Robotics teams advance to states

LIHU‘E — The Robominations from Kalaheo Elementary School earned the District Championship for the First Lego League 2011 Food Factor Kaua‘i Tournament, Saturday, at Wilcox Elementary School.

Mia Ako of the Kaua‘i Economic Development Board said the District Champion is the team which accumulates the highest overall points following judging in categories of project, robot build and design and core values, more simply put as teamwork.

With the awarding of its District Champion, Kalaheo School earns one of three berths to advance to the state robotics competition Dec. 3 on O‘ahu.

Joining Kalaheo School in earning O‘ahu trip eligibility, the Robo-Builders of the King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School, earning top honors in the core values judging, and the Wall-E’s of Kapa‘a Middle School, whittled down to just three members and its teacher/coach, were announced by the panel of judges which come from all sectors of the community.

Alternates, which will take the place of one of the three schools should they decide not to advance to the state level, include the Hekebots from ‘Ele‘ele Elementary School and the A Team from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, judged highest in the project category.

Twelve teams from all parts of the island participated in the day-long judging and competition in the First Lego League Food Factor event.

During the Food Factor Challenge, students 9 through 14 years old explored the topic of food safety and examined the possible points of contamination on our food encounters. These could be exposure to insects and creatures to unsterile processing and transportation to unsanitary preparation and storage.

This information is used to find ways to prevent and combat these contaminants, the Challenge going further by taking the contaminants and challenges onto the robotic game board where teams battle each other to accumulate the most points in three 2.5-minute rounds.

Robomination lost little time asserting itself, finishing the opening round with 106 points, tying the Wall-E’s. But by the second round, Robomination improved its highest score to 109 while the Wall-E’s dropped, the Robomination ending the third round with another three-digit score.

Points are accumulated by programming the robot made from First Lego League kits to accomplish Food Factor tasks such as pollution reversal, corn harvest, fishing, pizza and ice cream, farm fresh produce, distant travel, cooking, storage temperature, pest removal, hand wash/viral, good bacteria and more.

During each team’s challenge on the gameboard, each team could have a team of two operators and having the option of “tagging out” to have another set of operators on the board with a different piece of robotic equipment.

The First Lego League introduces young people, ages 9 to 14, to the fun and excitement of science and technology while building self confidence, knowledge and life skills.

First Lego League teaches students to think like scientists and engineers and, alongside adult mentors, the student teams solve problems using engineering concepts, presentation techniques and robots.

In 1998, the First Lego League reached 2,000 children nationwide. Today, the program involves more than 25,000 children across the United States and more than 5,000 children from different countries in the world.

Ako said winners of the state competition Dec. 3 will have an opportunity to advance to the national competition.

Saturday’s event was made possible through the support of the KEDB, the County of Kaua‘i, First Lego League, Friends of Hawai‘i Robotics, the University of Hawai‘i College of Engineering, Robotics Organizing Committee and Wilcox Elementary School.

Visit www.hawaiifll.org for more information.

• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.