Kaua’ibots at Logo Motion
Play–by–Play
Our first few moments on this trip defined out entire experience; we walked into the Ala Moana Hotel, where we traditionally stay, and were met by a sea of yellow shirts. In robotics season, a crowd of one color shirt means only one thing: friends!
And so we met the Aussies.
They became our steadfast friends and remain to this day a constant presence in the lives of a few of our students, mentors, and alumni. Throughout the tournament, the yellow Thunder Down Under and purple Thunderchickens made the sky rumble with our collective enthusiasm. Our robot, however…
Poor thing. It tried so hard, and got so far, but in the end, it all fell apart. We had an elevator mechanism, which was supposed to lift the logo parts up onto their spots, but it was too heavy and any time the robot turned, it would rip itself apart. This led to serious mechanical problems and, by the end of the tournament, our robot couldn’t do anything except deliver a payload at the end of the game.
This payload was a Minibot, designed by Cy Whitlock and his team. It used magnets and a tiny battery to climb a 2-inch steel pole and score massive amounts of points. Unfortunately, we only managed to deploy correctly once. But that time, the little bot did its job perfectly.
After the tournament we kept in contact with our new friends from the Southern hemisphere. We meet up each year in O’ahu, of course, but throughout the year we talk and share ideas.
Accomplishments
Team Spirit Award
