School robotics team invited to Robofest 2014
The Dragons' robot was designed, programmed and built to test and report human reaction times.
A robotics team from Helpmekaar College called the SAP Dragons were invited to attend the annual World Robofest taking place in Michigan in the USA.
Wynand Wehmeyer, who lives in Noordheuwel, also forms part of this exciting team. The Robofest takes place from 12 to 17 May and the team was invited to participate after winning the South African senior division Robofest (Grades 9 to 12) hosted by North-West University’s Vaal Campus on Saturday 15 March.
Top US and international teams annually compete in this autonomous (no remote controls) robotics competition, where the challenge is to design, build and program robots using any type of material. The SAP Dragons has designed an interactive robot, which measures human reflexes and specifically reaction times.
They are coached by Pieter Pretorius, from Trophy Computers & Robotics and recently progressed from First Lego League (FLL), where teams learn robotics basics and core values, competing in team-based activities. The aim of FLL is to teach children (from as young as five years old) engineering principles, problem-solving skills and design/planning, as well as core values (teamwork, leadership, etc).
The coach Pieter and Zelda Pretorius, in a quest to always keep up with international developments and optimise the kids’ training, decided to introduce Robofest to South Africa, to broaden their horisons so to speak, as there is no age-limit to participation and college students can also compete.
They can build any robot, using any type of material (not just Lego), with any aim, as long as it is not remote controlled (in other words, it must be programmed) and human/robot/computer interaction is encouraged (some kids build robopets, vacuumrobots, post sorting bots, etc).
The Dragons’ robot was designed, programmed and built to test and report human reaction times.
When asked how they felt about winning, team member Leander Jacobs said, “It is always great to receive recognition for our efforts, but for us it is all about the challenge – to use our imagination and skills to come up with a great ‘impossible’ idea and then work hard to make it a reality. We decided the evening before the competition also to take part in the robot parade and worked through the night to build and dress up another little robot. It was such fun!”
They challenge engineering students to join the fun and compete in the next Robofest.
For further info contact Pieter or Zelda Pretorius on 082 851 8892 or 082 479 2714, or visit their website at www.trophyrobotics.net.
