BARRHEAD - Sometimes, you must be prepared to push people around if you want to finish on top.
At least, that is the case if you are a Grade 7 Barrhead Composite High School robotics student competing in the program's Lego Robot War sumo wrestling competition.
On Jan. 16, over a dozen BCHS robotics students competed in the competition. Seth Hammer and his creation ended up on top, going undefeated in 12 round-robin matchups and one grudge match, where competitors hand-picked their opponent.
Like the human version, the objective of Lego robot sumo wrestling is to force the opponent outside the ring. However, unlike human Lego sumo wrestling, the ring is square, not round, and competitors can attempt to disable their opponents.
The competition was the course's grand finale wrap-up.
BCHS Com-tech, photography and math teacher Bruce Tyrrell said the robotics students learned to build Lego robots and program them to complete various tasks.
He said the key to having the robots perform the tasks is using the appropriate sensors, which allow the machines to recognize distance, colours, et cetera.
"They then can program their robots to use the information that they gather from these various sensors and have them make decisions," he said. "We've had robot drag races, have them navigate through mazes, throw balls, but the sumo competition is our big finale and the one the students looked forward to the most.
Students had five classes to design and build their sumo wrestling robots. About halfway through the competition, there was a short intermission during which they could attempt to improve their robots to overcome any shortcomings they discovered in the opening rounds or make repairs. Competitors also had the opportunity to make quick repairs between matches.
Unfortunately, Tyrrell noted that due to the ice rain, not all the buses were operating, and not all the robotics students were able to test their creations.
What happened to the students' creations? Regrettably, the machines, regardless of their record, were dismantled so that next semester's students could use their parts for their creations.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
