Fresh off a regional win, local robotics team gearing up for world competition

AMMON – A group of 17 students from Technical Careers High School in Ammon was declared the regional winners of a national robotics competition in Nampa Saturday, and now they’re gearing up for the world tournament in Texas later this month.

Twenty-seven teams of high school students from around the country had six weeks to design and build an original 100-pound robot to compete in the competition.

Jarett Scott, one of the captains for the First Robotics team in Ammon, tells EastIdahoNews.com that’s one of his proudest achievements.

“If you look at these robots and think about what we’ve accomplished, it’s pretty amazing,” says Jarett.

The robot doesn’t look anything like Hollywood’s version of robots. It is a simple frame with circuits that is battery operated.

“We put the battery inside the frame so it’s protected,” Jarett says. “Then we have the (Power Distribution Board), which is like the heart of the robot. It distributes power everywhere. The RoboRio is like the brain of the robot, and then we have a bunch of different voltage controllers, which you could consider a muscle.”

The robot is remote controlled and designed to perform a simple task: place a round piece of fabric to a velcro strip and an orange ball through a hole. The task revolves around the theme of the competition.

“It’s the 50th anniversary of the moon landing so they decided to do a space-themed challenge. So we have these orange balls they call ‘cargo.’ We have to push those through a hole after we load the hatch panels. We have to do this multiple times in different areas in two minutes and thirty seconds,” Kellie Stanger, another team captain, says.

“There are three ships: two rocket ships and a cargo ship. The first thing you have to do is place a hatch panel. If you were to place a cargo before a hatch panel, the cargo will roll out of the ship and there’s no points,” says Jarett.

It’s something you have to see to fully understand, according to team mentor Curtis Thomas. There isn’t anything like it to compare it to, but one way they described it is basketball with robots and a puzzle to solve thrown in the mix.

When you see the robot in action, it’s clear a lot of STEM knowledge and different skill sets were utilized in its creation.

“A lot of math skills (were used),” Kellie says.

“Measurements for manufacturing,” says Jarett. “Certain knowledge that you naturally have — there’s always a spot for it on the team.”

Those are just a few of the skills involved.

Thomas says the greatest thing students gain by being involved in the robotics club is confidence.

“They’re more sure of themselves. Even if they’re not sure about what they’re going to do, they’re confident they can find a solution,” Thomas says. “It’s problem-solving in the real world because they’re given a task that’s hard to do, not enough time, not enough money, and they’re expected to do it and they get it accomplished.”

Thomas says many students involved in the program have gone on to have successful careers in engineering, jet propulsion and a host of other technical careers. Kellie, who is a senior, is considering a career in cyber security, electrical engineering or robotics communications.

Meanwhile, Jarett, who is only a junior, says he’s excited to participate in the robotics team next year as a senior.

“It doesn’t matter where you go to school. If you want to be on the robotics team or if you think this is somewhere you want to be, come talk to us. We’d love to have you on the team,” says Jarett.

Visit the team’s website to learn more.

The world competition is happening April 17-20 in Houston, Texas. The cost to attend is $18,000. The group currently has $4,500 in their budget for the trip, but over the next two weeks, they’re hoping to raise funds from people in the community.

You can see them at STEM days on Saturday, April 13. They’ll be at Barnes and Noble in Idaho Falls all day. You can also make a donation online.

If you’re interested in making a donation, click here.