HVRHS robotics team studies bouncing balls for 2010 project

FALLS VILLAGE — A dozen or so Housatonic Valley Regional High School students (known by their team name, the Who’sCTEKS, pronounced housy-techs) traveled to Farmington High School Jan. 9 for the kick-off of the FIRST robotics competition season.

This year, more than 1,800 teams will bring robots and technology skills to 43 regional events in the U.S., Canada and Israel. The championship will be played out in mid-April at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Each year, the FIRST organizers create a set of rules and requirements for the season’s games and robots. Those specs were revealed on Jan. 9.

This year, the game has been called “Breakaway� and is essentially a soccer game played by robots.

In this competition, three teams will have to form alliances on the day of the competitions. They will not have time to practice together before the contest begins.

The game includes obstacles for the robots that operate first under a pre-programmed mode, and then by remote control. Extra points may be earned at the end for robots that can hook onto a bar and raise themselves off the ground. Even more points are awarded for robots that can hook onto and hang from another robot.

“This is going to be a very interesting game,� team mentor Cindy Fuller said. “There is a lot going on.�

Team leader Andy Brockway, an engineer with team sponsor Becton-Dickinson Co. in North Canaan, said it’s too soon to think about what the robot will look like. That will come, well,  when it comes.

The games are purposely changed each year, Fuller said, in order to level the playing field.

“You can’t use anything you’ve built before. It won’t work. No one has a leg up. Veteran and rookie teams all start in the same place.�

Easy-to-find soccer balls

Following the unveiling of the requirements on Saturday, members of the Who’sCTEKS met for six hours on Sunday to strategize.

In addition to kicking around ideas, they also kicked around some soccer balls, to see how they bounced off various surfaces. An old robot was fired up and used to attempt to score goals.

The team is much smaller than in prior years, but Fuller said they are all dedicated students, and she expects their focus and talents to help them succeed.

A sobering beginning

The international kick-off event on Saturday was marred by a local tragedy. One member of a rookie team from a Hartford magnet school was killed, and everyone else on the team was injured, when the school bus taking them to Farmington was involved in a collision.

Who’sCTEKS members have been going to businesses seeking donations of any size. After a recent interview broadcast on the local cable channel, numerous checks were sent by individuals.

Donations are tax-deductible and may be sent to the high school to Fuller’s attention. Checks should be made payable to “HVRHS Robotics.�

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