Technology Tug of War
by Heidi Rethmeier
November 30, 2009
The Exploring with Technology class has been working with the LEGO Mindstorm robots and programming kits all semester. Two weeks ago they were tasked to design, build, and program their own robot to compete in a Tug of War competition. At first, many were overwhelmed with the task but with some encouragement and trial and error, each group succeeded in building a functioning robot. There were several requirements placed on the design such as the number of motors used and the triggering mechanism. This taught students that constraints and requirements are all a part of the design process. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was the big competition with a double-elimination tournament. Congratulations to the winning team of Travis Grosserode and Logan Niewohner. The students enjoyed pitting their designs against each other, sharing lessons learned, and are ready for their next challenge!
