Teachers train for robotics competition

info for story submitted by the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith

Teachers from seven area school districts and representatives from two universities met July 14 at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith to train for the eighth annual River Valley BEST Robotics Competition scheduled for Oct. 16.

Those attending the training learned about the new VEXnet System being used in the robots for this year’s competition. Teachers will take what they learned from the workshop and work with their students to prepare for the competition, one of several around the nation operating under the BEST — Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology — heading.

Student teams design and build a robot, operating on its own wireless network and capable of performing a specific task for the game. That task is kept top secret until kick-off day, which this year is set for Sept. 4. After kick-off, the teams have six weeks to work on building their robot and developing their strategies to be used during the competition.

Prior to the competition, students participate in a Mall Day event, set for Oct. 2 at center court of Central Mall in Fort Smith. Mall Day offers a chance for the students to practice in a real competition atmosphere and also offer the public a sneak peek at the event and what BEST is all about.

John Martini, assistant professor of electronics technology and director of River Valley BEST (local hub) and Frontier Trails BEST (regional competition), said this year’s competition will require more interaction with the field by the robot, student driver and spotter as another sensor is introduced to the game.

"This year’s game is titled ‘Total Recall’ and is based on Six Sigma principles used in manufacturing to improve efficiency and eliminate waste," he said. "Our new VEXnet System — including the VEX Cortex Microcontroller, VEXnet Joystick, VEXnet 802.11 Keys and associated hardware/software — will be a tremendous leap in technology.  Students will now have additional hardware and programming opportunities that will help them implement more sophisticated robot designs."

Martini said the driver and spotter along with their robot will be heavily involved this year in the actual management and play of the game.

"This challenge will require teamwork, strategy and attention to detail if they want to be successful," said Martini. "Each year the competition pushes our students to a higher level, and ‘Total Recall’ will definitely do that."

Participating in the workshop, by town of residence, were:
• Blue Springs, Mo.: Dan Stacy, Metro Homeschool.
• Fayetteville: Mike Jackson, Farmington High School.
• Fort Smith: Sandy Aaron, Chaffin Junior High; and Derek Goodson, who coaches a robotics team for the Western Arkansas Technical Center at UAFS and serves as school recruiter for the River Valley BEST competition.
• Haskell, Okla.: David Bair, Haskell High School.
• Heavener, Okla.: Carol Ann Ford, Howe Public Schools.
• Little Rock: Jing Zhang, who heads up a BEST robotics competition at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
• Muldrow, Okla.: Wendy Hall, Gans Public Schools.
• Pryor, Okla.: Terry Newton, Salina Public Schools.