“There are an endless number of things to discover about robotics. A lot of it is just too fantastic for people to believe” (Daniel H. Wilson). Coggin Intermediate School (CIS) participated in the 2022 TCEA BUILD: WIDGETS challenge, sending a group of nine students to the San Angelo Stock Show Arena. Seven students participated in the Intermediate challenge and two participated in the Advanced challenge on Friday, February 18, 2022. Coggin robotics students earned a first-place championship at the competition.
To participate in the challenge, teams of two to four students build a robot using a LEGO SPIKE Prime, Robot Inventor, EV3, or VEX IQ kit. A team’s robot must perform a variety of specific tasks on the challenge field. The BUILD: WIDGETS robotics competition challenges teams to design a robot that gathers elements, builds widgets (groups of items like Legos, dice or checkers), and moves them to their target scoring locations. Matches consist of a 30-second autonomous period followed by a 90-second driver-controlled period. During the 30-second autonomous period, robots move on their own to accomplish predetermined tasks and earn points. At the end of the autonomous period, referees pause the match and assess points and penalties before starting the 90-second, driver-controlled period. During the driver-controlled period, teams remotely control their robot to accomplish tasks and earn points. At the end of the driver-controlled period, referees again assess points and calculate the total match score. Teams play three qualification matches with alliance partners. Team alliance partners for the qualification matches are randomly assigned on game day, prior to the start of the competition. Alliance partners work together to build as many widgets and earn as many points as possible during the matches.
“Students design, build, and program robots to investigate solutions and solve problems,” said Amber Shipman, one of the two teachers who coached the CIS team. “Students may have to scratch one idea and start another design until the robot performs tasks at hand with perfection. This process is ongoing even on competition days. Students work in teams to collaborate with others and share ideas to investigate, create, and test the best possible solutions.” Students and their teachers, Shipman, and Sherri Land, worked together since September to construct the robots and program them to perform certain tasks. Each robot kit contains a P-Brick, which is a five-inch rectangle computer, and Lego elements of connectors, motors, and sensors. As students begin navigating the various required tasks of the BUILD: WIDGETS challenge, they adapt the shape and abilities of their robot, learning coding language and exploring the boundaries of their problems with constant trouble-shooting and problem-solving.
The CIS fourth and fifth-grade students participated in the Intermediate group challenge and earned first place as champions of the competition. They understood the technicalities of the twenty-one-page game manual and programmed their robots to perform efficient but simple tasks. Evan Smith, one of the fifth-grade members, worked on the program coding issues. “We have to make the program run smoothly from each zone and get the Legos, without running into the walls,” said Smith.
Two sixth-grade team members participated in the Advanced group challenge, consisting of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students, many of whom had participated in challenges since third grade, and they had newer devices to utilize. While the CIS sixth-grade team didn’t come out on top at the competition, they saw firsthand the importance of quick problem-solving, teamwork, clear communication, and coolness under pressure.
Students from many area schools, such as Early Middle School, Cross Classical Academy, Goldthwaite, Mason, San Angelo, and more participated in the multipurpose challenge. “Robotics is definitely a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) activity all the way,” Shipman said. “Students benefit in so many other subjects as well. We get students thinking outside the box with a hands-on experience working in collaboration with fellow students of varying age groups to solve problems. I enjoy teaching the students about collaboration, failure, and success.” Most of the other area teams used new LEGO SPIKE Prime robot kits, combined with iPads or iPhones to remotely command their robot; Brownwood students used older EV3 models and laptops, which have been donated through past charitable help such as Kohler and the Brownwood Education Foundation.
The hardware and capabilities evolve as the students themselves learn and grow. “Technology only continues to move forward, and I love to be a part of our students learning about the advancements,” Shipman said. “Next year, I hope to see a stronger program than we had this year. I want to start the audition process sooner, so that the teams advancing have more time to work together to finalize their designs. I would love to get our third graders involved as well. We will need all new robots for next year because the ones we used this year are outdated.”
“If we can get more students interested in and involved in robotics at a younger age, more students are likely to become interested in joining an elective featuring robotics in junior high or high school,” Shipman said. “And later, as students graduate and start looking at careers for adulthood, perhaps this would open up more job possibilities in their future. I can’t wait to see what next year holds!”
CIS Robotics Team Roster:
Team Wallee – Roman Delgado (5th grade) and Kinsler Doremus (4th grade)
Team Lions – Rylan Martin, Jaxon Mouser, & Evan Smith (5th grade)
Team Wolves – Rylan Lopez & Diego Villanueva (4th grade)
Team Girls Rule – Lily Martinez & Madeleine Musgrove (6th grade)
