Life’s Flavors ~SSISD Robotics by Allison Libby-Thesing
Over the past three years the robotics program in the Sulphur Springs ISD has grown to serve over 350 students, between the Middle and High Schools. The High School classes have grown to about thirty students, with around twenty of those students competing on teams. The Middle School has well over 300 students with around 100 students, competing on 20 different teams. Each school is competing in a different challenge through the VEX robotics program which has competitions from Elementary School all the way through to the College level. Each game has different elements and the students must build a robot to maximize their number of points on the field.
The competition is not just made up of their time in the“ring”but also has a skills element, and an engineering notebook that is turned in and graded to help the teams make it to State events. Robotics has grown so much now that the students are able to compete as part of UIL, not just State and Worlds Vex competitions. UIL and Vex have their own guidelines for qualification to the State level and beyond. Thus far, the High School has one team that has qualified for State UIL, with one spot remaining for the first team to make it to the finals at a competition.
The High School program is competing in the Vex V5, named High Stakes, competition that is broken down as follows: a 15 second autonomous period, which is pre-programmed or coded into the robot. If you win and are successful at picking up a stake, and filling it with rings, the team is awarded with six points, and one additional point perring. During this time the robots must stay on their side of the field, which is demarcated by a line down the middle.After the autonomous period, the remaining portion is 1-minute, 45 seconds of game play. The object is to gather the most rings and place them on the stakes throughout the playing field. If the moveable stakes are filled and then placed in the“positive”corner of the field, each ring is double the number of points, with the top ring carrying the most points of six. Alliance teams can also work to remove your opponent’s points or placing them in the“negative”corner of the mator removing them from a stake.
Additional points can be earned by “climbing” the center structure. Each colored bar holds a different point value. The highest with the most and decreases down the structure. The teams can also gain more points by placing rings on the stakes that are connected to the playing field wall. It is important to work with your Alliance team during the match, to maximize points and work together to combat the other Alliance team. At all times there are four student-built robots on the field of play, working together to maximize points.
The Middle School program is competing in Vex IQ and their game is called RapidRelay. Two robots are on the playing field and work together to catapult as many balls into the goals or targets as possible in a 60 second time frame. They must start the game in a designated start area, with one ball preloaded. After they toss the first ball a point is only awarded after it passes by the sensor. A player then picks up the ball and moves to the reentry point for reload. In the last 15 seconds of the game, the balls can be reentered into the field of play from any starting zone. There are two drivers during the match, one drives for the first 30 seconds and the second drives for the last 30 seconds. The teams can earn more points by passing the ball from one robot to the other, and then having the ball enter the wall target for more points.
They also have a skills challenge to earn more points and show off their driving and coding skills. Their skills competition also has an autonomous component to earn more points. The autonomous portion of skills is a 60 second event that the students pre code to move the robot around the playing field.
All in all the STEM program in SSISD is growing, and more students are exploring the world of robotics. The program has community support and generates interest from more companies looking for students who have the experience that the robotics classroom gives these students. Robotics also helps to develop life skills of working in teams and developing problem solving capabilities, all while having a little fun. If you are looking to support the robotics program at SSISD or any of the county schools that participate, be sure to reach out to administration.
By Allison Libby-Thesing
