Robotics Team
Washington Regional
Mon, 08 Mar 2010
REX 1727 went to the Washington Regional with high hopes but not so high expectations because we knew we had a good machine, but went without ironing out all the kinks and almost no driver/team practice time. Our robot was very complicated, we designed it to do every function needed to score and used a variety of sensors to make it quicker at those tasks. We could easily cross the bumps, scored 1 to 2 goals a match, and hung from the platform easily but slowly.
After the first three qualification matches REX was ranked 30th out of 59 teams. After 3 more qualification matches we rose to number 1 and stayed there for the remainder of the qualification matches. For the elimination matches we decided to play midfield and we selected an excellent scorer and an excellent defender to be our partners. We stuck to our strategy during the entire elimination rounds and were victorious. We won the regional competition and were also awarded the "Quality" award.
We were the best hanging robot on the field, even when teams tried to stop us from hanging we still hung. We programmed the robot to kick multiple balls in autonomous moving them to where our partners could score, which they did really well. We had no mechanical issues at all until the very last rounds of the finals when our kicker holder broke. The last round of the finals is the best 2 out of 3 matches and due to the mechanical issue lost our first match. After fixing the problem we went out and were victorious in the next two matches, giving us the WIN.
There are a few things that really make me proud. We have a lot of mentors that helped us along the way, without them the kids could not have done what they did. Also our sponsors came through big this year. NASA has always been our biggest supporter and has provided many different forms of support from equipment to display opportunities. AAI not only funded us, they provided space and mentor help during "snowmaggedon" and they helped us with promotional items like banners, patches and blinkie REX buttons which were a huge hit in DC!
What gives me the most pride is that our club is student run and the robot is student built. We had an unusual situation on Thursday where none of our mentors and only one parent could be there. That parent was a volunteer for the event and he could not work with the team. Even with that the kids had our robot ready quickly, we were the second robot to pass inspection. They practiced, set up teams for scouting, pit admin, and operator teams. They handled everything by themselves and were well organized and efficient.
I anticipate that we will be even better at the Chesapeake Regional on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This regional will be at the Baltimore Convention Center from about 9-5 daily and is free and open to the public!
REX on Fox
The Dulaney High School Robotics team was featured on FOX DC, on Friday August 28th, at the Maryland State Fair in Timonium. You can see REX on the Fox DC website. (REX appears around 4:00 in the second video clip, following a chain saw artist and kids singing to cows!)
You can see the robotics team at the state fair on September 5th and 6th, in the Home Arts/4-H building.
REX Summer 2009
Over the summer the Dulaney Robotics club has been extremely active. We ended the school year by managing a FIRST display for NASA/Goddard’s 50th anniversary. On May 30th we setup a field, invited 16 other robotics teams to join us, and setup a VEX demo and displayed our robotic prowess for thousands of people as part of a larger NASA demonstration at the Baltimore Convention Center on May 30th. NASA/Goddard has been one of our sponsoring organizations since our club started in 2005 and it was a pleasure to participate with them in their celebration.
On July 8th and 9th we were invited by the National Science Foundation to display our robotics program to the senate majority leader, Harry Reid. We were the lone high School to attend with about 14 colleges. The reason we were invited was because of our unique partnership with Johns Hopkins University. Over the years we have been sponsored by JHU in our quest to provide middle school aged children with a robotics summer camp. Over the last five years we have exposed hundreds of middle school children to the fascinating world of robotics thanks to the support of JHU. In addition we have helped JHU sponsor their annual Robotic System Challenge, drawing hundreds of high school children annually.
In August we were a major contributor to the Battle O’ Baltimore. On August 22nd, 24 teams from across the eastern seaboard met to hone their robotic skills in a competitive but friendly environment. Off season events such as the Battle help teams develop new club members and refine their robotic skills. It is also a great place to further develop relationships with teams from around the region. The Battle is sponsored by the Baltimore Area Alliance, which consists of twelve teams from the Baltimore region. The BAA conducts off season events, provides robotics training in the fall and helps teams with fundraising. It is a great way for teams to share resources in a highly competitive venture. REX 1727 is extremely proud of the part they played in getting the Baltimore Area Alliance started.
On the last day of summer vacation, Friday the 28th of August, REX displayed our VEX robot and our FIRST robot for the FOX DC television station in preparation for the state fair. We will display our robotic skills on the on the 5th and 6th of September, 2009 at the Home Arts/4H building. We are also going to develop a partnership the Baltimore County 4H organization to further spread interest in robotics.
As a club we have collected and turned in another 112 pounds of aluminum cans in our “Green” effort. Each robot we build takes about 80 pounds of aluminum and we started our project with a goal of replacing all the aluminum we have used in fabrication. To this point we have collected 700 pounds of aluminum. Since our previous goal has been met we should now strive to collect our team number “1727” pounds of aluminum.
This coming year will be an exciting year. Over half of our existing club members are seniors this year and they have to train next year’s club this year. We have a huge recruitment issue and hope to attract 30 new members this year. To keep track of our progress please check www.dulaneyrobotics.com.