ROBOT wizardry
All-girl robotics team to compete in Lego League contest today
Decked out in purple wizard capes and hats, five girls watched intently as their Lego robot, “Ron Wheelsley,” rolled down the track.
Ron stopped, lowered a long attachment and smoothly scooped up a Lego man and dog. Mission accomplished. “We are feeling confident,” said Hannah Aranda, 12, as the robot rolled on to its next task.
Today, the all-girls robotics team — dubbed the Fabulous Friends Enrichment Club Programming Wizards — will put Ron to the test during the First Lego League contest in Los Alamos.
They’ll have 2½ minutes to complete as many missions as possible by programming the robot to pick up and place various Lego pieces.
Fifteen teams are signed up; five will advance to the state contest at Menaul School in February.
Coaches Thao Guillermo and Malissia Aranda think the girls could make it all the way.
“We have been consistent on the missions,” Thao said.
Fabulous Friends has experience; the team began competing in 2014, winning the second-place champion award at state last year.
The girls — who range in age
from 11 to 14 and are mostly home-schooled — have been dedicated, meeting for about seven hours each week since August. Kadra Guillermo, 13, estimated that she spent about 40 hours on the programming alone.
It’s been a trial-and-error process: In the early months, the team tried out two other robots designs, Harry and Hermione, before settling on Ron.
The J.K. Rowling fans chose names from the Harry Potter series to tie in with their wizard theme.
Ron seems to be a winner, said Anne House, 14.
“It’s fun when we have a big accomplishment,” she added.
House is considering becoming a chemical engineer, like her elder sister, and encouraged other girls to delve into science and technology.
Aranda agreed that you can like “robots and ponies.”
The team spread that message at a recent Girl Scout Jamboree, where they talked about the fun of programming.
“They might be a little hesitant, but I think they would really enjoy this,” Aranda said.