Robotics Team Girds for Battle

By Bjorn Westergard (March 16, 2006)

Today, tomorrow, and Saturday the Robotics Team will compete in its first competition of the season. Core members of the robotics team spent the weekend before last “spectating” at the Virginia Commonwealth University FIRST robotics regional, one of 30 regionals being held around the world during the six-week competition season. In previous years the team would have been competing at this competition, which takes place in the first week, but the decision to attend instead the Chesapeake regional, held at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on the third week of competition, has given the team an opportunity to see how the game is played before competing themselves.

Robotics team members, left to right, Kelly Castelle, Matt Peppe, Hunter Burkey, and David Maher consult on a problem for their robot to solve. The team members left this morning for a long weekend of competition in Annapolis.	Senior programmer Bjorn Westergard puts Elephantus through its paces in preparation for this weekend’s competition.

The team, which shipped its 2006 robot "Elephantus" earlier this month, has done anything but cool its heels in the intervening period. While the team is restricted from working on robot parts after the ship date (the build period is intentionally limited to six weeks as a design challenge), numerous tangentially related projects have occupied the team's roughly 20 members of all grade levels. One such project is to build a large, collapsible structure for the 10-foot square pit area each team is assigned at competition. Each team is given this area to work on their robot, and this year George Mason will construct a large aluminum, scaffolding-based structure with integrated shelving and work areas to facilitate the organizing and publicizing of the team through its sheer size and intimidating polished metal, black, and red aesthetic.

"I think we have a chance of being very competitive, just like everybody else, if nothing breaks. I wish we could go up the ramp, but I think we'll be a force to be reckoned with," said optimistic mentor Mr. John Ballou.

"Uhhhhm, how or what?" retorted Rachel Taylor when asked about her predictions for the coming competition. "I'm anticipating a fairly high seed, but I'm not getting my hopes up about being in one of the final alliances," she added, less than reassuringly. "I think we're going to win, I don't know" provided the ever-perceptive Alex Peterson.

This is the first year the team has finished the robot early enough to attempt an autonomous mode, in which the robot uses sensor inputs and programmed instructions to accomplish the task. "I think it in itself won't be incredibly important, point wise, but it will play an important role strategically" pontificated club member Hunter Burkey.