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| 3/4/2008 | Email this article • Print this article |
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Linda Baumeister/Review
Team captain Michelle Hofeldt displays the ball, 10 lbs. and measuring 40-inches across, that the robot must push around a circular track. |
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Linda Baumeister/Review
Top, North High students Enoch Nyakondo, left, and Leonard "Opie" Ridgway work on re-connecting the circuit board, battery and wiring on the team robot.
Just above, Some members of the North High robotics team working Tuesday night were, from left, Leonard Ridgway, Nick Gudknecht, Nathan Hardenbrokk, Jacob Marka, Mike Scharffbillig, and Enoch Nyakondo. The team will be competing in the FIRST's challenge held March 27-29 at the U of M Williams Arena. |
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There is no 'I' in robot
North High team enters state's first robotics competition
Katy Zillmer
staff writer
They're a rookie team getting ready for their first competition. But it's not just themselves they have to rely on. In fact, this group of North High School students, better known as the Robotics Team, will have a robot taking most of the heat in their first-ever contest next month.
That has meant working after school to build the robot, learn to control it and get it to push a 10-pound, 40-inch-diameter red ball around a circular track.
The group of about 12 students, led by junior Michelle Hofeldt, teacher Dick Siver and several parent mentors, is part of a growing interest in robotics among metro area high schools.
Last year a representative from Minnesota FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) approached North High teachers with the idea they form a robotics team.
Siver says he saw the opportunity as an outlet for high school students interested in "hands-on" technology.
FIRST is a nationwide organization, with 1,300 teams competing in 40 regional events, according to its Web site, www.mnfirstregional.org. In Minnesota, involvement has grown from just two teams in 2005 to 54 that will participate in the state's first regional competition in March.
Rookie effort
Since North's team started in 2007, they have been working on smaller robots in preparation for building one together, Siver says.
From March 27 to 29, that robot will debut at the University of Minnesota Williams Arena among the other 53 teams.
FIRST's challenge this year is called "Overdrive," which places alliances of three robots together to race around a circular track and move the red "trackballs" as they go.
For the first two days there are a series of heats and day three is the actual competition. On that day, the schools with leading robots choose two others as teammates to finish the competition, Siver says.
Teams have six weeks to build their robots and program them from a standard kit of parts and common set of rules.
The hitch is that North's crew - and all the other competitors - do not know which other team's robots they will work with until the first day.
Also, the reality was hitting home that they had to ship their prized robot off to the University on Feb. 19 - meaning no more opportunities to practice or tinker with the design.
"I think they'll learn about stress because something is going to break and they're going to have to fix it in short order," says Dave Hofeldt, Michelle's father and team mentor.
Once a robot is shipped, rules outline what can and cannot be fixed should it malfunction during the races.
"This year I don't think any of us expect to get very far as a rookie team," Michelle Hofeldt says.
Back to the drawing table
But winning, for most, isn't really the goal of the competition or of FIRST as an organization.
North's students had a glimpse of why that was when they hit a little bump in the road while scrambling to finish their robot last Tuesday.
The robot had been built, went through a few practice runs in the hallway of North's industrial arts wing and students were getting stronger in their designated responsibilities, Siver says.
Then they weighed the robot to see if it met FIRST's requirements, only to find out it was about 35 pounds too heavy.
Both Siver and Dave Hofeldt saw a frustrated crew that day, which had to brace itself to disassemble its key member.
While taking a break from rallying her classmates, Michelle says overall she has learned about being a leader and was ready to push ahead after the setback.
"It's not important that something went wrong; it's important that you need to find a way to make it work," she said. And soon her safety goggles were back on and she joined her teacher, team and mentors at the drawing table.
"It's interesting to watch the interactions between the different aptitudes," Dave says. "(The robotics team) is a great way to introduce people to the whole concept of what engineering really is: 'Build something to do this.'"
And it is meant to connect students with real-world engineers, like Dave himself, who works at 3M. "The broader range they can get to exposure in the working world is what FIRST is trying to do," he says.
Only room to grow
Which is why, no matter how far team North's robot gets in the three-day competition, the challenge is worthwhile.
Much like a basketball game where a college athletics recruiter comes to check out high school talent, the March event will have the same potential.
Siver says his students can talk to representatives from colleges and universities and will be able to learn from the more experienced teams they work with. To older students, about $9 million worth of scholarships are available, he says.
Teams win by amassing points for design, team spirit, professionalism, maturity and ability to overcome obstacles.
North's team already has a point in that category.
"Given the level of resources they've had available, and the amount of work they've had to accomplish, they've done really well," Dave Hofeldt says.
In his career, Dave says he has seen the potential that robotics teams started through FIRST can have.
With teams out there with up to 100 kids involved, Dave says they can do more than build robots, such as fundraising and community awareness. "There is a chance this club could grow to that."
And, having his daughter on board, Dave says he hopes more female students will follow in her footsteps.
Michelle agrees.
"I think (this team) it's helped me find some interests I could use later as part of finding a career," she says. "I'll keep doing things like this and see where it takes me."
Katy Zillmer can be reached at kzillmer@lillienews.com or at 651-748-7822.
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