2/19/2013 Lyanne Alfaro
Written by Lyanne Alfaro
If their robot's autonomous programs ran with accuracy, then the Robo-Ninjas could place in the top ten teams at the state competition for the first time and advance to the world competition. So there was a lot on the line.
The Robo-Ninjas consist of local middle school students banded together for the second year in a row, coached by MechSE associate professor Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler with help from Illinois students Michael Wineman, Matt Petrucci, and Morgan Bakies.
"Coming into the year, the students were afraid of using the extra sensors on the robot, but this year they were able to utilize them in many ways," Petrucci said. "I think they could even admit that they were doing some things with the robots that they never could before."
The team was competing in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) LEGO® League tournament.
"They are trying to achieve as many things as possible in that (2 minute, 30 second) time frame," Hsiao-Wecksler said, "to score as many points as they can for completing as many missions as they can successfully."
After the first round, the Robo-Ninjas were in the fourth place.
However, in the following rounds, the robot's performance on the tables did not continue to improve. Other teams advanced. The first-place team earned 498 points, while the Robo-Ninjas earned 16th place with a score of 357 points.
Since 1989, the annual FIRST competition has challenged students to create complex programs using LEGO® Mindstorm® kits, resulting in an autonomous robot that accumulates points on theme-based tables at tournaments.
The robots complete tasks ranging from using a ball to knock down pins to hitting a flag and then returning back to base. A team's total score includes the students' presentation of a solution to a real-life problem, based on a different theme every year, and FIRST Core Values (Gracious Professionalism – Inclusion, Respect, and Cooperative Competition). The 2012-13 theme was "Senior Solutions" and focused on how to better aid the senior citizen community.
At the regional tournament in December, the Robo-Ninjas earned the highest scores in Robot Performance for points amassed at table-runs. They also won the "Best Giveaway" category for their hand-crafted ninja stars. This performance qualified the team for a trip to Arlington Heights for the state competition in January, where they were pitted against 80 teams, making their 16th-place finish even more impressive.
Sponsored by the National Defense Education Program (NDEP), the Robo-Ninjas received input and coaching from Kris Hedman of the Prairie Research Institute and Construction Engineering Research Laboratory's (CERL) Peter Heinricher, in addition to Hsiao-Wecksler and the student mentors.
Hsiao-Wecksler noted the students' enthusiasm to continue meeting to prepare the robot for the competition prior to the regional and state tournaments. Their typical practice time, scheduled for Tuesdays or Wednesdays 6-8 p.m. and Saturdays 4-6 p.m., was not enough to satisfy them near the end.
"The students were really excited," she said. "Sometimes, the school would get the day off and they would ask, 'Can we come in for the entire Friday?'"
Hsiao-Wecksler said the students are already anticipating 2013-14's FIRST LEGO® League competition and its theme: Nature's Fury Challenge.