Regional robot competition draws hundreds to UAFS

 

The 2010 River Valley BEST Robotics Competition held Saturday (Oct. 16) in the Stubblefield Center at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith drew 14 teams and hundreds of parents, students and BEST volunteers.

The UAFS competition is one of several around the nation under the BEST heading, which stands for Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology. The competition started in 1994, and UAFS has participated since 2003.

John Martini of Fort Smith said the teams are very challenged and excited about this year’s competition, titled "Total Recall."

“It’s a great crowd,” Martini, assistant professor of electronics technology and director of River Valley BEST, said Saturday. He added that it’s a smaller version of what will happen Dec. 10-11 for the Frontier Trails BEST Competition. That event will be held at the Stubblefield Center and the Fort Smith Convention Center.

This year the teams were presented a computer animation of the game with virtual robots and people interacting with the field.

Martini said the game this year is based on Six Sigma. The teams are rewarded with a multiplier of their score if they successfully eliminate defects in their production process.

Participating teams from Fort Smith include Chaffin Junior High, Darby/Kimmons Junior High Schools, Southside High School, Union Christian Academy and the Western Arkansas Technical Center at UA Fort Smith.

Other Arkansas schools include Alma High School, Cedarville High School, Farmington High School, Mountainburg High School and Mulberry/Pleasant View High School. Participating from Oklahoma are Gans High School, Haskell High School, Howe Public Schools and Salina High School. Metro Homeschool of Blue Springs, Mo., is also in the competition.

Winners in this competition advance to the Frontier Trails BEST Competition.

Event winners were:
Overall BEST winners
1st place: Metro Homeschool
2nd place: Mulberry/Pleasant View High School
3rd place: Western Arkansas Technical Center

Robot competition
1st place: Metro Homeschool
2nd place: Mulberry/Pleasant View High School
3rd place: Western Arkansas Technical Center
4th place: Chaffin Junior High

Founders Award: Mulberry/Pleasant View
Most Robust: Gans High School
Most Elegant: Gans High School
Most Photogenic: Gans High School
T-shirt award: Cedarville High School
Web page award: Metro Homeschool
BEST Project Notebook: Metro Homeschool
BEST Table Display: Western Arkansas Technical Center
BEST spirit and sportsmanship: Chaffin Junior High