Chaffee High School students work to complete robots for First Tech Competition Challenge

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The target, a piece of wood with a large hole, was made by students. The robots, programmed to pick up and shoot wiffle balls, were also made by students.

A roomful of Chaffee High School students gather in Jaron McMurry's shop classroom twice a week to iron out the kinks in their hand-built robots. The students are part of Southeast Missouri's initial First Tech Challenge Competition at Southeast Missouri State University. The event will have 34 teams, including 21 from 14 schools throughout the region.

Students must build and program a robot to do required tasks, which will change every year. This year, the robot must collect and shoot wiffle balls, among other tasks.

"Each step opens up to a new headache of problems," said McMurry, the school's industrial arts and technology teacher.

Senior Amber Hawkins said building the robot is the easy part. The project becomes more difficult at the programming stage.

"It's our first year, so it's all trial and error," she said.

For the 13 other schools throughout the region, it will also be the first year. The WIRED Initiative of the Workforce Investment Board of Southeast Missouri provided $1,500 per team to buy a robotics kit. Schools big and small from as far north as Farmington High School and as far south as the Kennett Career and Technology Center stepped up to the challenge.

Chaffee High School formed three teams -- Semper Fidelis, N.B.I. (Nothin' But Initials) and Furious George -- the most from any school in the region. The group of about 30 is challenged to build three robots in advance of Saturday's competition.

"This is the scrap robot," McMurry said pointing to one of the three robots. "They're having to stretch what we have."

Each team is allowed to buy extra materials such as PVC pipe, sheet metal and Plexiglas to supplement the kit. The group is working collectively. Because limited extra funds are available, students made extra parts for the robots.

"I've been cutting all the metal and making all the parts we don't have," senior Darren Lee said.

Sophomore Mitchell Dirnberger said he took on the role of computer programmer and learned some new skills.

"I just came in here and started messing with it," he said.

The competition will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Southeast's Student Recreation Center.

The top two finishers will advance to the national competition in Atlanta.

abusch@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

517 W. Yoakum Ave. Chaffee, MO