, dam, corn field, wave turbine, solar powered house, coal mine, nuclear power plant, and wind farm are spread across an 8-by-4-foot game table. Teams have 2 1/2 minutes to accomplish as many missions as possible.
Robo Storm team members specialize in programming, building and handling.
‘We’re a small group, so everyone can do something they like,? said McKean, handler. ‘And it’s easier to obtain order.?
One challenge for programmers Noah and Patel has been the robot’s ability to measure distance. Determining distance by measuring speed and time was found to be unreliable because timing devices can fail, Patel said.
‘Last year the battery ran down,? he said.
A better way is to count ‘clicks,? the number of revolutions a motor makes in a certain distance, he said.
‘That’s more accurate,? Shutty said.
Programmers use the Mind Storm program on an XP-equipped laptop.
‘The big thing is the order of the missions ? some things have to be done first,? Noah said.
A dam blocking access to the rest of the board needs to be dealt with before they can move on to other missions, he said.
Their programming priority was simplicity, Patel said.
‘We can program it to go forward, back, turn, whatever works best,? he said. ‘We try not to make it too complicated.?
Builders Ray and Kelton design and make mission-specific attachments for the robot.
‘We make an arm that can swing down and knock things over, scoop up uranium, hit the oil rig,? Zbarcha said.
To improve performance, they are working to make the robot move straighter.
‘One problem is it was moving in a curve,? said Ray, also a handler. ‘We have to make sure there’s nothing on the bottom that would make it curve.?
Another job is to install more sensors on the robot, which will help the team earn points, he said.
‘We have different sensors ? touch, light, ultra sonic,? Shutty said.
Handlers Heckendorn and McKean operate the robot in competition, but not directly though radio control or wires. They push buttons on the robot to select programmed movement and action sequences, Heckendorn said.
During competition, if something unexpected happens, their job is to decide and execute another program to accomplish the mission, he said.
‘I’ve learned a lot of programming, different ways to do stuff,? he said. ‘If one idea doesn’t work, try another.?
Part of Lego Robotics included an energy audit of a building. Robo Storm chose the Borg Warner building in Auburn Hills.
‘It’s a new, big building ? very challenging,? Linda said. ‘Making recommendations was tough. They’re pretty energy smart already. We came up with some solar power ideas.?
‘We learned a lot about efficient energy use, how solar panels work,? Mckean said.
Robo Storm earned the Teamwork Award at Lego Storm II qualifier Nov. 17 at Carman-Ainsworth Middle School in Flint, as well as a spot at state.
‘We learn teamwork and energy conservation,? Shutty said.
‘They had to learn the abilities of each other, and how to work together,? Linda said.
Check our website at ClarkstonNews.com for more Robo Storm pictures.