FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ROBOT "ODYSSEY" SHIPPED TO PORTLAND FOR COMPETITION
February 23, 2010
Tahoma Robotics Club, team 2046 in the FIRST Robotics Competition, today shipped its newest robot, "Odyssey", to Portland, Oregon for the Autodesk Oregon Regional Event, a competition to be held the weekend of March 5 and March 6, 2010.
The team, which goes by the name Bear Metal, has been working on the conception, design, construction and testing of its robot since the FIRST Robotics Competition challenge was issued six weeks ago. Each year, the FIRST Robotics Competition presents teams around the world with a new challenge in the form of a game -- each team must build a robot which can play the game. This year the game is called "Breakaway" and requires the robot to control and propel soccer balls around the arena.
Robots will need to overcome obstacles to move about the arena. Foot-high "bumps" obstruct passage from one end of the arena to the other, and a robot must be able to climb over the obstruction, or it must be able to fit through an 18-inch high tunnel provided as an alternative passage. Robots will attempt to score points by propelling soccer balls into goals located at each corner of the arena.
"Odyssey", the robot designed and built by Tahoma Robotics Club, uses design concepts pioneered by the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. As the Mars rovers must be able to travel over boulders and uneven terrain, so the "bump" in this year's challenge presents a similar obstacle. In testing, "Odyssey" was able to "flow" over a "bump" with ease while traveling at full speed.
Teams from around the Pacific Northwest and beyond will meet in Portland the first weekend in March to compete. The winning teams will advance to the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship to be held in Atlanta, Georgia in April.
Tahoma Robotics Club, team Bear Metal, is located in Maple Valley, Washington, and is made up of students from both the Senior and Junior High School of Tahoma School District #409. The team participates each year in the FIRST Robotics Competition, and has frequently received recognition for its innovative concepts and robot designs. FIRST is an acronym of "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology". The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
# # #
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact the Tahoma Robotics Club Secretary of Communication: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it