Robot apocalypse
New robotics elective combines computer programming and competition.
Attention all conspiracy theorists: robots just might take over.
Little by little – Junior Mac Dalphy puts the finishing touches on his metal work.
Equipped with the latest in computer programming and design, the new robotics elective at SMCHS allows students to build and create robots.
“I’m glad the administration chose me to lead this class because it’s very creative and you’re actually doing something,” said robotics teacher Jason Lawrence. “You can’t just memorize facts and regurgitate them. We can take knowledge and apply it to a situation while also learning time management and how to get things accomplished.
The students in this class split into six groups, and within these groups they brainstorm and plan the creation of their robots.
The “bots” made by each group are called claw robots, which are used in classroom competitions between students. The purpose of each competition can vary — whether it’s robot fighting or picking up cans to put into bins, every battle is a fun rivalry between classmates.
Practice makes perfect – Junior Mason Fredenburgh practices with the mobility of his robot to become faster in picking up objects.
But when your grade depends on how successful your robot design is against your classmates’, the competition becomes less friendly. Lawrence chooses to use various grading rubrics, one of which includes an engineering notebook that is a written record of everything the students do.
“There’s a lot of hard work that goes into class competitions because each group has to make modifications of the basic claw bot to be successful,” said senior Alison Heisler. “The process of building a robot takes a lot steps including brainstorming ideas, testing your ideas and improving your ideas.”
The continuous trial and error may be discouraging sometimes, but senior Langley Petrie believes that that’s the necessary process for success.
“Robotics allows you to bring your ideas to life and it’s fun to implement your skills in different fields like engineering and programming,” Petrie said. “The class enables us to express our intellectual and artistic ideas.”
Consistent teamwork – Senior Ryan Dugan works with his group members to develop their robot and prepare for the competition.
The rivalry doesn’t stop in the SMCHS robotics classroom. Robotics students plan to visit other schools, such as Servite, Rosary, Orange Lutheran and St. John Bosco to compete in scrimmages. The schools who are successful in these smaller oppositions can move on to statewide competitions and nationals.
“There’s really not many classes that incorporate holistic standards like robotics does,” Lawrence said “To me, the things that matter for a teen’s general knowledge are art, science, social skills and robotics.”
