EDUCATION sdnews.com Robotics teams continue tournament success
April 9 – May 14, 2021 Mission Times Courier / College Times Courier
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Innovating sidewalks for seniors with ‘bots
By JAY WILSON
By JASON POLIAK
Last month we wrote about the success of several of the FIRST LEGO League teams which are comprised of students attending schools within the Patrick Henry Cluster boundaries. On March 27 and 28, our teams did very well in the FIRST Tech Challenge San Diego Qualifying Tournament. The Dapper RoboNoodles (#18365) is a local community FIRST Tech Challenge team. They are rookies to FIRST Tech Challenge. However all but two of their teammates competed each year in FIRST Lego League starting as fourth graders at Dailard
The Team Wizalos robot
The Dapper RoboNoodles team (Courtesy photos)
Elementary. They are now four eighth graders from Pershing Middle School: Kacie Hernandez, Sophie Miller, Brady Quinn, Saranzaya Rice-Connor, and three seventh graders from Lewis Middle School: Kelsey Gunter, Allyson Mangahis, and Ben Xavier. The team designed dual linear actuators with a two-sided claw attached to move and lift rings as part of their goal. The claw opened and closed with a servo motor which also helped move other parts of the game field
around. The claw was a custom made 3D printer piece by one of our teammates. A standout of their robot is the googly eye stickers. Not just for a fun aesthetic, but the stickers served a purpose so the driver could keep their “eyes” on the linear actuators to prevent overworking the gears. They competed in the FTC San Diego Qualifying tournament and their team was awarded Ptolemy League’s first place in robot design. Another local community FIRST Tech Challenge team, The Wizalos (#14129), also competed in the 2021 “Ultimate
My friends and I are elementary school students, and we are the FIRST LEGO League #50899 Mechanical Meatloaf (with a slice of pickles) robotics team. Mechanical Meatloaf team at work (Courtesy photo) I live in Alvarado Estates and many of you have that they would like the cars to seen a few of my friends and I be slower and roads to be safer. in the garage working when Some of the more active seniors you pass by our house. We are said that they are not personally working on a robotics competi- afraid of uneven sidewalks, but tion. As part of this competition, other people might have a harder we needed to come up with an time and trip. They would also innovation idea on how to help like to see more nature and anisenior people come outdoors mals with more exercise stations more often. We surveyed the for seniors. people of the neighborhood with Our idea started out as five questions: How often do you “smooth senior sidewalks” but walk? What would you like to see as time passed, we decided to more of? Do you enjoy walking? create an innovation idea to Is there anything that concerns make exciting outdoor spacyou about walking on the street? es for seniors. We just had our What are some of the reasons qualifying robotics tournament that you come out to walk? on March 6 and that idea won Most senior people come out the innovation project award. mostly for fresh air and exer- We are advancing to the southcise. Some people also said they ern California championship on would like to see more sidewalks. April 10. Wish us luck! People said they also would like to see more animals. Some peo—Jason Poliak is a resident of ple in the neighborhood said Alvarado Estates.
SEE ROBOTICS, Page 16
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