CNN

[Alex Dent]

Here is the article from CNN on the national robotics compittion

'Super Bowl of Smarts' brings on robot invasion

POSTED: 9:57 p.m. EDT, April 14, 2007

Story Highlights• More than 10,000 kids competing in the FIRST Championship

• Competitors from 23 countries have 6 weeks to perfect robots

• Inventor began the contest to boost math, science interest



By Marsha Walton

CNN

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ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- "Robot coming through. 'Scuse me, robot coming through."



It's
a loud, common call at the Georgia Dome this week. High school
students, volunteer parents and teachers ensure the coast is clear for
robot competitors to make their way to and from "the pits" and the
competition floor.



With nicknames such as "The Killer
Bees" or "Robotic Knights," and T-shirts with slogans "We Kick Bot,"
more than 10,000 kids as young as 9 are showing why the FIRST
Championship is known as "The Super Bowl of Smarts."



These
young people have six weeks to perfect their machines. And they have
the enthusiasm of any athletic competition. From tie-dyed shirts to
human hair dyed in school colors, competitors from 23 countries showed
that math, science and brains can provide a lot of excitement. (Watch
why building robots is only part of the experience )



The
students' creations are made with the same basic parts. Students must
construct robots that can complete simple, and sometimes goofy, tasks
-- such as shooting balls or stacking inner tubes.



Inventor
Dean Kamen, best known as creator of the Segway transporter, began the
competition in 1989 to rev up interest in math and science. "To sit
passively in a classroom is a 19th-century format," Kamen said.



Ryan Gula of Milton High School in Alpharetta, Georgia, was hooked on the challenge after his first robotics club meeting.



"It's
kind of like a puzzle that you have to put together, and you have to
work with each group, to make sure everything fits together. And
there's a lot of communication that way," said Gula, whose team made it
to the final rounds of the larger FIRST robots.



Milton
High adviser Suzy Crowe, a self-described geek and math teacher, said,
"I don't think a lot of people think of science and technology as
creative. There's nothing more creative."



Whether it is
computer programming, wiring a motor or scouting rivals to develop
strategy, students said the skills they develop often go beyond the
contest. Clearly, the event has piqued the interest of major sponsors
such as NASA, which will broadcast webcasts of the competitions.



"People
look at robotics and think, yeah, it's just a big technology thing, and
if you don't go into engineering, you're never going to use the stuff.
Before I joined the club, I didn't know how to use a power drill,"
Milton senior Bryce Taylor said.



"It's just a simple
skill that it's nice to know how to do it. I've learned a lot of stuff
like that, that is going to stick with me for the rest of my life even
if I don't go into something like engineering."



In its
18 years, FIRST has aimed at getting young women interested in
technology careers. For Milton freshman Erin McPherson, it's working.



"When
I came into eighth grade, I was more language-arts focused, and I
thought that was what I wanted to do. I really didn't think I was very
good at math or science, and then I started doing this, and pretty much
my focus has shifted entirely," she said.



Now, she said, "I want to go to Georgia Tech and probably major in computer science or something like that."



Milton sophomore Stephanie Kosturik has concentrated on checking out the competition during the preliminary battles.



"We
sit in stands and take notes about all the groups, about whether they
are offensive or defensive, what their strengths and weaknesses are,"
she said. "So if we get to a final in our competition and we can choose
an alliance, we know who to choose that will work with us so we can
win."



Robotics team members from Atlanta's Carver School
of Technology set up a square playing field with goals at each corner.
Their smaller Vex robot will earn points by scooping up softballs and
shooting them into goals.



In his first year with the
robotics club, Thomas Hayes is captain of the "Hypnobots" team. A few
days before the finals, he and other team members were doing some final
tweaking.



"I want to be an engineer or a game designer,
so this year I found out they were starting a robotics team," he said.
"I was very excited. This is a very good opportunity for me to get
'hands on' and also see my creations at work."



It's the first year of coaching for Carver math teacher Regene Logan and biology teacher Kelsey Holec.



"They
convinced me with their smiles and their stories from last year and
just their dedication and their excitement about robotics," Holec said.



Figuring out glitches has led to some long person of african-american descent and a real passion to build a better bot.



"They
are taking engineering to a new level, " Logan said. "If they see
something wrong, they take the initiative. They don't wait for someone
to tell them to do something different."



Hayes said that not finishing first at one tournament turned out to be one of the best things that happened to the team.



"Our
previous tournament, we came in second place. If we had won first, we
would have sat down and said, 'Oh, our robot kicks butt, there's
nothing else for us to do.' So second place made us sit down and
realize what really was wrong and how to make a better robot," he said.



One
of "Hypnobots" drivers, team member Akanimo Effang, said he's looking
forward to meeting competitors from around the world as much as the
competition itself



"Even though we feel that our robot
is very efficient when scoring, and very maneuverable, our opponents
are from around the world," Effang said. "We don't know what to expect."