FIRST robotics team gears up for new challenge
NORWICH – Having narrowly missed advancing at the regional competition last year, the Chenango County FIRST Robotics Team is back at the drawing board, this time with a new challenge and a new robot to build.
The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics challenge officially got underway last week, luring 28 high school students from the Norwich, Sherburne-Earlville, and Unadilla Valley school districts to put their engineering skills to test. Team 145 has only six weeks to develop a functioning robot that meets specific challenges; and with one week down already, the pressure is on.
“Our team has done well in previous years, and this year’s challenge is similar to what we did last year,” said Norwich High School senior and team co-captain Abby Ryan. “I think this year’s competition will be pretty evenly matched. We do a lot of strategizing beforehand, so I think we’re going to do well.”
The national FIRST Robotics program aims to inspire young people to be leaders and innovators in the fields of science and technology by engaging them in challenges that build skills through a mentor-based program that promotes self-confidence, team communication and leadership. Each year, the Chenango County FIRST Robotics Team, comprised of students grades 9-12, work together to design and build a functioning robot that can complete a series of tasks assigned by the international FIRST Robotics organization.
This year, nearly 75,000 high school students participating in 3,000 teams from around the world have been presented the same set of instructions: build a robot that can successfully stack two recycle bins and a trash can in under two and a half minutes. Teams must also use their robot to place a pool noodle in the trash can. The game, called “Recycle Rush,” simulates a landfill being cleaned up of debris. Completing the objective earns the team points, with additional points being earned by cluttering opposing teams’ space.
“It’s a very technical challenge and there’s a great deal of strategy in this game,” explained team mentor Dave Sheldon. “There are a lot of subtleties that might not be obvious at first that students need to figure out. The fun thing as a mentor is that I might not have the answer either, so we have to talk through various situations multiple times, building on the strategy to figure out what makes sense for us to spend time on.”
The Chenango County FIRST team will go toe-to-toe with 34 other teams at the regional competition scheduled to be held in Troy, NY on March 20-21.
If the task itself weren’t enough, the team also faces a set of minor rule-changes this year. Instead of working with allies from other schools, each team will be scored individually, meaning Team 145 will need to fend for themselves.
“It’s better and worse in some cases because we have always had a high scoring robot and been matched with weaker teams,” said co-captain Stephanie Meyer. “This year, we’re hoping it will be better for us if we work individually.”
While competing individually may be an advantage, Team 145 is full of fresh faces new to the program this year which presents its own set of challenges, Meyer pointed out.
“None of us have ever had a challenge where we had to stack items,” Meyer added. “I have always been on a team that was challenged to use the robot to throw things.”
FIRST teams have received a kit of parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, a mix of automation components, and a manual explaining this year’s game. But how teams build their robot is limited only to the imagination.
Team 145 is presently seeking sponsorship to get them to the competition in March. For more on the team, visit their website at www.trx145.net.
The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics challenge officially got underway last week, luring 28 high school students from the Norwich, Sherburne-Earlville, and Unadilla Valley school districts to put their engineering skills to test. Team 145 has only six weeks to develop a functioning robot that meets specific challenges; and with one week down already, the pressure is on.
“Our team has done well in previous years, and this year’s challenge is similar to what we did last year,” said Norwich High School senior and team co-captain Abby Ryan. “I think this year’s competition will be pretty evenly matched. We do a lot of strategizing beforehand, so I think we’re going to do well.”
The national FIRST Robotics program aims to inspire young people to be leaders and innovators in the fields of science and technology by engaging them in challenges that build skills through a mentor-based program that promotes self-confidence, team communication and leadership. Each year, the Chenango County FIRST Robotics Team, comprised of students grades 9-12, work together to design and build a functioning robot that can complete a series of tasks assigned by the international FIRST Robotics organization.
This year, nearly 75,000 high school students participating in 3,000 teams from around the world have been presented the same set of instructions: build a robot that can successfully stack two recycle bins and a trash can in under two and a half minutes. Teams must also use their robot to place a pool noodle in the trash can. The game, called “Recycle Rush,” simulates a landfill being cleaned up of debris. Completing the objective earns the team points, with additional points being earned by cluttering opposing teams’ space.
“It’s a very technical challenge and there’s a great deal of strategy in this game,” explained team mentor Dave Sheldon. “There are a lot of subtleties that might not be obvious at first that students need to figure out. The fun thing as a mentor is that I might not have the answer either, so we have to talk through various situations multiple times, building on the strategy to figure out what makes sense for us to spend time on.”
The Chenango County FIRST team will go toe-to-toe with 34 other teams at the regional competition scheduled to be held in Troy, NY on March 20-21.
If the task itself weren’t enough, the team also faces a set of minor rule-changes this year. Instead of working with allies from other schools, each team will be scored individually, meaning Team 145 will need to fend for themselves.
“It’s better and worse in some cases because we have always had a high scoring robot and been matched with weaker teams,” said co-captain Stephanie Meyer. “This year, we’re hoping it will be better for us if we work individually.”
While competing individually may be an advantage, Team 145 is full of fresh faces new to the program this year which presents its own set of challenges, Meyer pointed out.
“None of us have ever had a challenge where we had to stack items,” Meyer added. “I have always been on a team that was challenged to use the robot to throw things.”
FIRST teams have received a kit of parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, a mix of automation components, and a manual explaining this year’s game. But how teams build their robot is limited only to the imagination.
Team 145 is presently seeking sponsorship to get them to the competition in March. For more on the team, visit their website at www.trx145.net.
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