Students test their robotics skills
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
Eighty-seven students put their technical skills to the test yesterday during the Central and Honolulu District's Middle School Robotics Tournament.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
The competition at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Campus Center involved students from seven Central District middle schools and five Honolulu District middle schools.
Shane Um of Mililani examines his team's robot, with teammates Shaun Pearce, Nicolas Hamamoto and Megan Watanabe observing.
Studying robotics helps students in more than just math and science, said Central District education specialist Kathy Kawaguchi, who helped organize yesterday's event. "You also focus on your English skills to write up reports, art talents to draw up the concept, and, of course, teamwork skills to put together the project."
In the first competition teams of four students each assembled Fischertechnik robotic kits to make the robots operate as elevators.
For the second competition, students had to maneuver their robot through a 4-by-3-foot maze.
Ensuring that no one got a headstart, all of the student teams learned their goals that morning.
'Aiea Intermediate seventh-grader Alan Evans said building the robots, which resemble expensive Lego sets with electronics parts, is actually the easier feat.
"Programming the thing to move and perform functions — that takes a little more work," Evans said.
William P. Jarrett Middle School won the elevator robot competition, while Moanalua Middle School was tops in the robot maze competition.
