The winning robot, Lego-tron LJRCM 300 pushes a golf ball into a goal at Wednesday's robotics competition in El Centro. (ELIZABETH VARIN) |
Teams of high schoolers cheered as their robots rolled forward, pushing golf balls toward a net in a miniaturized version of soccer.
Mathematic Engineering Science Achievement held its third high school robotics competition Wednesday evening at Southwest High School with 35 teams participating. The middle school competition was Tuesday with 41 teams, said local MESA director Jeanette Ramos-Espino.
Students were sent kits to build their soccer-playing robots, she said. They got to design, program and build their robots to push a golf ball into a net.
The competition is to inspire students to go into engineering careers, she said. The top three finishers will move on to a competition in April in San Diego.
This was the first year the event was on weekdays as schools and teachers had asked for it to be moved, she said. Previously it had coincided with weekend holiday events.
Some didn’t like the new days.
Luis Lopez, 17, of Holtville High School said that his group would probably have to pull all-nighters trying to finish term papers due the next day. Other schools also have finals going on, which caused some stress.
Overall it is a good experience, he said. It was great to see how other people decided to design their robots.
He and his group admired some of the other designs, like cranes and ramps used to play soccer.
“You get really creative when you’re building the robot,” he said.
Lopez’s group’s robot, Legotron LJRCM 300, was a paddle that pushed the balls toward the goal. It won the competition by scoring more goals in a shorter amount of time.
There were different things to learn during the preparation and actual competition, said Priscilla Dominguez, 17, of Calexico High School. The robots motor had to be on the bottom, which was a different experience, and her group also learned to make sure batteries are in the robot when it’s turned in.
But the competition didn’t faze the team of girls, as it was just a fun event.
“As long as you get to socialize you have fun,” she said. “You lose, yet you have fun.”
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
Results of high School robotics competition
1 — Holtville High’s Legotron LJRCM 300
2 — Imperial High’s Irobot
3 — Imperial High’s Aigoo Ka Sob
Results of middle school competition
1 — Meadows School’s STEVES
2 — Meadows School’s F.A.T.A
3 — Holtville Middle School’s J.C Jak
Mathematic Engineering Science Achievement held its third high school robotics competition Wednesday evening at Southwest High School with 35 teams participating. The middle school competition was Tuesday with 41 teams, said local MESA director Jeanette Ramos-Espino.
Students were sent kits to build their soccer-playing robots, she said. They got to design, program and build their robots to push a golf ball into a net.
The competition is to inspire students to go into engineering careers, she said. The top three finishers will move on to a competition in April in San Diego.
This was the first year the event was on weekdays as schools and teachers had asked for it to be moved, she said. Previously it had coincided with weekend holiday events.
Some didn’t like the new days.
Luis Lopez, 17, of Holtville High School said that his group would probably have to pull all-nighters trying to finish term papers due the next day. Other schools also have finals going on, which caused some stress.
Overall it is a good experience, he said. It was great to see how other people decided to design their robots.
He and his group admired some of the other designs, like cranes and ramps used to play soccer.
“You get really creative when you’re building the robot,” he said.
Lopez’s group’s robot, Legotron LJRCM 300, was a paddle that pushed the balls toward the goal. It won the competition by scoring more goals in a shorter amount of time.
There were different things to learn during the preparation and actual competition, said Priscilla Dominguez, 17, of Calexico High School. The robots motor had to be on the bottom, which was a different experience, and her group also learned to make sure batteries are in the robot when it’s turned in.
But the competition didn’t faze the team of girls, as it was just a fun event.
“As long as you get to socialize you have fun,” she said. “You lose, yet you have fun.”
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
Results of high School robotics competition
1 — Holtville High’s Legotron LJRCM 300
2 — Imperial High’s Irobot
3 — Imperial High’s Aigoo Ka Sob
Results of middle school competition
1 — Meadows School’s STEVES
2 — Meadows School’s F.A.T.A
3 — Holtville Middle School’s J.C Jak
