Elgin robotics team to compete in state challenge

On Saturday, April 24, youth from across Illinois, including The Challengers club from Elgin, will travel to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to participate in the second annual State 4-H Robotics Challenge. Teams of youth, age 9 to 19, were given the challenge to build a small robot that can successfully navigate a unique "RoboBall" course, also designed by the team.

"This event provides an excellent opportunity for Illinois youth to learn about robotics while interacting with others who also have an interest in this exciting field of engineering, science, and technology," said Lisa Bouillion Diaz, U of I Extension 4-H specialist.

The youth teams are engineering their robots to transport a small plastic ball from one end of a 96-inch table to the other while using sensors to avoid obstacles along the way. Upon finishing the course, the robots are to perform a victory dance to music.

"We expect to see a lot of creativity in the designs of these robots," Bouillion Diaz said. "Last year, 11 junior teams of youth, aged 9 to 13 years, and five senior teams of youth, aged 14 to 18 years, participated in the competition. This year, we expect an even greater turnout."

In addition to being judged on the performance of their robot, teams will be asked to discuss the computer program their robot used for the challenge and to complete an unrelated teamwork activity to show their ability to work as a team. The two top-scoring junior teams will receive a $350 scholarship from the Illinois 4-H Foundation to attend the FIRST Lego League competition in fall 2010. The event will also be used to select 4-H senior division members to represent Illinois in the robotics competition at the National 4-H Engineering Challenge, to be held at Purdue University on Sept. 26-28.

"The robotics challenge provides a great venue for problem solving. It allows youth to work as a team taking an open-ended goal from the idea stage to completion," said Macon County 4-H leader Suzanne Broussard. "As a parent and 4-H leader, I love seeing the kids brainstorm with their wild imaginations and ultimately pulling all their skills together to build a functional robot capable of completing a task."

The event is sponsored by Illinois 4-H in partnership with the U of I College of Engineering, and the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Undergraduate and graduate students from these programs will serve as volunteer judges and provide participants with the opportunity to interact with U of I students who are pursuing careers in robotics and engineering.

Illinois 4-H introduced its robotics curriculum three years ago and has since seen a steady increase in enrollment. Nearly 2,500 Illinois youth, representing 92 percent of the counties across the state, engaged in 4-H robotics during the 2008-09 program year.

"4-H programs give youth the opportunity to investigate like a scientist, design like an engineer, and create like a technologist," Bouillion Diaz said. "These skills are important for today's work force and also prepare youth to be active and informed citizens."

U of I Extension's 4-H program has a 100-year legacy of engaging young people in learning about cutting-edge science. Building on the success of its programs in animal and crop sciences, the Illinois 4-H program has continued to expand its curriculum offerings to involve youth in the latest science and technology developments in fields such as robotics, alternative energies, and communication technologies.

More information about this and other 4-H events can be found at the Illinois 4-H Web site at web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h.