advertisement

Three Illinois 4-H robotics teams compete at FIRST World Competition

It starts simply enough. Some teenagers sit down at a table and ask, "How do we solve this problem?" Then, the gears start moving; the gears of the robots they are building and the figurative gears in the minds of the youth as they discover new ways to accomplish their goal. Welcome to the world of 4-H robotics.

This weekend, three Illinois 4-H clubs will advance to the highest level of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) competition. The FIRST World Championship runs April 22-25 in St. Louis.

"For over a quarter of a century, FIRST has been influencing our planet's future by introducing kids to the fun and boundless career possibilities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)," said FIRST founder Dean Kamen.

This weekend, three high-performing Illinois 4-H robotics clubs will enter in the World arena.

"If you weren't sure where you were, you might believe you were at a rock concert or sporting event instead of a robotics competition," said University of Illinois Extension State Robotics Educator Robert Smith. "The music is loud, the energy is extreme, and the enthusiasm is over the top."

got robot? enters the World field based on its performance at its FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Super Regional competition. The 4-H club is based in Elgin, and teens are members of the Kane County 4-H program. In the FTC division of FIRST, youth work as teams to develop strategies and build robots from reusable parts. They program robots to complete a certain task assigned at the beginning of the competition season.

For this year's FTC challenge, teens built and programmed robots to scoop up balls in the playing field and drop them in plastic tube goals. The more balls filling the goals, the higher the score. In each round of competition, teams are paired with other teams they have never met while they work and complete tasks together.

There are also two 4-H clubs in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) division, the Flaming Monkeys from Belvidere in Boone County and Metal Cow from Bloomington in McLean County.

FRC teams use 120-pound robots of their own design. In this year's challenge called Recycle Rush, robots stack totes on scoring platforms while collecting "litter," represented in the game by pool noodles.

Smith said that although there is a competitive aspect to the challenge, the ultimate goal of the robotics program is to inspire youth to work together as a team as they learn new skills.

"A major component of 4-H robotics work is practicing respect and offering help when you can to other youth as well as to the communities where they live," Smith said. "Real winning means achieving the personal and team goals you set, regardless where you place in the final list of competitors."

Two terms used by teens in robotics competitions are "gracious professionalism" and "coopertition."

Coined by Dr. Woodie Flowers, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, gracious professionalism means being competitive while you're being kind.

"There is no gloating allowed in robotics when you win," said Smith, "and no one calls anyone a loser."

"'Coopertition' involves helping others when you can, even when you're competing against them, Smith said. "Teens learn early on that their best chance at success is learning from everyone they can; and that means teammates, mentors, and even competitors," Smith added.

Three Illinois 4-H members have been nominated for the FIRST Dean's List. They include Hannah Lightner, Chris Laker and Neil Tewksbury. Winners will be announced during the event.

Illinois 4-H will soon welcome nearly 400 youth in 37 teams to the U of I campus on Saturday, May 2 for its own State Robotics Competition. The contest has an Olympic theme, and teams of junior high and high school youth will program a field of multiple robots in various track and field events.

Each team designs a mat on which the robots work. Then they program the robots to look for visual cues on the mat where they perform their track event.

The event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is open free to the public.

4-H has a place for youth with all levels of engineering knowledge and interests. Based on two national surveys, 4-H youth are reporting more positive attitudes toward science and stronger confidence in their science abilities than their peers, Smith said.

To learn more about got? robot, visit www.gotrobot.us, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

For more information on 4-H Youth Development programs in your county, contact Deanna Roby roby@illinois.edu or at (630) 584-6166. For more information on University of Illinois Extension, visit web.extension.illinois.edu/dkk/. University of Illinois Extension provides educational programs and research-based information to help Illinois residents improve their quality of life, develop skills and solve problems.

About 4-H: Illinois 4-H helps youth learn skills for living. University of Illinois Extension provides 4-H programs in every county in Illinois. Illinois 4-H impacts the lives of 200,000 youth each year through sustained learning clubs and groups and short-term programming.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.