The Auburn Mountainview Robotics Club has been hard at work since January, designing and building a robot to shine at this weekend’s FIRST Robotics Seattle Regional competition.
It all started for Team 2907 on Jan. 8 when 30 team member and 10 advisors joined other regional teams at the Auburn Performing Arts Center to learn the parameters of the March competition.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics has sponsored the competition for 20 years, each event featuring a different challenge for robotic teams.
This year’s announcement, a worldwide simulcast on the NASA satellite system, introduced competitors to LOGO MOTION, in which robots try to score points by placing inflatable shapes on pegs.
Team 2907 brings plenty of experience to the stage. This is the third regional appearance for the club.
“Once you get involved in this, it’s hard not to stay involved,” said senior Andy Hammer, the team president. “We know what we’re doing more.”
Team 2907 has put in the work during and after school – even Saturdays – perfecting its machine.
“It’s fun to actually get it working,” Hammer said. “It’s nice to have it done and to make sure that what you have in your head actually works.”
Right fit
Parker Sheldon, a senior, is pleased with the robot’s design and outcome.
“This gave me a chance to get some hands on experience and actually turn a wrench,” Sheldon said. “It’s cool to see something that was just Sharpie writing on butcher paper actually take shape.”
The real key to the program was the ability to get kids excited about working on engineering and technological problems, simulating situations they will face in the real world after graduation.
“This makes what you’re learning fun,” Sheldon said. “It makes all that have a purpose. Instead of just learning facts and slogging through, memorizing things, you get to actually see what you’re doing it for. It’s as close as you can get to real-life engineering.”
“In a nutshell, it attracts kids to the program, where they get exposed to science, technology and math,” team advisor Mike Fawcett said. “The real goal is to get kids to learn by grabbing their interest. That’s when they learn most.”
Fawcett, who mentors the team with Auburn Mountainview instructor Tim Scott, said it’s all about getting kids to enjoy the work needed to complete such a massive project.
“What you’re seeing is the enthusiasm the kids have for applying these theories and learning from them,” Fawcett said. “They learn real life lessons as well, like how to work as a team and communicate with each other. They can’t be real negative and hurt each others feelings because that would sink the whole team.”
For Fawcett and the other mentors, all volunteers, the fun is watching the kids get into the work.
“We’re giving our time to this program to benefit the kids,” Fawcett said. “It’s all voluntary, but we’re seeing the kids really connect with this.”
The Qwest Events Center in Seattle will host two simultaneous regional competitions, the Seattle Olympic and Cascade regional events Thursday through Saturday.
In addition to Auburn Mountainview’s team, Auburn High School’s TREAD Robotics team 3219 will compete this weekend.
The FIRST Worldwide Championship will be April 27-30 in St. Louis.
