Higher and Higher

Students at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, Virginia constructed a robot as part of a competition they entered for their robotics club at school.  Atomic Dog, as the students have named it, was built to perform tasks–mainly lifting other robots.  However, Atomic dog was able to life one of the team members more than a foot in the air!

The club required $6,000 to get off the ground and funding was provided by the Beazley Foundation in Portsmouth.

The students hope that Atomic Dog’s feats will help get other students interested and help the club to grow.

 

New Record

The Cornell Ranger has set an unofficial world record.  It has walked for just over 5 and a half miles.  It made 45 laps around the Barton Hall track at Cornell University.  The Ranger’s creators wanted to demonstrate the robot’s efficiency.  Instead of using traditional motors to power its movement, the Ranger relies on the force of gravity when swinging its legs out–more like a human.  A pair of outside and a pair of inside legs swing alternatively resulting in a walking movement.  Its legs are unjointed, but the feet can be tipped up and down with the help of an ordinary hobbyist’s remote control.

 

RoboCup German Open

In the US, soccer is already flying below the radar–so a soccer competition for robots is bound to turn some heads.

Over 80 teams are expected to compete from April 21-25 at the Hannover Messe.

And if you thought soccer training for people was intense, you have no idea what it takes for a robot to compete.  A complex series of sensors, camera and processors are required in order for the robot to recognize the ball, sidelines and other ‘players’.

The leagues are split into classes which include robots on wheels, four-legged competitors and humanoids.

 

Long Island Hosts Robotics Contest

This story hits close to home–literally.

Back on the homefront of Long Island 46 teams of students (40 of which were from the island) competed for top spots in robotics engineering at Hofstra University for the first Regional Robotics Competition.

The students were challenged to manipulate the robots to move plastic balls in order to earn points.  Patchogue-Medford High School recieved top prize with Sayville High School also earning the chance to compete at the next level in Atlanta.  The prize?  Over 9 million dollars in scholarship money is being awarded to contestants.