The first of the two Robot Camp sessions advertised in this posthappened a couple weeks ago. Holding to our many years tradition, Splatters helped make up the mentors for the several teams of kids.
Josh Buczynski helps sort out a Mindstorms kit.
Robot Camp, for those readers not familiar with it, is a day long event at Efland Cheeks Elementary where students design, build, and program “battlebots” style robots using Lego Mindstorms. The program is a major motivator to get students involved in science and technology, and many students have shared that it’s motivated them to get involved with other robotics groups as they get older. It’s free to students, and as such relies on volunteers to mentor the kids.
Joe Divers helps students get their robot plans sorted.
This year one of members, Pete Soper, attended and the students he mentored swept the competition. He wrote about the experience on his blog:
Pete Soper helps two students build their robot, Wally. Wally became the Robot Camp champion.
[The students’ robot] came out on top in a free for all battle between all seven robots. The robots fought “sumo style” within a roughly four foot diameter circle until all but one robot was forced outside the circle or disabled. … Very exciting!
