Morris School students competed in the Fisher Robotics VEX V5 Robotics High Stakes competition in Minnesota last weekend.
Team Blue Bombur included Cody Dueck, brothers Josh Hildebrandt and Andrew Hildebrandt, and Kayden Grattan.
It was the group’s first tournament, but they certainly held their own, shared robotics teacher JP Jamieson.
“After a morning of qualifying matches, and lots of repairs due to the rough and tumble competition in the robot ring, the team was knocked out of the playoffs in the round of 16,” he said.
But they didn’t come home empty-handed—the team won the tournament’s Judge’s Award, which is given to the group who shows exemplary effort or perseverance and demonstrates effective communication skills, teamwork, professionalism, and a student-centered ethos.
“With one tournament under their belt, the students already have hardware purchase and building plans in mind for the next time they take to the field,” Jamieson said.
The VEX V5 Robotics Competition (V5RC), presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, is the largest and fastest growing middle school and high school robotics program globally. Students, with guidance from their teachers and mentors, build and code robots.
The robotics foundation seeks to spark interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable, and affordable curriculum-based robotics programs.
“The entire system is designed to make sure students get and stay interested in STEM,” said Jamieson. “They get to develop and practice skills that will help in high school, post-secondary, and in the workforce.”
Manitoba doesn’t currently have credits or curriculum for robotics. Morris School submitted its own course to teach introductory robotics, which was approved by the province and launched in September. The course is for Gr. 9 and up to get hands-on with the hardware and attempt to solve a variety of problems using the engineering process.
“I had no experience when I joined the club,” shared Andrew Hilderbrandt, 14. “I’ve learned how the robot works. How to build a computer robot and code it.”
“I joined to have fun with my friends and learn new things,” said Dueck, 14.
Each year, an engineering challenge is presented by VEX to students in the form of a game
“Students are working on building, modifying, and coding their robots to move objects, pick up and place plastic rings on stakes of various heights, and climb a tower in the middle of the ring,” explained Jamieson. “Typical matches have two robots in a red alliance taking on two robots in a blue alliance.”
The competition is played on a 12’ x 12’ square field between two alliances, each made up of a pair of teams. Each team competes in a timed autonomous and driver controlled robot matches.
When they’re there, teams have to have a meeting with their new alliance partners before each match to figure out strategies that work based on their respective strengths.
“Students have to code for an autonomous period, where they sit back and watch their robots follow their commands,” said Jamieson, “and then a driver controlled period where one driver gets to operate the robot with a video game style controller.”
“You can spend a bunch of time on something to find out it doesn’t work. I don’t like that,” said Josh Hildebrandt, 16.
The object of the game is to attain more points than the opposing alliance. The rules can be thought of as “constraints” that define this game, just as engineers begin any design project by defining their constraints. Documentation is provided that contains the list of constraints that are available for a competitor to strategize, design, and build their robots.
Teamwork is key as the students figure how they’ll write their engineering journal, who designs, who builds, who codes, who drives, and who fixes things when they inevitably break.
“I really like the building aspect and coding aspect,” said Grattan, 15. “I like a lot of it.”
Team Blue Bombur will be competing in three tournaments in and around Grand Forks in the USA over the next few months, as there are no competitions in Manitoba or Saskatchewan. The families involved have been great help volunteering to get their students, robots, and gear to and from the tournaments.
Sponsorship has been key to getting the robotics program moving. Local business leaders have toured the school’s technology classroom to better understand what is involved. Students developed their own jersey that acknowledges the many supporters of the program.
There’s a lot of collaboration involved in getting a robot finished on time, and getting all the gear you need to a tournament, Jamieson shared. The cost of a robot starts at approximately $1,600 before tax and shipping, and resembles Meccano building sets. There is lots more equipment that can be purchased and added like a variety of sensors, and pneumatics, which is something the team is working towards.
