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Kids get revved up for robotics

Tribune photo by JAY NOLAN

Team Duct Tape, a community based robotics team for teens.

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

cpastor@tampatrib.com

Published: July 14, 2009

Updated: 07/14/2009 03:30 pm

LAKE MAGDALENE - The robot was supposed to carry its Lego cargo across a table and deposit it in a corner lined with white blocks representing ice.

Instead, the machine mowed over a stack of Lego bricks and into a wall, monster-truck style.

"That didn't quite work out, did it?" said 9-year-old Elizabeth Adair, a home-schooled student from Citrus Park.

She and her robotics teammates hurried back to the "pit," a table with a laptop and piles of plastic Legos, and logged onto the computer to adjust the rotations the robot should make and download changes to the unit. They were hoping to tweak the robot's preprogrammed path to avoid the obstacles.

Succeeding at robotics requires programming, engineering and technology knowledge, along with a lot of trial and error. The two dozen children who participated in recent FIRST Lego League camps learned that firsthand and put it into practice last week at a competition at Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library.

Team Duct Tape, an Odessa-based high school robotics team, hosted the camps and the mini-tournament to raise money for its second season. The students, who attend private schools or are home-schooled, formed a team last year to compete in FIRST Tech matches.

FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a nonprofit organization that runs different levels of robotics programs and competitions.

Children can start as early as 6 years old in a junior league involving Lego-based robots and move to the FIRST Lego League from age 9 to 14. High school students can choose between robotics competitions and "tech challenges," both involving building robots from kits and modifying and programming them to complete tasks in competitions.

Team Duct Tape ran two camps for a week each, one for home-schooled students and one open to anyone. The students from each week came together July 6 to face each other and get judged on how well their robot did, teamwork and technical knowledge.

Terri Willingham, Duct Tape's coach, said she thought it would be fun for camp graduates to experience competition on a small scale.

"It was a nice way to connect everybody who has an interest in it," Willingham said.

The match pitted the Scientific Smarties against the White Knights, with two parents coaching, but the children knew it was more about fun than cutthroat competition.

"What we learn is more important than what we win," said Ray Cordova, a fifth-grader at Imagine School in Land O' Lakes.

Modeled after robotics competitions from the past school year, the tournament challenged the teams to complete as many missions as they could in a timed drill. Missions included transporting Lego figures from one spot to another and were assigned points based on difficulty.

"Don't get stressed out," 10-year-old Nathaniel Edgar of Land O' Lakes advised his team. "They have the exact same amount of time as us, so we can assume they are going to have the same amount of trouble."

The teams divided duties between programming and construction. Programmers had to make sure the robot moved smoothly between tasks, stopping, starting, turning and backing up as needed. Builders handled the design and execution of attachments, such as scoops or levers, to help the team complete its mission.

Tommy Foster, a home-schooled 10-year-old in Carrollwood, said his team wanted to move three Lego items at the same time to complete three missions at once. He tested a basket that could hold all the items, attached to a lever that would dump them out at the designated spot.

"I hope it works," said Shae Machlus, 10, of Trinity. "Because that looks awesome."

Shae, who is home-schooled, had never done anything with robotics before the camp but said he hoped to continue. Willingham said three Lego League teams may form from the camps, including one that John Tatum hopes to start at his son's school, Mary Bryant Elementary.

Lars, a fourth-grader, has always been interested in engineering, his father's profession, and John Tatum knew a robotics team would appeal to him and his friends. He envisions them practicing twice a week in the fall. The students would receive their missions in September and have three months to work on their robot before the competition season started.

Tatum, who coached the White Knights last week, enjoyed seeing how excited the students got about robotics and thinks it could open up numerous opportunities for their futures.

"The kids love to tinker," he said. "It's a painless way to get them into engineering."

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (727) 451-2343.

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