The mission sounded serious ? four coal miners unconscious underground. Rescue robots were available, but had to be carefully designed and programmed.
Teams Robo Rays, Beta Rays, and Coal Patrol of Cedar Crest Academy in Independence Township took the Robofest 2007 Game Competition Challenge.
They built Lego robots with motors, wheels, light sensors and claws, all controlled by computer programs they wrote.
‘Our mission was to save four miners,? said Sofia Mourouvapin, Robo Ray. ‘I learned that technology is pretty amazing. You can just do a lot of stuff.?
The robots had mixed results. Coal Patrol fell off the table twice. Robo Rays? claw broke.
‘We had some technical difficulties,? said Justin Smart, Coal Patrol. ‘When we started, the robot turned and fell off the table. We fixed it, but it fell off the second time, too. That time it was busted.?
Coal Patrol’s robot included light sensors. It would detect light reflected from the ‘miners,? actually tennis balls wrapped in aluminum foil.
They brought two light sensors. Both broke, said Coal Patrol member Nathan Grant.
Lesson for next time?
‘Bring more than two sensors,? Grant said.
Robo Ray’s robot also used light sensors, troublesome for them as well, said Pat McCarney.
‘They couldn’t sense the ball,? McCarney said. ‘We found out that the foil ball was reflecting light in all directions.?
A better solution might have been to equip the robot with an edge-following device and touch sensor, said Robo Ray member Sean Casser.
‘It could follow the edge of the table,? Casser said.
Beta Rays? robot had software problems, said Liam Bauer.
‘The problem was that the wheels weren’t turning right,? Bauer said. ‘The program wasn’t working right, it kept freezing up. We didn’t have enough time to fix it.?
‘We needed a smidge more time to get it not to freeze,? said teammate Nick Smart.
Despite the technical issues, what they learned made it a success, said Jenny Healy, grade 4-5 science and math teacher at Cedar Crest.
‘They learned 101 different lifelong lessons,? Healy said.
‘They were in charge of their own destiny. They learned from their choices.?
The competition taught students valuable lessons in problem solving and responsibility, said Healy.
They also learned teamwork, said Shannon Irvine, Coal Patrol.
‘It was cool, really fun,? Irvine said.