The “Wired Wolves” (l to r): Tristan Van Cise, Evan McArthur, Spencer Upcraft, Alex Corak, Tad Nelson, and Dylan Monaco. Mrs. Jones II is in front. (KCAW photo/Robert Woolsey)
A dedicated team of Sitka students is competing in Anchorage this weekend (February 20 – 21), but they won’t be scoring layups or debating public policy. The “Wired Wolves” are headed to their first state championship — in Robotics.
KCAW’s Robert Woolsey visited the robotics classroom at Sitka High recently, to look into the soul of this new machine.
A competition robot doesn’t look like anything out of “The Jetsons.” This device, named Mrs. Jones II, looks more like an erector set and some Legos had a baby.
Mrs. Jones II (the students are also considering “Hulk” as a name). Following the failure of Mrs. Jones I at the regional competition, the team rebuilt the robot almost entirely from scratch. (KCAW photo/Robert Woolsey)
But don’t let its humble appearance deceive you. Mrs. Jones II is the product of some fairly high-level design and programming. Picture something about the size of a carry-on suitcase, made of clear green acrylic and Tetrix parts, with tank treads rather than wheels.
Learn more about the First Tech Alaska Challenge.
“You can either start in the parking zone, or the ramp. The teams consist of two robots, and you’re against another team of two robots,” says senior Tristan Van Cise. He programmed Mrs. Jones II.
“And you complete tasks by dumping balls into those tubes during the autonomous phase, and dragging tubes during the TeleOp phase, which is when we’re controlling the robot. So, we have pincers on the back of the robot to pick up those tubes and place them on the ramp by the end of the round.”
Working on her own, Mrs. Jones II drives down a wooden ramp into a competition area of about 50 square feet, uses sonar sensors to locate an upright plastic tube, and drops the ball into it.
Van Cise and two of his teammates, Evan McArthur and Tad Nelson, believe they’ve just about perfected Mrs. Jones II. They’ve worked hundreds of hours on the robot, in school and after, and it’s worked flawlessly — until the media arrives.
Ball drops…
Oh… Almost.
McArthur – I think it got bent off to the side. Or it’s the whole arm falling off again.
Nelson – There’s a bunch of things I have to work on before this thing is competition-ready.
The robot can also be remote-controlled through the so-called “TeleOp” phase Van Cise described. TeleOp is the communication system between a laptop computer and a Bluetooth receiver on the robot. There aren’t any wires connecting the controls and the machine. In the TeleOp competition, Mrs. Jones II drives around the competition area and scoops up balls.
But for senior Evan McArthur, the real satisfaction comes from watching Mrs. Jones II work independently.
“I think the autonomous is what really sets apart one team from another. If you can actually have your robot complete a goal — an objective — in that first 30 seconds, that says more about you than a team that can do stuff in the last two minutes. And it’s really about the programming, and that’s Tristan, and he’s a great programmer.”
McArthur, Van Cise, and Nelson all plan to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks next year, and continue the partnership they started in this classroom. Van Cise will study Computer Science, and McArthur and Nelson will become mechanical and electrical engineers respectively.
In all, six students worked on this project and they’re feeling a little giddy. Mrs. Jones I failed utterly during the first four rounds of the regional competition in Juneau. But after impromptu repairs, she worked brilliantly in the next four rounds, and the Wired Wolves took second place. Across the bridge, the Mt. Edgecumbe Braves have been at Robotics a little longer.
Now, all that’s left is a trip to Anchorage.
KCAW – Do you check your robot, or buy it a seat?
Team – We haven’t thought about it! I think we’re going to check it.
Team – I don’t want to check it — it could be damaged.
Team – Edgecumbe has these really nice boxes that they check theirs in. They’ve got foam.
Team – I don’t think we can put it on a seat?
There is no end to the details in the world of robotics. And for the record, after a few adjustments, Mrs. Jones II rocked — all on her own.
