The UCHS library was utilized for more than books and reading on Saturday, Jan. 20 when it was transformed into a competition ring for bots and robotics.
Mr. Whyte, teacher at UCHS, has expanded the UCHS robotics program in its third year to include a junior division. The junior division was created so that interested students could develop their love of robotics and develop their skills a little earlier to advance into the senior division that competes across the province.
Thanks to some generous community sponsors, the program was able to purchase some equipment, build a competition ring as well as other necessary materials for progression of the robotics program.
Junior students on Jan. 20 competed in teams with their creation in a number of showcases earning points for the capability and functionality of their robots, followed by a skills competition. Senior robotics students performed the judging and timing of the event.
While the audience was small it didn’t diminish the energy and enthusiasm of participants who were anxious to not only demonstrate their robot’s abilities, but their skills in operation of their creation.
Teams were awarded points on such things as picking off rings from a points pole, moving objects in the ring or even the ability to dump a giant load of colored rings for a jackpot of points.
Maneuverability and steadiness seemed to be the key partnership with the operator and robot.
An intriguing display of intellectual skills and operational skills of the robot creator, combined with the fascinating display of robotics in action made for an enjoyable morning of friendly competition at UCHS.
Next up for the UCHS robotics team is fine-tuning their robots and game plans for upcoming competitions in March and April.
