By Christian Yapor Daily News Staff

MEDWAY - Tapping away at laptop keyboards, about 20 participants in the 4-H youth science workshop learned basic coding skills to bring robots to life Saturday in the Medway Public Library.

Youth learn early Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) skills in 4-H, which is a youth development program.

"Two of the things we are trying to teach these kids are engineering and computational thinking," said Kim Pond, extension director for 4-H."There is science in everything we use every day, and through programs like this, we are encouraging kids to think about how things work, as well as prepare them for the work force."

The robots, which were made using Lego Mindstorms, were equipped with infrared sensors, color detection sensors, touch sensors, gyroscopes and ultrasonic sensors. Programming the functions of these sensors, the children worked together in teams to tell their robots how to navigate certain obstacles such as weaving through poles, and going up and down a ramp.

We are making robot commands so that it can act like a pet, said Jackson Alessandri, 12, of Medway. It's a lot of fun because I like building things.

"I am looking forward to controlling the robot and making it do special commands," said Jason Huff, 11, of Franklin.

"These robots are designed for younger kids that want to get their feet wet," said Nathan Shepherd, 18, of Franklin, who volunteered to help at the workshop. "The programming consists of simple drag-and-drop functions."

Shepherd said he started working withrobotics in Middle School when he himself was a participant in the 4-H program. In high school he entered competitions and worked with robots that were a lot more advanced. This fall he will attend Boston University to study mechanical engineering and continue working with robotics.

I think it's the process of getting something to work, and the end goal will be having something that works that appeals to these kids, said Shepherd.

"Building a robot and programming a robot are both equally hard, but keeping it stable so that it is not falling apart is important," said Hunter Ross, 9, of Medway.

"Actually, putting the robot together, coding it and bringing it to life is a lot of fun, and each robot is very unique," said James O'Connell, 10, of Holliston.

Shepherd said a lot of trial and error takes place when you're building and programming a robot.

You might not get it at first and it might frustrate some people, but you need to keep working at it."

"The hardest part is knowing what wires go in what holes," said Jeffrey Cadorette, 9, of Fitchburg as he worked on building his team's robot.

"It's such a great accomplishment when it's done," send Joshua Brennan, 9, of Franklin.

Most of the children who participated in the workshop have high hopes of working with technology in the future.

"It's a lot of fun and I want to build a robotic cat, or build a robot so small it can kill a disease," said Wyatt Uhe, 8, of Medway.

Christian Yapor can be reached at 508-634-7521, or at cyapor@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChristianYapor.

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Robotics program taps young innovators in Medway - Wicked Local Medway