Edgar is a show-off.
He flips a large exercise ball into the air with a thumping, quick-action lever.
But the roving robot – a compact collection of digitized metal, plastic and wires – would be nothing without his human creators – the Edgar Allan Ohms Robotics Team.
The little guy- all 15 pounds or so – couldn’t even whir and zip across the floor without a human programming a computer and toggling a joystick.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
The human operators are impressed at what robots can do at their commands.
“They can do whatever you want them to,” said 15-year-old Logan Boudreau. “The way each component works with other components to complete a task is fascinating.”
Boudreau is among about 25 members of Edgar Allan Ohms, a nearly two-year-old robotics team that is sponsored by the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library.
The library’s sponsorship is unique and possibly the only one of its kind in the nation, the robotics team’s website says. So far no one has found a similar team at any state or regional competitions where most teams are based at area middle and high schools.
Library officials are taking another step forward in their commitment to robotics by creating FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League teams for youngsters who could be the next generation of engineers for the robotics team.
With help from NASA grants, the goal is to have seven teams that can compete in FIRST Lego League competitions.
Grants from NASA and the county, each for $5,000, helped seed the Edgar Allan Ohms team in 2014. Business sponsorships and about $3,000 from fundraising also paid initial costs.
“The one thing you know is there are a lot of very nice people in the community,” said Joel Croteau, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and lead mentor for the robotics team.
Library officials kicked off the Lego efforts last month at area libraries.
“We’re trying to get a feel for how we can get this to work for us and for them,” said Alicia Haney, youth services librarian at the Land O’ Lakes branch. “We want kids to have an opportunity to get interested.”
The Danish-invented brand – Lego – is a titan among children’s games, almost a rite of passage for youngsters who love piecing together its interlocking building blocks.
Their creations can be as basic as a house or as complex as a movie-themed action figure.
Lego’s “Mindstorms” game takes imagination to the next level with creations that are programmable and mobile.
Haney said children learn the importance of precision, math and step-by-step logic.
“It’s the first step before you get to the robotics team,” she said. “It’s an eye-opening thing. They find out: This is how my game works. We’re also trying to keep it fun,” Haney said.
Lego fun piqued the interest of many on the robotics team. Miller Bacon, 15, and Boudreau remember Lego games from seventh grade.
“We’ve all had an interest in robots somewhat since we were little,” Bacon said.
Phoebe Mitchell, 15, didn’t have robotics on her radar when she went to a library-sponsored Rockus Maximus battle of the bands. But a robot got her attention. “I was allowed to drive it a couple of minutes,” she said. “I decided to try it. It’s fun.”
In 2014, the rookie team placed 43rd among 62 competitors at the FIRST Robotics Competition Orlando Regional. The theme was “Aerial Assist.” The Pasco County Commission honored the team with a resolution.
FIRST was founded by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway.
The Edgar Allan Ohms team built a second, larger robot, dubbed 2chainz, for the 2015 competition with the theme of “Recycle Rush.”
Team robots picked up and stacked recyclable containers and totes to earn points for accomplished tasks. The Land O’ Lakes team landed in 45th spot against 66 regional and international competitors including teams from Florida, Georgia, Germany and Turkey.
“That was a good showing for a second-year team in a very competitive event,” said Croteau.
Team members attend Land O’ Lakes, Sunlake and Wiregrass Ranch high schools. Some members are home-schooled.
In April, the Land O’ Lakes library set up the county’s first “makerspace” in a former computer lab, providing 3-D printers, an auto-CAD (computer-assisted design) computer and 3-D virtual reality gaming glasses.
The robotics team is in keeping with the goal of encouraging technology and creative arts.
With the regional FIRST challenges under its belt, the team isn’t idle. After school, they tinker with Edgar and 2chainz to make them better.
Other competitions, including clashes between “battle bots,” are on the horizon. These robots are smaller, speedier and designed to flip and disable competitors.
“The thing about battle bots is to build the most destructive robot within the guidelines,” said Boudreau. “That’s the hope. The more destructive the better.”
On a recent afternoon the robotics team and the Land O’ Lakes Lego club shared space to work on their own projects.
Edgar got a brief work out, tossing the giant ball.
Lego club members took turns programming a “Mindstorms” Lego robot they had built from scratch.
“The program is real simple and easy,” said Sean McGarvey, library administrator. “If you have any experience on a computer, you can start right away. You can get really intricate.”
Dylan Pease, 11, sat at the computer tapping in instructions for the robot that would be “a little, little more complicated.”
His brother Matthew Pease is on the robotics team, and that is Dylan’s goal when he gets to the ninth grade.
Their mother Audrey Pease supports her sons’ passion for robotics.
“I hope they learn a bit about program management, time management, team work and gain leadership skills,” she said. “I watch and support, but I don’t mess with it.”
The focus was on getting the Lego robot to either pick up and stack an object, or roam across a game board in search of a brown dot.
“It’s kind of complicated, and I like it,” said 10-year-old Regan Kubus who is home-schooled with her 11-year-old brother Bryce Kubus. “Sometimes you get to build them, and that’s really cool.”
Bryce Kubus busied himself drawing a banner for the team and waiting a turn at driving the robot. “I like putting it together,” he said.
Team member Corey Drexler, 11, said he really liked programming the robots. “Basically it’s controlling the robot, like mind control.”
McGarvey said robotics is one more way libraries are expanding their knowledge base and keeping children interested in learning.
The library helps kids develop talents they didn’t know they had, McGarvey said.
“It’s a very good program. Kids learn a lot,” he said.
Published May 6, 2015
