Part machine shop, part computer coding lab, part Weird Science set piece, the Innovation Laboratory tucked away in the upper school basement is a bustling and humming (literally) repository of tools and parts for seemingly any job imaginable - and many unimaginable. It’s no wonder that the upper school robotics team finds their home in this den of mechanically-minded mad scientists.
Senior captain Elijah Allen leads a team made up of a dozen or so students representing grades 9-12. I recently spent time with Elijah and some of the members of his crew as they underwent their final week of preparations before their culminating robotics competition. “Multitasking” doesn’t adequately describe the way Elijah was able to bounce between bringing me up to speed on all things robotics, troubleshooting a malfunctioning mechanical claw, brainstorming strategy with his team, disassembling said malfunctioning claw, walking me through the challenge course they built, explaining the intricacies of their design, and posing for a few photos.
All the while, quietly keeping watch from across the room, is innovation lab teacher, robotics aficionado, and engineering instructor extraordinaire, John Bullinger. Mr. Bullinger admits that one of the most challenging parts of serving as mentor to the robotics team is staying out of things. With a naturally curious mind and a penchant for tinkering, Mr. Bullinger has always had a knack for figuring out how things work and then making them work better.
Both Elijah and Mr. Bullinger were kind enough to sit down with me and chat about some of the processes, challenges, and intricacies of the robotics team as they prepare for their upcoming competition.
BUT FIRST... a little backstory on the competition and its organization. BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) Robotics celebrated its 30th birthday in 2022 and has served as a loud and proud advocate for STEAM since its inception.
From bestrobotics.org:
Take plywood and a box filled with items such as PVC pipe, screws and other hardware, an irrigation valve cover, piano wire, aluminum paint grid, a bicycle inner tube, a BRAIN (BEST Robotics Advanced Instruction Node programmable platform), and something called a micro-energy chain system and try, within six weeks, to design and build a functioning machine that can perform certain, specific tasks in three minutes. What do you get?
You get BEST, a middle and high school robotics competition whose mission is to engage and excite students about engineering, science, and technology as well as inspire them to pursue careers in these fields.
Each fall, over 850 middle and high schools and over 18,000 students participate in the competition nationwide. The design and theme of the competition are different each year and are intended to stimulate problem-solving efforts with real-world applications. This year’s theme is “Incision Decision” and is built around the idea that advances in technology and innovation will continue to improve the future of medical care, specifically in the area of minimally invasive surgeries. The SIMBODY training platform is the challenge course our robotics team will have to traverse this year. It is designed to simulate the internal human body and acts as a training ground for several robotic assisted surgeries. The brief:
How short an amount of time? The team has 8 weeks to learn the theme, design a robot, write and program code, build a test course, determine the tasks to attempt, practice, practice, practice, break the robot, fix it, practice some more, tweak the design, 3D print a wheel out of specialized compressible material to provide the perfect amount of tension for moving parts, and spend hours of time after school and on the weekends to get everything just right. Did I mention that on the competition day, teams have only 3 minutes to maneuver their creation through the course and achieve their goals? No problem, right? It’s not like it’s brain surgery.
Well, actually the SIMBODY course includes sections that represent the brain cavity, heart, coronary arteries, and lower extremity veins. The following “surgeries’’ are the tasks that the teams must design their robot to complete:
And don’t forget, the team has to complete their chosen task(s) in just 3 minutes while maneuvering their way through the course at the same time as competing teams.
Game play is as much a factor as anything in this competition. Elijah and his team had to determine which of the surgeries they could accomplish in the 3 minute limit, keeping in mind the complexity-based points assigned to the tasks and the fact that other teams will be working in the same “body” simultaneously. When asked about their strategy, Elijah simply answered, “speed and specialization.” Their robot Clawdius (aka The Creature) has a fully articulated claw arm that is designed for coronary artery bypass and vein harvesting surgeries. As for the speed, giant wheels and specialized motors chosen for their torque output ought to do to the job.
Now, let’s hear from the experts…
Tell me a little about yourself.
Elijah Allen - I’ve been at WCS since freshman year, meaning I came during the first full COVID year. I’ve been in the robotics program all four years of high school.
How did the robotics team come about?
John Bullinger - In 2013, the science department decided to stop participating in Science Olympiad, so we were tasked with trying to find something that would replace it. After doing some research, the Best Robotics competition seemed like a perfect replacement.
What made you want to get involved with the robotics team? EA - You can learn how to use all of the equipment, you can learn all of the engineering skills, and you can do all the math, but real applications are the most fun part. Also, meeting like-minded people and learning practical STEAM skills are invaluable.
Describe your role as it pertains to the robotics team?
JB - As the coach, my role is: to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to design, build, and test their robots; to teach students how to think creatively and come up with solutions on the fly; to help students learn how to work together effectively; and to help students develop a game strategy and practice their skills in preparation for competitions.
Walk me through the design process. What informs your design? Does the robot design evolve throughout the process? If so, how and why?
EA - The biggest thing that influences the design is the relation of certain parts of the course to their corresponding point values in the game. Obviously, we can’t do everything, but if we focus on smaller parts, then we have a better chance of getting further. The robot definitely does evolve throughout the process. As more time goes on, more and more ideas are added until we have a final robot made with the combination of each person’s ideas.
Tell me about the process of competing. What is the competition like? Is it cutthroat or more of a community of like-minded people?
EA - The competition is definitely more like a community of like-minded people. In fact, probably the most fun part about the experience is meeting new people and making friends while participating in a unique robotics competition.
8 weeks seems like a short time to be able to achieve all that you do. Tell me about how you spend that time.
EA - Most of the time at the beginning is spent building and refining the robot. The issue is that rapid prototyping is difficult, and the rules severely limit the amount of innovation that can be accomplished. A couple weeks into the project, we shift our focus to completing the Critical Design Review, Marketing Presentation, and the Engineering Notebook.
What surprises you the most about working with these students?
JB - One of the most surprising things is their sense of community. Everyone feels a part of the team, even with their own individual personalities and skill sets.
How does the team operate? Do you all specialize, or is it “all-hands-on-deck” all the time? What does your role as captain require of you?
EA - The team definitely specializes itself into sections for building/design, driving, marketing, and notebook sections. This makes delegating one of the most important parts of being a captain, and making sure that everyone is doing their part is vital to the team’s success.
From your perspective, what combination of students (skillsets, personalities…) make up the ideal robotics team?
JB - Kind, compassionate, hard working, forgiving, and accepting.
What is the most challenging part of the whole process from kick-off to competition?
EA - Getting started is the most challenging part about the competition. Once a good idea has been found, it becomes more enjoyable, and everyone can get excited about the building and design.
Do you have a particular goal at competition this year?
EA - Our goal for competition this year is mostly to teach the underclassmen as many skills as possible. While we, of course, try our best at the competition, much of the value of the competition is in the pursuit of success itself.
How do you see yourself applying skills you’ve learned through robotics in your future?
EA - Definitely the most valuable part about the robotics competition is learning how to work within a team. Delegation and cooperation are fundamental skills which I have been able to apply in my internship opportunities at Textron Aviation and the National Institute for Aviation Research. My experiences with robotics in past years actually made my internships more successful and have allowed me to both help each company more, as well as learn more from each experience, because being able to work with others increased my capacity to network.
Tell me about working with Mr. Bullinger.
EA - Working with Mr. Bullinger has always been great, as he has a lot of experience with the equipment and is always willing to help or take an extra moment to teach. He’s also a friendly and trustworthy person, making the robotics culture one of acceptance and respect. While Mr. Bullinger teaches us how to use the equipment, he is also intentionally resistant to share his design opinions. He is always sure to not influence the decisions of the team in order to keep the design truly ours. Overall, Mr. Bullinger maintains a good balance between being a friend and a mentor and acts as a teacher while limiting his impact.
Tell me about working with Elijah.
JB - Elijah uses his keen observation skills along with his natural abilities to look at a design and quickly see the flaws. Almost as quickly as Elijah sees the flaws, he develops a viable solution. Most people become frustrated with problems; however, problems inspire Elijah. He uses the opportunity to search for better ways of doing things which gives him confidence and personal satisfaction. I was impressed with his ability to stay focused and not let frustration get in the way of solving the problem at hand, and I could tell how proud he was with the way he handled the pressure of having the robotics team rely on him.