Pupils to build robot rover
ARUNCORN school’s team of technologists of tomorrow are competing in a national contest to build and code a robot that can function on a surface to similar to that on the planet Mars.
The Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy (OBA) students kicked off their bid for glory by attending a launch event for the FIRST Tech Challenge – Rover Ruckus project at Cheadle Hulme High School in Manchester.
OBA’s team, which has called itself Landship Enterprise in a nod to the Star Trek series, will be competing against 99 other schools from across the country.
The 14 Year 9 students are tasked with building and coding a £2,000 robot that can move on its own as well as under driver control, and complete challenges on a playing field mimicking the surface of Mars.
They will be tasked with making their device able to manoeuvre balls and squares across the landscape, perform strategic movement around and to have with the capability to attach to a lander.
Landship Enterprise will attend a regional practice in January ahead of the national contest at the Big Bang Fair at the Birmingham NEC in March.
FIRST’s aim is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in a range of exciting projects.
In the 2019 FIRST Tech Challenge season, teams will explore science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) concepts through a challenging and spacethemed game.
Harriet Smith, OBA science teacher, said: “Our students really enjoyed their time with FIRST Tech Challenge and were amazed that they would be working with materials equipped to deal with the rough terrain of Mars.
“The team could not wait to get back to school to unload the kit and start building their robot.”
The team is also looking to recruit someone who works in science and industry to help them with building their robots and finetweaking their strategy.
Anyone who can help can call the school on 01928 711 643 or email h.smith@ob-ac.co.uk ●