Desert robotics club engages Edwards Youth Center students

  • Published
  • By Christopher Ball
  • 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  

Members of the Desert Junior and Senior High Robotics Club recently took their creations on the road to generate interest among the next generation of potential robot builders.

 

The 11 members of the robotics club – six students from varsity team 9074, Robo-Scorpions, and five from junior varsity 7227, Scorpion Robotics – presented their robots to the children at the Edwards Youth Center Nov. 3, explaining the workings of the machines and what is involved in being a member of the Robotics Club.

 

Ana Franco, one of the robotics coaches, said the idea was to get the younger students interested in robotics and STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.       

 

“They’re also doing some community outreach, which is something they have to do as a club,” she said. “The idea is to get younger students interested in robotics and STEM.”

 

The teams are preparing for their first “scrimmage” at the Palmdale Aerospace Academy Dec. 3. According to coach Tony Gore, the teams are challenged with creating a robot that can complete a series of tasks, but they don’t know what those tasks will be until a short time before the competition.

 

“This means they have to learn a lot of teamwork and cooperation,” he said. “And there’s a lot of learning on the fly.”

 

This preparation involves much more than just building a capable machine. Once the teams arrive at the competition, they have to assess the competing robots’ abilities and formulate strategies to win, Gore explained. Since the competitors don’t know in advance which robots will be pitted against each other, they teams must plan for every robot in the scrimmage.

 

For more information on the Desert Junior and Senior High Robotics Club, e-mail scorpion-robotics@googlegroups.com