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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Smithtown BeeBots Robotics Team will show off its improved Lego robot creation at the 2024 Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology (FIRST) Championships in Houston next month. Preparations are underway.
After winning a state-wide tournament at Fairmont State University last December, the Monongalia County-based team of five home-schooled students is looking to earn even more points on the world stage. The robot is being readjusted.
The idea for this team started several years ago by parents who had a common interest and thought it would help their children succeed in the future.
“One of my favorite things is the speed at which they can create and destroy things at the same time. They can come up with an idea and literally build it in minutes,” said volunteer BeeBot coach Justin Morris. Told.
This year, Morris said, the coaching staff introduced the coding language Python to the team, an upgrade from the starter coding language typically used to program Lego robots.
“This prepares them if they are interested in the field of computer science or computer engineering. So whatever they choose to do in their future lives, it will be It’s just a good basic skill,” Morris said.
Some of the upgrades made to the robot include different wheels that improve the robot’s grip and make it easier for it to accomplish the tasks given to it.
One thing that sets BeeBots apart from most other teams is that they ensure that all team members have an equal opportunity to design and run their robots, as well as as a backup if something goes wrong during the competition. We have two robots for this purpose. The robot has no remote control and is instead operated by a battery pack and a system that connects to a computer via Bluetooth to read codes and perform as intended.
“You just press the start button and it’s pre-programmed, so everyone gets involved in everything by programming and building attachments,” said sixth-grader Jackson. Boone said.
According to its website, the FIRST Championship is the culmination of the FIRST Competition Season, which aims to prepare youth for the future in a “festival of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”
The FIRST Championship has four parts:
- Teams must complete a series of tasks using robots designed with LEGO.
- Teams must complete an evaluation of their robot design.
- Teams must create a project presentation on how to share art using technology.
- Teams will be evaluated through the previous section on how well they work as a team.
For the presentation of the project, BeeBots decided to showcase their West Virginia nature diary on their YouTube channel. The students said this was fun too.
To practice ahead of the competition, BeeBot members meet every other Thursday night to conduct practice runs and make changes to make the robot work more smoothly. In the championship, teams submit copies of the boards they compete to complete challenges and practice well in advance. Teams will also know what structures need to be moved before competing in Houston.
To raise funds for the trip, BeeBots members, true to their name, created dozens of bee boxes and raffled them off to local beekeepers. The BeeBots will also be hosting a spaghetti dinner at the Smithtown Community Center on Sunday, March 17th at 1 p.m.
The FIRST Championship will be held from April 17th to 20th at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
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