Middle School Robotics - Fall of 2019

Some people play golf in retirement.  I play with robots.  Or more to the point, I supervise kids playing with robots.

This fall will be the 19th year of doing a low tech combat robot class called "Machines Behaving Badly".  It has led to greater things but I still keep it running as a sort of low level farm club for more advanced robotics.  It's hard to quit....the class always fills and generates a waiting list.  I am told we set a record this year....24 spots filled in under one minute.  With a wait list of 14.

Time to lay in supplies and organize the tool kit.

This year I've also been involved in starting up a "real" robotics class in the same after school program.  VEX IQ does all sorts of interesting things with mechanical engineering and programming.  It is also a competition based program although there are far fewer robots being turned into fragments at their events.  It also went to full and wait list status very quickly.

And finally there will be a mini course in November/December.  This is after the Machines Behaving Badly tournament.  I'm calling it FIRST Boot Camp.  It's basically a few sessions to get kids new to the team up to speed.  As we will be promoting several middle school students to "The Show" it seemed a helpful transition.

I had a realization the other day.  I've been doing student robotics programs in our community for almost 20 years.  Before I went freelance and did ER work I was a family physician here for 23.  At some point I will have done the former longer than the latter.  Already I am better known for being "Robot Overlord" than for looking in throats and doing physicals.  Probably I've done more long term good at the robot stuff but someone's whose throat got better maybe appreciated that more in the short term. 

A few pictures of the robotics stuff as it is being accumulated prior to the start of sessions.  This process always entails a complete shop clean up.  Even then it is difficult to find everything that is needed.

Here's most of the supplies.  There are a few bigger things, slabs of plywood, polycarb plastic and styrofoam, that are out in the garage.  I'm also thinking I'll bring a table top drill press this year.

From last year's Robot Cemetery an assortment of Zombies arise from the dead.  I use them to demonstrate a few basic design concepts then they are torn down for parts.  Wood, tape, foam, sheet metal.  As I said, low tech.

In the off season I am usually on the lookout for useful parts.  Garage sales often have vintage cordless tools for cheap.  These are much better than newer models because they are well constructed, run on lower voltage ( either 6 or 7.2 volts ) and did I mention cheap?

Oh the one on lower right is the gearbox and motor from a small version Barbie Jeep. These are not easy to find and a real prize when you score some.  All these components are a challenge to fit into a Machines Behaving Badly machine because of their relative weight and often awkward geometry.  But I'm expecting a good bunch of roboteers for this year's robot apocalypse.  Stay tuned, updates now and then until early November.  I'm intending to retire Machines Behaving Badly after the 20th season, so this second to the last time around it should be time to ramp up the energy.