Robotics Wins Third Animation Award
In mid-March, the robotics team participated in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics regional competition at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia. The AIS team has been successful in the past FIRST competitions, winning first place in the 2006 regional and continuing onto the national competition at the Georgia Dome. This year, rigorous preparation for the competition took us to the quarter-finals. We won the regional animation award and the spirit award. This is our third straight regional animation award, and we are now in strong contention to win at the national level on April 12-14. You can see the animation at www.ihotrobotics.org/animation.
Robotics is made up of many sub-teams, which include engineering, animation, finance, programming, public relations, and the website. Adrien Pellerin is the student leader of the robotics team this year. He was interviewed before the competition:
What was this year's competition based on? "It's basically like a sports competition or tournament. The game is called Rack 'n' Roll. It consists of a bunch of matches where six robots compete on the field and collect tubes, placing them on hooks. They then make special patterns. The robots have to place these hooks in rows and columns. There are three levels of these racks. At the beginning of each match, the robots have to run autonomously without human input. At the end, you have to get as many of your robots off the ground as possible."
How effective was the robot in this year's competition and what specific features does it have that helped it succeed? "The most prominent feature on our robot is the double ramp. Getting two robots onto our ramp at the end of the match gives us sixty points, which gives us quite an advantage in the match. Also, we spent a lot of time during the build period improving and enhancing the drive system. Our robot is very maneuverable and should be able to travel around the field with great ease."
What's the atmosphere like at the competition? "It's really exciting; it feels like a big adrenaline rush because you're facing fierce competition all day for three days in a row. There are matches hourly and we are constantly changing techniques with the robot at high speed. It's cool seeing the other robots. It's a great place to share communication with other people at the competition. Overall, it's not about getting the most points but about being a cohesive unit with other teams."
How does it feel being a robotics leader? "It's stressful but rewarding because you try to get 50 people to do individual things. It's fun because the reward is in accomplishing something big. I try to put myself into each one of our sub-team's positions, for example, working with engineering, with the website, etc."
How has robotics changed over the years? "The main thing is the team has grown exponentially over the years. As with our robots, they have improved with experience. We have become more confident in our engineering skills and our confidence with building a good robot. Each year, robotics has slowly become more of a student-led group, with our robots being built 100 percent by the students."