Glendale robotics team excels in rookie year

Members of the Glendale robotic team were hard at work last week preparing their robot for a competition in Windsor last weekend. Left to right are: Zach MacRae, Ellis Cole, Matthew DeVos, Julia Drobits, Aleah Phillip and Patience Kongai. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

A new Glendale High School team is embracing the future.

The robotics team was started last fall by English teacher Dana Roberts, and has quickly proven its mettle, winning its district at a weekend competition in Windsor. The team also received the Rookie All-Star award and was chose for the #1 Alliance team by its peers.

“This is an incredible accomplishment for our new team,” Roberts said.

Glendale has other technology courses - construction, automotive and computer – but not robotics. Roberts initially had to convince the school to compete in robotics, and knew she would need support from the community. She had experience mentoring a robotics team at another school and saw the value of it.

“It is amazing to see the skills and confidence the students build while being part of this team,” Roberts said. “This is something special, and I wanted to give students the opportunity to have this experience.”

She reached out to the business community and Martinrea embraced her concept. The local automotive manufacturer had been at Glendale’s career day. Martinrea engineering supervisor Scott Burdick enjoys working with the students – the company also has university students doing placements – and wanted to help. He also saw potential to get students excited about the trades and robotics.

Burdick talked to J/E Bearing and Machine, which agreed to supply some of the parts for the robot and make a financial contribution towards the team.

The first competition, the Oxford Invitational in November, involved students building a robot from Lego. Students were judged on robotics, the business case for their robot and presentation. Glendale took gold in that competition.

Provincial high school robotic competitors have a different theme every year. There are no details released until Jan. 6. The robot has to be built to perform certain tasks and design teams earn points for the design and ability to complete tasks.

“They only give you a couple of months to get your design going,” Roberts said. “That’s why it’s important to have a strong partner.”

Burdick started by ordering parts for the robot, but found temporary unavailability standing in his way. Martinrea staff came to the rescue, manufacturing the needed parts.

“They enjoy kicking in, it’s a good thing,” he said.

Team members Zach MacRae and Matthew DeVos explained there is an underwater theme to this year’s competition. The robot is competing in a reefscape, and has to pick up a piece of coral (4-inch PVC pipe) and put it on reefs, or racks, of varying heights. It also has to pick up algae (an exercise ball) and deposit it in a hole. Once it’s through the hole, a person deposits the ball in a basket.

Extra points are scored at the end if the robot can drive to cages at the end and lift itself off the ground.

The robot is controlled by a gaming controller, but the hitch thrown in is it has to operate in autonomous mode the first 15 seconds without a human driver.

“Also, drivers play defence and you want to prevent competitors from scoring points,” Roberts said, adding this is often blocking another robot’s path but can’t cause it damage.

The first competition in Kitchener outside the county was March 20-22 in Waterloo. Glendale’s robot was not completed, it could move forward and backwards, but didn’t have the components completed to score points. Other teams kicked in and helped the Glendale students scramble. Roberts explained competitors get points for “gracious professionalism”, or helping others.

“What I learned with robotics is everything is to the last second,” she said.

Glendale placed 22 of 30 teams, which Roberts called, “amazing for a rookie team without a finished robot.”

The modifications made for Kitchener were removed and the robot was ready last week for the competition last weekend in Windsor.

Glendale is facing competition against schools with established robotics programs, and much larger teams. The local team has nine students, who are builders, coders, drivers and cover the business case.

“If we had a bigger team, each of those categories would have a team and leader,” Roberts said, adding some teams have 50 members at other schools.

Excitement about the robotic team is already catching on. Roberts has talked to Grade 8 students who will be future Glendale students and there is excitement about it.