Marathon’s own Ruckus Robotics team has once again dominated the combat robot arena. On Nov. 9, the team hauled four custom-built robots to the open-weight combat robot competition held at the Maker Faire in Orlando.
The event featured a diverse array of robotic warriors, ranging from nimble 150-gram contenders to colossal 250-pound behemoths. A team of eight middle- and elementary-school students journeyed to this high-stakes event, where nearly 200 robots battled fiercely over two days.
“The kids have been working really hard, and they were really thrilled to participate against such strong competitors,” said Ruckus coach Sean Snowden. “Being that this was the largest combat robotics event in Florida, they were beyond excited to compete.”
The field of competitors, ranging from precocious young minds to seasoned NASA engineers, showcased the ingenuity and passion behind these remarkable machines. College engineering teams frequently descend upon the event, armed with a fleet of cutting-edge robots.
The gatherings offer an extraordinary opportunity for aspiring engineers to connect with industry experts and learn from their invaluable experience. Despite the competitive nature of the event, participants exude a spirit of camaraderie and eagerly share their knowledge with the next generation of innovators.
“Every bot on our team came home with a win, and two of the four bots made it to the finals,” said Snowden. “For many of our team, this was their first time attending a combat robotics event and they can’t wait to go to another one. Many of the kids were inspired by what they saw and are already planning the next bot they want to design and build.”
The Ruckus team is tackling two additional competitions: the First Tech Challenge and the First Lego League. In the First Tech Challenge, the team constructed a custom 18-inch cube-shaped bot, capable of executing both autonomous and driver-controlled tasks. A select group of team members ventured to a practice scrimmage, where despite being the youngest and smallest team, they outscored nearly every other competitor. The scrimmage, filled with some 35 high school teams from the Miami-Dade area, included past national contenders.
The Ruckus Robotics team distinguished itself by being one of the few teams able to manipulate a robot arm to pick up the “sample” and suspend it in the designated target area using remote control. To achieve this feat, the bot required precise piloting and the application of just the right amount of force to securely grasp the sample and deliver it to the target. This ability allowed the young team to seize the lead in every match within mere seconds, Snowden said.
The dedicated Lego League crew is coding their bot to conquer an array of challenges, eagerly anticipating their first practice event in mid-December. In stark contrast to the Tech Challenge, the Lego bot must operate with no human intervention. The team must meticulously code every movement, empowering the bot to independently complete the challenges. A range of tasks necessitates creative problem-solving and precise adjustments to ensure accurate performance, and even finding new methods of ensuring precision in basic tasks – like coding the bot to use an internal gyroscope for accurate turns – can mean significant breakthroughs.
“It’s pretty interesting to watch the kids program the bot and then have it perform with no human interaction,” said Snowden. “They’re making huge strides and we are super proud of them.
“The best part of this (is) all these kids are getting together and having fun while learning about physics, engineering and computer coding. When learning is this much fun, they don’t even realize they are learning such advanced concepts.”
More information on the team and sponsorship opportunities to keep the program free for its participants is at www.ruckusrobotics.com. Those interested in participating on the team can email ruckusroboticsllc@gmail.com.
