Bots IQ pits student-built robots against each other
Area high schools send teams to compete at Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Show.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Jake Blevins (left) and Daniel Garwood from Dixie High School repair their robot, Willie Jame, on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Bots IQ contest. The event is part of the Dayton Tooling and Manufacturing Association's Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Show.DAYTON — Centerville High School senior Michael Douglas loves his killer robot.
So do fellow Centerville students Jeff Blanford and Kyle Robie.
Granted, these student-made machines are anything but cuddly. But they grind metal like anything.
The Bots IQ contest at the Dayton Tooling and Manufacturing Association's Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Show Thursday, Oct. 23, pitted student-built robots against each other. Teams put their remote-controlled machines on an enclosed stage at the Dayton International Airport Expo Center and sought to saw, flip or otherwise crush their opponents to a metallic pulp.
It's not just about learning the basics of machining, mechanics, electronics and teamwork. It's not just about seeing the possibility of a career in manufacturing.
It's about destroying something someone else made.
"That's definitely a plus," said Robie, with a smile.
Blanford's team, Fistful of Steel, entered a robot by the same name, taking on The Mach 5, submitted by another Centerville team, Speed Racer. Fistful of Steel looked like a slick-but-dangerous wedge, and there was good reason for that, Blanford said.
"It's all about leverage. We really try to make our robot go as low to the ground as possible, so we can (flip) our opponent," he said.
David Huff, a Dixie High School physics and chemistry teacher, said the beauty of Bots IQ is that students learn by making mistakes and moving ahead. Dixie was one of the few schools participating that doesn't have its own metal shop, so the school relied on Twin Valley Metalcraft, of nearby West Alexandria.
One of Dixie's two robots had a rough first match early Thursday, but Huff was confident that after students made quick repairs and modifications — involving a good amount of duct tape — the robot would fare better.
"It's going to go back in, but it's going to look like a wounded creature," Huff said.
The enthusiasm was catching, said Ron LaParre, a Dayton Progress engineer, whose company sponsored a Patterson Career Center entry.
"There are a few kids out there who seem to be interested, especially today," LaParre said. "They're really into it."
