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Oconee Enterprise Article

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:26:11 +0100

The following article is from the most recent Oconee Enterprise covering our 3rd place GA finish at the BEST robotics competition.

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What is BEST Robotics?

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:04:08 +0100

Information below is from BEST Inc. website: www.bestinc.org

Robotics - Each team designs and builds a radio-controlled machine to accomplish defined tasks in a game-type format. Six weeks before the competition, the teams gather for Kick Off Day in early September at local hub sites where they receive identical kits of equipment (motors, r/c unit, batteries, etc.) and raw materials from which to build their machines, and a detailed set of game rules. The machines they build cannot weigh more than 24 pounds, must fit within a 24-inch cube, and must be built only from the raw materials supplied to them by the local hub.

Matches - In the robotics competition, four teams compete against each other in a series of 3-minute, round robin matches in a preliminary round. Each team gets to compete in a minimum of five matches. In a match, the robots "race" to determine which robot scores the most points performing certain tasks. The top scoring teams at the end of the preliminary round advance to a championship round.

BEST Vision

To excite our nation's students about engineering, science and technology to unlock their imagination and discover their potential

BEST Mission

To inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science, technology, and math through participation in a sports-like science- and engineering-based robotics competition

BEST is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization whose mission is to inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science, and technology through participation in a sports-like, science and engineering-based robotics competition.

BEST Facts

BEST Robotics Inc. (BRI) is a non-profit, volunteer organization based in Dallas, TX. Started in 1993 with 14 competing schools and 221 students, today BEST has over 700 middle and high schools and over 10,000 students participating each fall.
There is no fee for schools to compete in BEST.
BEST features two parallel competitions:

A robotics game, which is based upon an annual theme with four teams competing at once in a series of three-minute, round-robin matches.
The BEST Award, which is presented to the team that best embodies the concept of Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology. Elements include a project summary notebook, oral presentation, table display, and spirit and sportsmanship.

· Each school is provided kits of equipment and parts, a set of game rules, and given six weeks to design, build, and test a small Radio/Controlled (R/C) robot that outperforms other robots.

· Winning teams from local competition sites (called "hubs") advance to regional championship sites ("regionals").

· Engineers and other technical professionals from local industries serve as team mentors who advise and guide students through the design and construction of their machines.

Story Line & Point Scoring for the BEST 2008 Robotics Competition "Just Plane Crazy"

Automation through the use of robots has been a manufacturing hallmark of the automotive industry for more than two decades. How can these techniques be applied to the aircraft industry to accelerate the assembly process and make it more efficient? Traditional assembly methods have historically required thousands of manual operations by skilled mechanics.

The experts at BEST Robotics Incorporated (BRI) have proposed that robots be used to solve this problem. Experts within the aircraft industry who have relied upon traditional methods believe this idea is "Just Plane Crazy" and have declined to pursue it.

BRI has decided to form its own company, BEST Aircraft, which will focus upon the BEST way to assemble an aircraft using robots that integrate BRAIN (BEST Robotics Advanced Instruction Node) control. Its four Divisions (Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow) will design and build robots that compete against each other to derive the most efficient manufacturing process. Each Division will have its own subassembly Warehouse and Assembly Area. The Divisions will share a common Delivery Center where assembled aircraft are flight-tested.

Point Scoring

Robot Tasks

Activate the tie-breaker/ Warehouse light switch
Remove Foreign Object Debris (FOD) and place in the Waste Disposal Area
Move aircraft subassemblies from the Warehouse to the Assembly Area
Completely assemble aircraft subassemblies
Place the completed aircraft in the Delivery Center
Place the completed aircraft at one of the three Flight Levels
Close the Warehouse doors when access is no longer needed
Turn off the Warehouse lights by deactivating the tie-breaker switch

Team wins 3 awards, finishes 3rd in state!

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:02:05 +0100

This past Saturday, Westminster's Tech Squad competed against 27 other schools in the Georgia BEST Robtics State Competition and finshed the day as one of only 3 teams to qualify for the SOUTH'S BEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP on Dec. 12-13 at Auburn University in Auburn, AL. South's BEST is one of three championships of BEST Robotics, Inc. that hosts 50 winning teams from competition sites in Illinois, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama each December. Over 3500 students, teachers, team mentors, parents, and other supporters wil attend the two-day event.

Westminster's Tech Squad worked with mentors from 5 area businesses during the past 42 days. The team's meetings took place both at Coach Woods' basement workshop and at the home of mentor Mr. David Lee, know to the team as GIZMO. Mr. Lee is the ower of Lee General Enterprises located in Watkinsville. GIZMO provided the workshop, needed tools, and instruction to the team members in the construction of the robot. Mr. Scott Walker of Walton EMC was also a mentor who helped the team with the robot's design and 3-D Computer Automated Drawings for the project. Mrs. Pat Mahoney of Travis Pruitt and Associates in Watkinsville also provided assistance to the team especially in the area of the Engineering Design Process. Mr. Billy Dudley of Wathkinsville's Industrial Mechanical Inc. advised the team on several aspects of the robot's mechanical engineering design. Mr. Alvin Colon of Full Spectrum Multimedia, LLC out of Atlanta traveled from Atlanta to Watkinsville to mentor the team in the computer programming of the robot's BRAIN (the central information unit that controls the motors and servers via a remote control devise), mechanical engineering, and constuction of the team's robot. Westminster's team was blessed to have the commitment of such a wonderful group of mentors for their first year team.

Westminster's Tech Squad earned a total of 3 awards at the championship this past weekend, along with finishing 3rd in the state and qualifying for the regional championship, Westminster's team was recognized with the "Best Rookie of the Year 2008" award as well the robot winning "The Most Elegant Robot of the Year 2008." Other accomplishments of the day include, finishing 2nd in the qualifying rounds, 2nd in the semi-final round, and 3rd in the final round. Westminster also earned the highest total points scored (500) in any match during the championship. These points coming in the final match of the competition.

About our team

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:59:45 +0100

Westminster Christian Academy's Robotic's team consist of 5 freshman students, Hannah Cole, Steven Hook, Jordan Russell, Steven Stowe, and Ausitn Woods and the team is coached by Mrs. Donna Rae Woods. The team, better known as the Westminster Technological Innovation Squad far exceeded anybody's expectations for a 1st year robotics team in this past weekend's Georgia BEST Robotics Championship, 'Just Plane Crazy' at Southern Polytecnic State University in Marietta, GA. Westminster's Tech Squad has been working for the past 42 days with Coach Woods and mentors from local area businesses to design and build a radio-controlled machine to accomplish defined tasks in a game-type format. Westminster's team along with other teams from Georgia received identical kits of equipment (motors, r/c unit, batteries, etc.) and raw materials from which to build their machines, and a detailed set of game rules. The robots each team buillt could not weigh more than 24 pounds, must fit within a 24-inch cube, and must be built only from the raw materials supplied to them by the local hub. The team was also required to write an Engineering Notebook consisting of detailed information about the team's process of the design and building of their robot along with a research paper relevant to the competition's theme. Westminster also entered the website competition, the team t-shirt design competition and the spirit and sportsmanship competition.