If there’s a secret ingredient involved in robot construction, it’s probably rubber bands.
If there’s a secret ingredient involved in robot construction, it’s probably rubber bands.
They’re stretchy enough to fasten together cable connections, but also strong enough to hold structures in place, or serve as make-shift netting.
At Keaau Elementary School, robotics team members use them constantly. That’s because glue is out — students are confined to building four elaborate robots with the scattering of beams, pins, axles, sensors and pieces included in the VEX IQ robot starter kit.
Over the past few months, they’ve voluntarily met over weekends and holiday breaks. They spent hours programming, building, driving and tweaking their creations. And they’ve had a few meltdown moments along the way, such as, when a robot was constructed slightly outside of the required dimensions.
“It can be very challenging,” said Jessica Doan, a seventh-grade team member. “But also very rewarding when you solve a problem. I think I cried the last time I solved a problem.”
But the fruits of their months of labor have paid off. Keaau’s “LunaTech” elementary-aged robotics team competed earlier this month at the VEX IQ state championship on Oahu, where it earned the “Design Award” and qualified to compete at the global competition — the 2016 VEX IQ World Challenge.
The event will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, in April. Kohala High School is the only other Big Island school to qualify.
Kohala’s team isn’t just gifted and talented — it’s a mix of accelerated, general education and special needs students, coordinator Fern White said.
The Kohala team has attended the world challenge in past years, but this year, most of its seven team members are rookies, White said. For some, it’s their first time traveling out of state.
“They are extremely excited.” White said. “Our school, in terms of opportunity and funding, we’re about 70 percent free and reduced meals. So when that happens, you’re talking about opportunities being kind of limited for kids to go places and do things. It makes the opportunity for our kids to participate in a global event even more significant.”
The event attracted 800 teams last year from 30 countries. That’s about 15,000 attendees ranging from fourth-grade to college students. All 13 Keaau students — the six LunaTechs and the seven middle school-aged PunaTechs — are attending. The LunaTechs are confirmed to compete while the PunaTechs are awaiting the outcome of a few outstanding competitions to determine if they qualify, but either way, they’re going to support the younger students.
As part of the competition, students build robots to complete a “challenge” — a task that switches each year. This year, students were required to build a robot to scoop and dump as many balls into a hoop as possible within 60 seconds.
The competition is structured similar to an athletic bracket, VEX IQ spokesman Grant Cox said, with students competing locally and gradually advancing to higher levels.
VEX IQ held its first season in 2007, Cox said, and has since exploded in popularity. Back then there were 800 teams. Now there are 12,000 globally, including about 250 in Hawaii.
“For the kids, it’s a competition, it’s a game,” Cox said. “And along the way you pick up concepts, but it’s all shrouded in this really fun environment that’s created.”
At Keaau, teams are part of an afterschool, STEM-based program (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) geared toward gifted and talented students. The program started six years ago following changes to the school’s gifted and talented program.
“Robotics was a way for the school to continue to meet (their) needs,” Keaau robotics coach Merry Bletcha said, adding Keaau originally competed in the First Lego League but has participated in the VEX IQ challenge for two years. “It challenges them to higher-order thinking skills, solving problems and math.”
Each year, Keaau’s program expands. Its founding students are now in middle school but walk to the elementary each day to participate. Students are also mentoring other robotics teams on the island, including a local Girl Scout team, a team at Kamehameha Schools and a team at Mountain View Elementary School.
Next year, Keaau hopes to start a local VEX IQ after-school league and invite surrounding schools, including private and charter schools. Eventually, it hopes to offer robotics for grades K-12.
The school helps pay for program costs, but the team also relies on grants and fundraising. To donate, visit its Go Fund Me page which can be found at tinyurl.com/KeaauRobotics.