Warden roboteers advance to state competition

WARDEN - Eighth-graders from Warden Middle School will be among the teams when the robots of the First Lego League take to the table in state competition Feb. 15.

The eighth-grade team was among five in the region to advance to state. "We were in the top five, but we say we're in fourth because we were the fourth one called up," Jandica Backell said, a member of Ductape Overload.

This is the third year in competition for Ductape Overload, and the second year the team advanced to state. To be honest, the team wasn't sure they'd make it this year - they're all taking a freshman math class, and eighth-graders have more demands on their time. "Hectic," Cara Cox said, the project manager.

Competition is split into two parts. "There's a robot part and a presentation part," Juan Martinez said, the team leader. Competition starts with a problem posed by state organizers. "They give us a topic and you have to come up with a solution," Martinez said. For 2013-14 the kids were asked to come up with ways to cope with natural disasters.

The team's first proposal was a floating car designed to handle a flooding situation, Ericka Castillo said, but there aren't many floods in Warden. (Teams are required to come up with a solution for something that could happen in their community.)

The wind does blow in Warden, however, as proved by a big storm last September, it's dusty too, and mix wind and dust there's the potential for a big dust storm. Dust storms make for dangerous driving. The team's answer was EDSSM.

And what's that? "Extreme dust storm scanning machine," Cara said.

It's a car, but a fully loaded car. "It's going to have radar and a bunch of other stuff," Jandica Backell said. It would have sensors, infrared, and everything a driver trying to navigate in poor visibility would need to see "oncoming traffic, road signs, whatever you need to see," Jandica said.

"We do a skit in front of the judges presenting our idea," Jandica said. That's most of the presentation part. Each team also is given a challenge and a time limit, and must work together to work it out. The idea is to promote teamwork, which is one of the organization's "core values."

The assignment was to build a survival kit, and while Ductape Overload had to go into overtime to finish, they worked it out together. "That's probably the reason we went to state, was our teamwork," Cara said. "And - something else. Professionalism?"

"Cooperation," Abigail Thyssen said.

The robot part starts with another list, a set of tasks the robot can be programmed to perform. All competition takes place on a table festooned with obstacles, and the obstacles also must be taken into account.

The tasks are tied to the theme; some of them are more difficult than others - and thus worth more points. The robot has two and a half minutes to complete as many of the tasks as possible, DaNiel Jolley said. Or maybe the robot will do fewer but more difficult tasks. It's up to the team.

Programming isn't that tough. "Not really, since we've done it so many times," Ericka said. But it isn't that easy either. "It (satisfactory programming) can take a lot of days, can take one week, two weeks, three weeks, and sometimes it takes a day," Kevin Garcia said.

Programming depends on the robot's mission, the tasks the roboteers choose. "There are a lot of variables that take place," Abigail said. But it's not just that - the robot is very sensitive to change, whether it's lighting, a different competition table, even the table moved a few inches.

Every competition, "there's a difference from (previous competitions). It's the same, but yet not," DaNiel said.

"It's fun to watch, every time," Jandica said.

"It's different every time," Abigail said.

"That too," said Jandica.

State competition will be at Chief Moses Middle School and is open to all interested spectators.