NHTI will host the last of three New England “super-regional” qualifiers for the National and World VEX Robotics Competitions March 9. Like the previous two rounds, held in Worcester, Mass., in January and Manchester, Conn., in February, the NHTI event will feature roughly 100 teams representing about 75 high schools and middle schools from throughout the region. For these schools, it is the final opportunity to qualify for the national and world competitions.
“VEX robots are relatively small,” says Bob Arredondo, head of NHTI’s Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Departments, “approximately 18-by-18-by-18 inches. There are standard items in the VEX kit, kind of like ‘erector set’ metal parts which can be easily used over and over again in new and different configurations. The robot contains a micro-controller which can be programmed for various functions. It can be either run autonomously or by remote control, depending upon the program in the micro-controller. It is a nice, fairly inexpensive platform for students to learn mechanical assembly, electrical/electronics which includes motors and various sensors, and programming.”
The VEX contests consist of goals which the robots must seek to accomplish, in competition with one another, while adhering to complex strategic rules. In this year’s competition, the robots will play a game called “Sack Attack,” in which competing teams of robots score points by maneuvering sacks into various scoring positions on a playing field while simultaneously trying to block the opposing robots. The robots will operate under human guidance for part of time, but must also function autonomously
Concord-area schools currently registered for the competition include Pembroke Academy, Bow High School and Merrimack Valley High School.
