MATTHEW CATTIN <\/p>\n
Last updated16:54, February 23 2017 <\/p>\n
MATTHEW CATTIN\/FAIRFAX NZ <\/p>\n
Isaac Kirkwood with his robot Janet. <\/p>\n
A four-wheeled late night creation dubbed 'Janet' has beaten the best bots in the country. <\/p>\n
The robot, built by Orewa College student Isaac Kirkwood, took out a national senior robotics championship at ACG Strathallan, after topping a series of challenges. <\/p>\n
Facing competitors from eight schools around the country, the year 12 student put Janet through the paces with several rounds of manual and autonomous tasks. <\/p>\n
The competition demands \"on the fly adaptations\" throughout, Isaac says, and to find an advantage, the robots have to be reprogrammed and rebuilt between rounds. <\/p>\n
READ MORE *Feilding High School robotics team recognised at world champs in USA *Robotics competition hardly VEXing for Manawatu students <\/p>\n
\"You can't just sit there twiddling your thumbs,\" he says. <\/p>\n
All of Janet's functions, from the sensitivity of the controller joystick to the range of its movements, were programmed by Isaac using computer coding. <\/p>\n
Throughout the day, Isaac - sometimes in an alliance with rival schools - outscored his competitors, and came away with the win. <\/p>\n
Orewa College science teacher Nish Rabeendran says that despite the win, the school was very close to not entering the competition this year, due to its timing. <\/p>\n
Scheduled to line up with schools in the USA, the competition date meant students have to dedicate time in their holidays. <\/p>\n
When all of Orewa College's robotics team but Isaac pulled out due to other commitments, Rabeendran says he figured he would give it up, and enter a team in 2018. <\/p>\n
But Isaac wasn't to be dissuaded. <\/p>\n
Leaving things until last minute, Isaac spent much of the evening before competition day watching movies with a friend. <\/p>\n
It wasn't until later that night, he got to work on the robot. <\/p>\n
\"I'm really grateful he took the whole thing on. It's amazing we even had a robot to enter,\" Rabeendran says. <\/p>\n
Janet is built from the school's robotic kit set, gifted to Orewa College by Kiwi First, a robotics charitable trust. <\/p>\n
Rabeendran, who applied for the Kiwi First grant, hopes to see robotics take off at the college, and says it's the perfect blend of science, digital technology and fun. <\/p>\n
Last year, Isaac represented the school at the Massey University STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) Challenge. <\/p>\n
As part of the Orewa College technology team, Isaac created a paperless Duke of Edinburgh award app to win the challenge. <\/p>\n
-Rodney Times <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read the original post:<\/p>\n
School robotics competition taken out by four-wheeled 'Janet' - Stuff.co.nz<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MATTHEW CATTIN Last updated16:54, February 23 2017 MATTHEW CATTIN\/FAIRFAX NZ Isaac Kirkwood with his robot Janet. A four-wheeled late night creation dubbed 'Janet' has beaten the best bots in the country. Continue reading