Medical Lake robotics gear up for 'Steamworks' competition

For this year's FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) season, the Medical Lake High School Circuit Breakers are channeling their inner adventurers.

This season's FIRST competition is Steamworks, a reference to the era when society relied on steam power technology. The team's first event will be March 4 at West Valley High School.

The competition's objective is for alliances of three teams to launch an airship. Alliances accomplish this by collecting plastic fuel elements (balls) and tossing them into the low or high goals of man-made boilers to build steam pressure.

Alliances can also score points by transporting gears to a lift at the base of an air tower. Two alliance members, taking on the role of "pilots," haul the gears up and install them on the gauge below one of the four rotors.

At the end of the match, teams lower ropes to bring their robots onto the airship. The alliance with the most points wins. Alliances can load up to 10 fuel elements and one gear on each robot before the match starts.

Club president Micah Jones said this year's team has four full-time mentors and "an influx of rookies."

"The majority of team members have stayed with us," he said. "We've been focusing on building a sustainable team on all sides - design, programming and business."

One of the Circuit Breakers operators, Mikal Deiatrick, explained that the team will focus more on delivering gears to the airship during the match as it is worth more points. Alliances receive 60 points for every rotating gear they deliver during the 15-second autonomous period, and 40 during the 2 minute, 15 second tele-operated period.

"We do have a ball mechanism (to deliver fuel) that's still in the design phase," he said. "Right now the gears are our main focus."

The robot's design includes a compartment that holds the gear as it's transported to the airship.

When it came to building the robot for this year's competition, Deiatrick said the team focused more on the process and looked at "what worked and what did not work" instead of just "building it and calling it good."

Programmer Lauren Saue-Fletcher said the team used Vision Processing software to program the robot. During the tele-operated portion of the match, there are two drivers, one using a joystick to maneuver the robot on the field. The other driver uses an XBox game controller to operate the robot's gear mechanisms and winch.

From a business standpoint, Jones said the team has focused on acquiring sponsorships from local organizations and businesses, including Caterpillar, to help cover event costs.

The team has also held fundraising events, one being the Nov. 19 mystery dinner theater, and a summer science camp for middle school students.

The team has submitted applications for several awards, including Chairman's Award, which according to FIRST's website, honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of the organization.

The Circuit Breakers are no strangers to FIRST awards. During the March 5, 2016 Stronghold competition, the team received the Excellence in Engineering award, which is given out to groups with an "elegant and advantageous machine feature" on their robot.

"I'm excited to be in the competition, it's a great atmosphere to be in," Jones added. "I'm also excited for the rookies to see what a FIRST competition is like."

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.