By SCOTT L. MILEY
WEST LAFAYETTE — Cameron Schmitz would rather not crash the robot he is controlling.
But it’s tough for the Pendleton Heights High School senior when five other robots are whirring around a racetrack, each trying to lift a large rubber ball, place it on an overpass and knock an opponent out of the game.
“Unless it helps us out, I don’t like hitting any vehicle,” said Schmitz.
He was one of 24 Madison County students on a robotics team competing Friday and Saturday in the FIRST Robotics Competition at Purdue University.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway Human Transporter. The goal is to inspire students in science and technology. Almost all of the Madison County students plan to study engineering or computers at college.
The 40 teams go through qualifying runs in random alliances of three. The Madison County team — known as Team Roboto — fared well in the practice runs and made it into the quarter-finals after forming an alliance with one high school from Indiana and one from Michigan. Team Roboto received the Judges’ Award that honors a team’s unique performance.
Using remote controls, Schmitz guided the robot across the course. He stood behind a glass shield that surrounded the 54-foot by 27-foot track.
“Controlling the robot can be pretty hard at times especially because you’re behind Plexiglas. On the field you have Plexiglas inside so it gets more distorted. You have other robots cutting in front of you so sometimes you lose vision,” said Schmitz.
The robot, named Pac-Man, has a curved arm that grabs a trackball and lifts it to a bridge extending over the track. Teams receive points for placement and removal of the balls.
Controlling the arm motion were Taylor Powell and Cameron Vannatta.
“I just go out there, relax and have fun,” said Vannatta. “Once you get into that mind-set where you’re ready to just compete and have fun, it really doesn’t bother you.”
The team relies on mentors. Some are area engineers like DRN Machine owner Don Newby or “freelance” engineer Tony Soverns.
“The experience and the skills that you use and learn are more like what you’re going to use when you get out into the real world,” said Soverns.
Newby has been coordinating the mechanical side for the team for nine years.
“Kids today aren’t challenged to use their imaginations anywhere,’ he said. “When we first get a kid involved in this team, he stands with his hands in his pockets. We get him to start using his imagination. That’s a wonderful experience to see somebody bloom.
He added, “Anderson needs this very badly to re-establish its technology base.”
Of team graduates, one now works for Rolls-Royce, another is a nuclear physicist.
And another, Jeff Stuart, is a senior at Purdue pursuing a career in aeronautical engineering. He also works with a robotics team at Purdue but spends summers in California.
“I’ve been working with an aerospace company in San Diego for two years. I think one of the reasons I was hired was because of my experience with robotics,” Stuart said.
Everyone on the Madison County team had responsibilities.
Austin Arline and Austin Ockomon checked batteries on Pac-Man. Kaitlyn Birdwell was in charge of safety, making sure team members wore safety goggles. She also posted helpful safety tips in their pit area.
Jeff Powell programmed a laptop that sent information telling Pac-Man how to move.
During one of the qualifying bouts, Pac-Man roared off the starting line and rolled straight into a wall. “We had a little emergency where the robot ran really hard into the wall. It wrenched one of the wench motos around. We were getting ready to fix it and the laptop crashed.”
The pit was a whir of activity as everyone tried to get Pac-Man back on line.
“We were really nervous about that one but we pulled it off,” Powell said.
“If they’re not happy with the way he turns, we fix it,” said Powell, smiling. “I can’t say it’s the most important job but I would ‘yes,’ but some other people might disagree with that.”
