Students build robots for challenge
BUTLER TWP — A high school robotics competition based on U.S. Navy technology went to the next level literally on Saturday when devices flew and went under water.
There also was a land obstacle course in the Sea, Land and Air Challenge, sponsored by the Penn State Electro-Optics Center of Freeport at Butler County Community College.
Eleven teams participated, about 70 students in all, with six teams from Butler County school districts. Three were from Butler, two were from Seneca Valley and one was from South Butler.
“We creamed the competition,” said Sean Rundle, of Butler's sea team.
In the air challenge, teams competed with devices designed to drop payloads at predetermined global positioning system, or GPS, coordinates.
“We wanted the kids to concentrate on building sensors for the payloads,” said Bill Kiser, senior director for the electro-optics center.
A miniature remote-controlled helicopter carried the devices around the field.
“The teams' systems detect the coordinates and determine when, where and how to drop the payload,” said Jason Mizgorski, Electro-Optics Center technical lead for specialty sciences and engineering, and an organizer of the air event.
Mizgorski and other Electro-Optics Center engineers acted as mentors to each team during the design and build phases of the three competitions.
“We build equipment for the Department of Defense and we also do a great deal of work force development,” said Kiser. “But it's all about understanding the engineering process,” which has both military and industrial applications,” he said.
The engineering process for this competition included research, design, testing, reconfigurations and more testing.
“At the second (target) two payloads dropped,” said Alex Turberville of Butler's air team, who described field modifications developed for a better second run.
However, no payloads dropped that time, and a student was permitted to examine the craft.
“It was the brain,” said Kevin Nelen, who restarted the processor to make it work. The malfunction was not charged against the team, which hit all three targets over two runs.
In the sea challenge, students built submersible robotic vehicles. For example, the Butler team used a waterproof box, a DC motor, a temperature probe, a propeller and other materials, said Theo Peterson, a team member.
The vehicle navigated over and under obstacles and identified hot and cold spots marked when the vehicle flashed an LED light, Peterson said.
As for the ground challenge, students built robots that traveled an obstacle course, going over marked targets. In both the sea and land challenges, vehicles had to know when their tasks were completed.
Winners will be announced June 1 after each team submits a presentation about its work.
This year's challenge was a pilot program funded with $15,000 from the Electro-Optics Center and $15,000 from the Sprout Fund, a Pittsburgh-based civic organization. Each team had a $750 budget and each teacher received a $500 stipend.
“We want to make sure these kids get a chance to really look at STEM,” Kiser said, referring to careers with a foundation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
He hopes that over the next three years which the event is funded for, it will take hold nationally and attract other military and industry supporters.
