Monthly Archives: March 2017

Adam Robison | Buy at photos.djournal.com Gabe Carter, Race Davis and Ethan Young, members of the Tupelo Middle School Robotics Build Team, look over examples on the computer to gather ideas as they work on their robot Slim Wavey in Judy Hardens class Monday afternoon. The team qualified for the first Robotics State Competition on March 4 at Ole Miss. They will compete against mostly high school teams. If they win, they will go to the national competition.

By Emma Crawford Kent

Daily Journal

TUPELO The Tupelo Middle School robotics team is gearing up for a competition against students from across the state of Mississippi, many of whom are in high school.

The team, the Tupelo Wavebots, will compete at the FIRST Tech Challenge state robotics competition on Saturday in Oxford against 23 other teams.

Judy Harden, robotics teacher and coach, said the team of seventh- and eighth-grade students usually competes against mostly high school robotics teams.

Thats a big deal, Harden said.

This is the first year the team has competed at the state level, and if they do well, they could qualify to compete at the national level, too.

The team began during the 2015-16 school year as an after-school club, but Harden said the students didnt compete much.

Adam Robison | Buy at photos.djournal.com Ethan Young, a member of the Tupelo Middle School Robotics Build Team, measures from the wheel to make sure they are working within the required 18 inch cube space for the competition on their robot Slim Wavey.

Now, TMS offers the class as an elective, and the team is made up of students in the class. They work on their projects during class and after school on some days.

The class is split up into teams that each focus on a different competition element art, programming, marketing, recording data and building.

At competitions, all of these moving parts come together. The teams robot battles against other robots, performing certain tasks given to the students ahead of time so they can program the robots to do them.

The students must also make a presentation of the work theyve done prior to the competition, including recorded data, how they programmed the robot and other details.

Daven Sanders, a seventh-grader, helps program the robot, developing skills he says will help him out in the future.

It helps me for what I want to be when I grow up, which is an engineer or an architect building things and making things move and designing things which is basically what I do in this class, Sanders said.

The presentation also includes a marketing component in which students must pitch their robot as a product.

They get to use these skills in real-life situations, Harden said.

In Hardens classroom on Monday, Race Davis busied himself trying to make improvements to the teams robot.

Davis said he is confident, but not overconfident, about the teams chances in this weekends competition.

I know that were not going to do terribly, Davis said, with a laugh.

Although the team could qualify for the national competition this weekend, Davis said hes trying not to think too far ahead.

Were just trying to get past state at this point, Davis said.

emma.crawford@journalinc.com

Twitter: @emcrawfordkent

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TMS robotics team headed to state - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

Photo: Stephanie Kim / Hearst Connecticut Media

Rohit Singhal and Nikia Muraskin of Wilton Library's robotics team, Singularity Technology, inspecting the teams robot.

Rohit Singhal and Nikia Muraskin of Wilton Library's robotics team, Singularity Technology, inspecting the teams robot.

The robot built by members of Singularity Technology, Wilton Library's robotics team.

The robot built by members of Singularity Technology, Wilton Library's robotics team.

The robot built by members of Singularity Technology, Wilton Library's robotics team.

The robot built by members of Singularity Technology, Wilton Library's robotics team.

Controllers for the robot built by members of Singularity Technology, Wilton Library's robotics team.

Controllers for the robot built by members of Singularity Technology, Wilton Library's robotics team.

As the software captain of Singularity Technology, Albert Wei (right) works on new coding for the teams robot.

As the software captain of Singularity Technology, Albert Wei (right) works on new coding for the teams robot.

Wilton Librarys robotics team heads to regional tournament for first time

WILTON For the first time, Wilton Librarys robotics team, Singularity Technology, will compete among 72 of the best FIRST Tech Challenge robotics teams in the eastern region, after winning second place at the state competition.

FIRST Tech Challenge teams consist of 10 or more members, grades 7-12, who are challenged to design, build, program and operate robots to complete various tasks.

Aside from the robot kit thats provided, students practically build and program the robot from scratch using online design programs and the 3-D printer in the librarys Innovation Station, said team captain Nickia Muraskin, a senior at Wilton High School.

We are very proud of the fact that were actually able to manufacture the parts ourselves with the 3-D printer, she said. Thats a really big part of what makes our team a success.

Muraskin leads the team of 10 high school and middle school students with six high-schoolers on the main team and four middle-schoolers on the prototype team.

Since their first year as a rookie team in 2013, Muraskin said the team has become a much stronger competitor.

We were looking back on some old pictures and our robot from that year looks like absolutely nothing compared to this years, she said. Its a much more cohesive team than in years past.

With two weeks left before the super-regional tournament, members of the team have been meeting at the library after school for several hours a day, at least twice a week. Albert Wei, the teams software captain, said the team is focusing on fine-tuning the robots capabilities lifting a cap ball the size of a large medicine ball into the goal post and pressing infrared beacons in both autonomous and driver, or teleop, modes as well as adding a ball launching mechanism, which they hope will increase their chances of placing.

Were all really excited, especially in the software, because were able to show all of the new things were trying out, said Wei, a senior at Wilton High School.

Emilie McCann, the teams build captain, also attributes part of the teams success to improved organization, community outreach and cooperation with other competitors, which are all factors that judges consider when scoring teams.

So its a lot more than just building a robot, because we have to deal with the programming and the fundraising. Then, keeping documentation of everything, said McCann, a junior at Wilton High School. I feel like if we work hard, we could actually have a chance at super-regionals.

Other team members include Cathy Campbell, Alex Cameron, Navod Jayawardhane, Harris Patnaik, Khloe Rackley, Rishabh Raniwala, and Rohit Singhal. The team works with volunteer mentors Paul Lauricella and Tom Abend, as well as library staffers Susan Lauricella and Thomas Kozak.

The Lauricellas worked with Kozak in forming the team in 2013, around the same time of planning the Innovation Station. Kozak said the best part of helping the team is watching them grow in their technical and leadership skills.

This is a really proud year because we started off kind of assuming that we were going to have a little bit better than a performance last year, he said. And then we just started winning the awards.

The team will compete at the super-regional tournament from March 17-19 at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania for a chance to compete in one of two world championships.

SKim@hearstmediact.com; 203-354-1044; @stephaniehnkim

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Wilton Library's robotics team heads to regional tournament for first time - Thehour.com

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A Toshiba engineer watches a small robot with two CCD cameras during its press preview at a Toshiba factory in Yokohama on June 30, 2015. The robot was developed to investigate the interior of the primary containment vessel of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 2.

TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images

TOKYO The head of decommissioning for the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant said Thursday that more creativity is needed in developing robots to locate and assess the condition of melted fuel rods.

A robot sent inside the Unit 2 containment vessel last month could not reach as close to the core area as was hoped for because it was blocked by deposits, believed to be a mixture of melted fuel and broken pieces of structures inside. Naohiro Masuda, president of Fukushima Dai-ichi Decommissioning, said he wants another probe sent in before deciding on methods to remove the reactors debris.

Unit 2 is one of the Fukushima reactors that melted down following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The plants operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., needs to know the melted fuels exact location as well as structural damage in each of the three wrecked reactors to figure out the best and safest ways to remove the fuel. Probes must rely on remote-controlled robots because radiation levels are too high for humans to survive.

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Despite the incomplete probe missions, officials have said they want to stick to their schedule to determine the removal methods this summer and start work in 2021.

Earlier probes have suggested worse-than-anticipated challenges for the plants cleanup, which is expected to take decades. During the Unit 2 probe in early February, the scorpion robot crawler stalled after its total radiation exposure reached its limit in two hours, one-fifth of what was anticipated.

We should think out of the box so we can examine the bottom of the core and how melted fuel debris spread out, Masuda told reporters.

Probes are also being planned for the other two reactors. A tiny waterproof robot will be sent into Unit 1 in coming weeks, while experts are still trying to figure out a way to access the badly damaged Unit 3.

TEPCO is struggling with the plants decommissioning. The 2011 meltdown forced tens of thousands of nearby residents to evacuate their homes, and many have still not been able to return home due to high radiation levels.

Cleanup of communities outside of the plant is also a challenge. The cost has reportedly almost doubled to 4 trillion yen ($35 billion) from an earlier estimate. On Thursday, police arrested an Environment Ministry employee for allegedly taking bribes from a local construction firm president, media reports said.

2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Fukushima cleanup chief says better robotics could help - CBS News

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Toys always grab the attention of the children. When the students of the College of Engineering Trivandrum went to Christ Nagar International School to introduce them to the world of technology, they carried with them some cool toys. These toys are no ordinary ones. RoboCet, the robotics club of CET made robotic arms that mimic hand gesture, snakebot that moves like a reptile, a smart phone controlled car etc. The response they got from the kids was amazing.

Define box before telling us to think out of the box? said Adhitya, a seventh standard student. The googly was aimed at team Drishti. The presenters faced a volley of questions about robots and their functioning. Scientific findings are the result of imagination and experimentation. Presenter Abhishek P James told them to focus on imagination and not to worry about the theory behind it. Among the students, the team found a meticulous mind in Hari Govind who solved a puzzle, one of connecting nine dots, in his 12th attempt.

When the students of class seven and eight assembled in the classroom on the second floor of the school, they thought it would be another lecture session with slides. All sat in the class with a bored look.

It took ice breaking sessions using puzzles to get enthusiastic responses from students. At this juncture, the presenters introduced robots and the entire class came forward crowding around it. Some of them quenched their curiosity by getting their hands on it. Finally when the session got over the students gave a 11 on a scale of 10 to the Drishti team.

The team will meet selected students during the summer vacations. Selection will be based on their eagerness to learn technology. The idea is to technically adopt a high school in Thiruvananthapuram for one year and conduct sessions on basic technology. A Drishti club will be formed in the school, said Shilendra.

The year-long project will have monthly classes for students of classes 8 and 9. At the end of the year the kids will be encouraged to come up with their own project. These projects will then be included in the school expo for the next years Drishti.

#drishti_to_school

It is a campaign initiated by students of CET to inspire school kids to create innovations using technology. The campaign has been organised as part of their annual tech fest Drishti.

The objective of this campaign is to introduce technology and its potential to school students. It also aims to identify the creative spark hidden inside each child.

Sushmitha S Das, Shilendra Soman and Abhishek P James, final year students of the college from electronics and mechanical engineering departments are the minds behind the initiative. They were assisted by the members of RoboCet- Don Dominic, Sebin, Ashike Thomas and Balu Sadanandan. The event was photo documented by Rohit Punnen.

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Toying with robotics - The New Indian Express

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Members of the Jupiter High School Mars Robotics Team(Photo/Thomas Cordy)

MARS (Mega Awesome Robotic System) Team 1523 students from Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter and William T. Dwyer High Schools, as well as private and home-schooled students, today and Saturday are participating in the at the FIRSTRobotics Competition South Florida Regional at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, 650 Okeechobee Boulevard, West Palm Beach.

The event, from 8:30 a.m. 6:30 p.m., is free and open to the public

The competition is scheduled to have 48 teams. Teams from 10 states and international teams from Brazil, Colombia, Netherlands and Turkey will be attending the event.

On average each team consists of 30 students (plus parent chaperones, teachers and mentors), so organizers expect to have at least 2,500 people attending each day during the three days that the competition lasts, plus the event is open and free to the public.

With the guidance of adult mentors, students brainstorm a robot design, then while using hands on experience team members learn electrical and mechanical engineering, construction, metal working, programming, prototyping, fundraising, community outreach, website design, multimedia, design a team brand, costume making, create team spirit, and hone teamwork skills.Its as close to real world business and engineering as a student can get.

ParticipatingFIRSTRobotics Competition students are eligible to apply for more than $50 million in college scholarships.Three out of every five Fortune 500 companiessupportthe not-for-profitFIRST organization.

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North County students compete in robotics contest - Palm Beach Post (blog)

If you go

What: St. Vrain Valley VEX Robotics Showcase

When: 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday

Where: Boulder County Fairgrounds' Exhibit Hall, 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont

Cost: $5 for adults, $3 for children, includes spaghetti dinner from Longmont's Ragazzi Italian Grill

More info: tinyurl.com/hjzel3r

Students at Longmont's Central Elementary School are testing, changing and retesting the robots they've worked on since the start of the school year as they get ready for a state VEX Robotics competition this weekend.

From left: Fifth-graders Fiona Glynn and Willa Conlin use a laptop to program a series of commands for their robot Thursday at Central Elementary School in Longmont. (Matthew Jonas / Staff Photographer)

"We're never really done," fifth-grader Anna Kragerud said as her team worked to make their robot turn. "There's always something to modify."

They must "drive" the robots around an arena using a remote control and program them to move on their own, completing tasks that involve hexagon-shaped balls to earn points. They also earn points in a teamwork challenge that requires them to work with a second team.

"It's really cool," Kragerud said. "You get to program a robot to do what you want it to do. You get to use your imagination to build the robot. It's not already built for you."

Classmate Erik Swanson is in his fourth year building and competing with robots, working mainly as a programmer. His team is first in the state for robot skills this season, with a goal of qualifying for the world competition for the third year.

"This is a growing world of technology," he said. "The better you are at technology, the better of you will be."

To celebrate students' accomplishments and give the community a firsthand look at its robotics program, St. Vrain Valley is hosting its first robotics showcase and fundraiser on Thursday.

About 300 students from 28 schools are expected to attend to demonstrate the problem-solving, collaboration and construction required.

Plans include "build" activity stations with unassembled or partly-built robots so participants can experience building a robot, while "programming" stations provide an opportunity to use computer language. "Drive" stations also will offer completed robots to try.

The fundraiser portion, which includes a silent auction, has a goal of raising $10,000 to pay to send teams to out-of-state national and international competitions and for ongoing support of the program. The event is supported by the Education Foundation for the St. Vrain Valley.

St. Vrain also is hosting a state VEX IQ tournament Saturday at Trail Ridge Middle School. So far, 38 teams are registered, with most of them from St. Vrain.

Altogether, St. Vrain has hosted 12 competitions this year, with six middle school teams expected to compete in the U.S. Open Robotics Championship in April in Iowa. Another six or seven elementary teams are expected to compete in VEX Worlds in April in Kentucky.

Axel Reitzig, robotics and computer science coordinator at St. Vrain Valley's Innovation Center, said about 26 district schools have almost 200 teams involved in competitive robotics, up from five schools competing four years ago.

Two dozen high school students working on robotics at the Innovation Center also serve as mentors, supporting clubs and running tournaments.

"The growth has been huge," Reitzig said.

The district used its four-year, $16.5 million federal "Race to the Top" grant to start robotics programs, he said. Now that the grant is ending, the fundraiser is a way to help sustain programs.

He said the district likes the VEX program because it creates an authentic, real-world engineering experience.

"Students are applying a whole wide range of STEM skills," he said. "There's computer-aided design, programming, collaboration, project management, documentation and presenting to judges."

Middle school students can choose robotics as an elective at many schools. At the elementary level, competitive robotics is often an after-school club.

Cyrus Weinberger, principal at Erie's Red Hawk Elementary, said competitive robotics extends classroom learning for students passionate about computer science and programming.

"Kids can really push themselves," he said.

Red Hawk has six teams, with five qualifying for the state competition.

"The kids really learn a lot about collaboration and teamwork and sportsmanship," Weinberger said. "There's no one solution. It's very engaging. It gets their minds just really ticking and problem-solving."

Westview Middle School teacher Danny Hernandez leads teams at both Central and Westview. Four teams from Westview are heading to nationals, as are two Central teams.

Westview, in its fifth year of VEX robotics, was among the first schools to try the program.

"We've been getting more and more competitive," Hernandez said. "It's kind of like a competitive sport. You have to try out here to make the team."

His students have bins full of metal pieces bolts and other parts to use as they build their bots plus a large arena to practice and test them. Part of the need for the fundraiser, he said, is to help other schools start what can be an expensive program.

"We have schools that can order all the supplies and schools that can't," Hernandez said. "We want kids at other schools to benefit. It's an awesome program."

Westview students said they like that what they learn through robotics is preparing them for future careers in technology or engineering.

Seventh-grader Kaia Wing noted her team spent a lot of time researching different designs before starting to build. They also learned coding basics.

Teammate Sierra Bindseil added that she's become better at working with a group, something that's carried over in other classes. At competitions, she said, there's also a lot of collaboration, with other teams always willing to lend a part or help solve a problem.

Plus, she said, building robots is just really fun.

"You get to create something, and there aren't really any limits," she said.

Amy Bounds: 303-473-1341, boundsa@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/boundsa

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St. Vrain Valley schools to host competitive robotics showcase, fundraiser - Boulder Daily Camera