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Wissahickon High School Robot Ramp Riot

High Schools Battle It Out in Arena-Style Competition
Nov. 14th, 2009
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Wissahickon High School Gymnasium
Ambler, Pennsylvania 19002

“Ramp Riot draws 36 teams and over 2500 spectators yearly. Every November, those 36 teams (representing up to 8 states) come together to battle it out in arena-style competition.”

Sponsored by FIRST, NASA, Rohm & Haas, Johnson & Johnson, BAE Systems, and Team 341

The Wissahickon High School performed quite well making it to the semi-finals.

Photo Gallery
Video: Robots In Action
Video: The Philly Phanatic at Ramp Riot

Philly Phanatic At Ramp Riot

Atlanta, GA — Shooting pictures of robots at the Georgia Dome.

VIDEOS MP4 / MPEG4 / AVI
Opening Ceremony
Team Introduction
Team Introduction 2
The Drivers Jump
Game Action (rear-view)
Team 341 Miss Daisy Scores
Team 341 Miss Daisy Scores Bigger
View From the Press Box
Robots Zoom Around The Field

Atlanta, GA — The FIRST Robotics championship is taking place at the Georgia Dome. Throughout the event, teams will be given the chance to win awards from a wide variety of categories. There are awards for enthusiasm and awards for ingenuity; however, perhaps… there should be a category that combines enthusiasm and ingenuity. When it comes to this type of achievement nothing shows how the kids use their heads better than the hats they wear. What about a medal for ‘off the top of my head engineering’? Or, maybe, the safest, funnest hat? You know, “You might poke someone’s eye out with that hat!”

Atlanta, GA — What happens when you gather geeks from around the world? Students interested in math and science gathered at the Georgia Dome for the FIRST robotics world championships. From Saudi Arabia to Israel and from Canada to Brazil, the youth traveled to Atlanta. There were over 500 high school teams from 22 countries. What happens when they get together? Well, they proved you do not need negative and positive to conduct electricity. The energy that flowed was 100% positive!

The children started the event with an opening ceremony “pep rally” hosted by some of the brightest adults that can be found. Woody Flowers, Dean Kamen, Bill Miller and executives from NASA, National Instruments and BAE Systems were among the dedicated adults in attendence.

“The US is in one of the biggest experiments in history,” said Woody Flowers. He is strategically obsessed with the economic situation. He believes the students are the most important element of a strategic plan to be rescued from the crisis. “We have a big, stubborn society to change.”

Co-operatition
Not only do the kids get serious hands-on experience with math and science, but they also get an advanced degree in business administration. The adults and students got into graduate level entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property (IP) rights.

The Chairman of the US Patent office announced that Dean Kamen received another patent. Unlike many of his previous patents that were for physical inventions, this patent was for business systems. The business system of co-operatition is how FIRST competitions are run — combining co-operation with competition. As well as receiving the patent, Mr. Kamen was also awarded trademarks for cooperation and gracious professionalism. In a display of gracious professionalism, Mr. Kamen assigned the patent and trademarks to the FIRST organization for $1 a piece.

Exploration
David Lavery, NASA Executive for Solar System Exploration, was awarded and recognized for his contributions as a volunteer. He announced NASA’s collaboration with Google.com on the ability to explore Mars in the same fashion as Google Earth. You can now use the technology to view every NASA image ever returned from Mars.

An astronaut from the upcoming space mission sent a video message declaring, “Let the games begin.” Yes, the robots would be singing “Georgia On My Mind”… if they only had one.

Stay tuned….

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Ambler, PA — Local robotics teams that made the achievement of qualifying for the world championships are in Atlanta, GA. The Wissahickon High School Team 341 “Miss Daisy” obtained many awards this season including first place at the Western Regionals in San Diego, CA.

Team 341 arrived in Atlanta on Wednesday. On Thursday evening, they attended the third annual “Robo Prom”. The Robo Prom is a great way to experience these fierce competitors off the field. The geeks and nerds trade in their pocket protectors for dress slacks or cocktail dresses. Not only are these some of the smartest kids around, they are also courteous, kind and able to dance. And, no… they don’t all dance the robot

On Friday, the competition begins at the Georgia Dome. NASA is providing a live webcast at robotics.nasa.gov.

NASA's Mobile Webcasting

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Ambler, PA — Is there life on Mars? There will be, and it will be Earthlings. At least, that is what the crowd at the Wissahickon High School was informed by Stepehen Davis of the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA).

Mr. Davis is the director of the Ares rocket project. In a presentation in front of the FIRST Robotics Team 341 and the general public, he unveiled for the first time computer animation of the Ares I-X test rocket scheduled to take-off this summer.

The Ares I Ares V Rockets: Image courtesy NASA

There are three rockets that are part of the project — the Ares I-X test rocket, the Ares I manned rocket, and the Ares V cargo rocket.

The space shuttle program will soon be shutting down. The next manned space flight is not expected to launch for five years when the Ares I is complete. This creates a delicate situation. The United States will be dependent on Russia for transporting American astronauts back and forth to the space station. [??????????? ????? ????? ???????? ?? ?????? ??? ??????????????? ???????????? ??????????? ???? ? ??????? ? ??????????? ???????.] Hopefully, relations will warm through the efforts of new U.S. administration. For instance, what would happen if we have men at the space station and Russia attacks Georgia again? There is no immediate solution to this problem; however, Mr. Davis is confident the politics and budgets can be handled to ensure a smooth transition.

The Ares program is scheduled for the test flight of Ares I-X in 2009, the Ares I manned space flight in 2015, the Ares I and Ares V to the moon in 2020, and a manned flight to Mars by 2030.

The Ares I flight in 2015 will re-establish NASA’s ability to shuttle astronauts to the space station. The Ares I and Ares V flights in 2020 are meant to start a space station on the moon. The flight to Mars is independent.

When asked what happens if the Ares I-X test flight fails, Mr. Davis replied, “It would look bad. It would look worse than it really is. We would still learn a lot.” Would there be another test flight before sending humans up? “No, There will be no other tests.”

A lot is riding on the math, science and engineering abilities of the current NASA staff, as well as, the future generation of engineers in the audience. When asked why we are going back to the moon, Mr. Davis gave a good, long list of reasons. Perhaps the best reason was his personal interest — adventure and exploration. That seemed to be the same factor motivating the youth in attendance. Maybe that is exactly what we need to forge the ingenuity necessary to best serve humankind in the years to come.

by Christopher Brouse and Daniel Brouse

Ambler, PA — The Wissahickon FIRST robotics team is from Ambler, PA. They are known as Team 341 and have named their robot Miss Daisy. The team’s battle cry — “Flower Power!” Everyone is welcome to their garden. With ten great years of experience, this has been one of their most successful seasons.

The Wissahickon team recently traveled to San Diego. On the trip, they acquired some very impressive trophies. The Judge’s Award was achieved in large part for aiding a Brazilian team. The South American robot had accidentally been shipped to Memphis, Tennessee. Several members of the Wissahickon team, along with help from a few other teams, assisted the Brazilians in successfully building a machine “on-the-spot.” Though it normally takes weeks for a build season, the robot was able to hold 7th place out of 46 teams.

The Wissahickon team was even more fortunate by winning first place in the overall competition against one of the best machines in the world — a team sponsored by NASA and supported by NASA engineers. Miss Daisy took the stadium by storm by making one of the biggest robotic upsets in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) history. It would also appear that Team 341 was the first East Coast team to ever win the Western Regional. (Read more about the San Diego competition at http://membrane.com/robotics/San-Diego.html)

The MC Announces Miss Daisy in Philly

In March, at the Philadelphia Regional, Team 341 achieved one of the most honored awards, Engineering Inspiration. Not only do the members try to have a highly inspired team, they also try to spread the inspiration to young and old… both far and wide.

Next, the team travels to compete at the World Championship event in Atlanta, GA, April 16, 17 and 18.

The Wissahickon website also won first place at the San Diego event. It is a great place to learn more about FIRST and Miss Daisy. You can check it out at www.team341.com.

For more information on robotics, visit http://membrane.com/robotics/.

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[Christopher Brouse is the team captain and has been the mechanical build team captain for the past three years.]

Philadelphia, PA — The FIRST Robotics Philly Regional is taking place at Temple University. Fifty-nine high schools from the East Coast are competing in the Lunacy game. NASA works together with the FIRST organization to design each year’s game rules. This year a special surface was designed for the floor and special wheels for the robots. Together the floor and wheels simulate the 1/6th gravity a robot would experience on the moon. Balls called “moon rocks” are shot into the trailer being carried by the opposing teams.

What can make a competition really interesting are “alliances.” Forming a competition winning alliance takes strategy, strategy, strategy. During the first day and the morning of the second day, there are elimination rounds. Three high schools are randomly matched to form a “blue” alliance or a “red” alliance for each round. Since new teams are matched for each round, the strategy is about each individual round. At this regional, there were eighty elimination rounds.

After the elimination rounds, the top eight teams get to choose 2 teams. The strategy for the finals is about choosing which teams you want to be partnered with for the remainder of the competition.

The Wissahickon team (from Ambler, PA) was in fiftieth place going into the final alliance selection. It looked like they would have to pack up and go home. However, Lansdale Catholic had been scouting all season and picked Wissahickon for their alliance advancing them to the finals.

Find out more about robotics.

TEENS FROM PHILADELPHIA AREA EXHIBIT PROWESS FOR BUILDING, DESIGN AND STRATEGY AT FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION

Students Learn Mechanics and Maturity, Design and Determination From Professional Mentors at Philadelphia FIRST Regional, March 20th and March 21st

PHILADELPHIA, PA– High school students from 8 states and 46 area schools have been tasked with the challenge and excitement of designing and building an original robot in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition (www.usfirst.org). This week, at the Liacouras Center at 1776 N. Broad Street, six weeks of intense design and construction will culminate in the Drexel University hosted FIRST Robotics Competition Philadelphia Regional, where 55 teams of students and engineering and technical mentors will demonstrate their skill for science, mathematics, and technology. They will compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship, and high-impact partnerships between schools, businesses, and communities.

“We are proud to sponsor this event and we encourage students to participate in FIRST Robotics with anticipation they will advance in the fields of science and technology. It creates both excitement and a challenge for the students while celebrating their role as scientists and engineers,” said Dr. Selcuk Güceri, dean of the College of Engineering.

Over a six-week timeframe, students work with professional mentors to design a robot that solves a problem using a “kit of parts” and a standard set of rules. Once these young inventors create the robot, their teams participate in regional competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students.
In this year’s game, “LUNACY™,” robots are designed to pick up 9″ game balls and score them in trailers hitched to their opponents’ robots for points during a 2 minute and 15 second match. Additional points are awarded for scoring a special game ball, the Super Cell, in the opponents’ trailers during the last 20 seconds of the match. “LUNACY” is played on a 54’x27’ low-friction floor, which means teams must contend with the laws of physics.

Founded by inventor Dean Kamen, Drexel University’s 2007 Engineer of the Year and creator of the Segway? Human Transporter (HT), FIRST was created to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools, and their communities. Currently in its seventeenth year, the FIRST Robotics Competition anticipates its largest season ever with over 1,500 teams from every state in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Chile, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the U.K. competing in 41 regional competitions. More than 1200 students will compete at the Philadelphia Regional to earn a spot at the Championship to be held April 17-19 at The Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.

“The FIRST Robotics Competition is not just about the design and building of sophisticated robots. These students also develop maturity, professionalism, teamwork, and mentoring skills that enrich their lives,” said Dean Kamen. “Many of our students develop an affinity for their science and math courses, go on to study engineering, technology, or science in college, and also pursue employment opportunities with sponsoring companies.”

This season, participating FIRST students are eligible to apply for over $9.5 million in scholarships from leading universities, colleges, and companies. Scholarship announcements will be made at the FIRST Championship in April.

Since its beginning, FIRST has had a positive impact on students and academic communities. Research has shown that FIRST students’ attitudes about science, math, teamwork, and the working world significantly improved after participating. The students’ self image also improved, particularly in minority groups. In addition, interest in internship and employment opportunities with sponsoring companies increased.

FIRST Robotics Competition Philadelphia Regional sponsors and volunteers come from some of the most highly regarded organizations in the area, including Drexel University, PECO, DuPont, Rohm & Haas, Motorola, and ETC. Sponsors provide resources including time and talent from professional mentors, services, equipment, financial contributions, and volunteers.

About Drexel University’s College of Engineering
Since its founding in 1891, Drexel University’s College of Engineering has emphasized its strengths in engineering, science and technology to train students to become the leaders of the future. The College has the largest undergraduate private engineering program among the nation’s private universities and is Drexel’s flagship school with more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students specializing in experiential and global education. For more information on Drexel University’s College of Engineering, please visit http://www.drexel.edu/coe.

ABOUT FIRST
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With the support of many of the world’s most well-known companies, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge for high-school students, the FIRST LEGO® League for children 9-14 years old, and the Junior FIRST LEGO League for 6 to 9 year-olds. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.

San Diego, CA — In their first trip to the Western Regional FIRST competition, the robot from Ambler, PA is breaking ground. The Ambler / Wissahickon robot, Miss Daisy, proved to be force to reckon with.

In one of the most exciting sporting events these kids have ever seen, Miss Daisy bloomed advancing through the quarter-finals and onto the semi-finals. The semi-finals looked like they might yank Daisy out by the roots. But, Daisy proved to be a wild flower moving onto the finals.

The Miss Daisy Drivers

The finals found Miss Daisy pitted against their new friends, the Holy Cows from High Tech High, San Diego. The Holy Cows were gracious enough to arrange for a night on the town the previous evening. The High Tech High team and parents provided transportation and accommodations in Old City San Diego. By the end of the evening, the two teams became close friends. Today at the pre-qualifying matches and into the playoffs, both teams cheered each other on… up to the finals. In the finals, they found themselves on opposing alliances. That didn’t seem to hurt their fondness for each other. After all, of the 48 teams that started, only 6 made it to the finals. The way a FIRST competition works is that three schools work together on a team to form an alliance. So, in any event, Miss Daisy and the Holy Cows were destined to come in either first or second place.

Wissahickon High School, Ambler, PA Miss Daisy Team 341 Robot

The first match of the double elimination competition saw Miss Daisy in the lead. Would the Holy Cows provide the fertilizer needed for Miss Daisy to be victorious or would they eat her for lunch?

The noise and excitement of the audience filled the San Diego Sports Arena like static electricity as round two of the finals got under way. Right before the match got under way you could her the two teams wishing each other luck. That is one of the true beauties of FIRST — they teach the students “gracious professionalism” and that was quite evident today.

The tension mounted into what could be the last match of the tournament. The sound reached a fevered pitch. If Miss Daisy won this round, the show would be over. That is exactly what happened. The Wissahickon High School alliance came in first place. In addition, they took home the Best Website Award and the Judge’s Award. (The Judges’ Award is a special award that the Judges may give to a team that stands out. The Miss Daisy team was noted for having supported the Brazilian team. See Robots Drop Their Bolts and Go Nuts.)

A wonderful ending to the event was the Chairman’s Award. The Chairman’s Award is the most prestigious award bestowed upon a team. At the Western Regional the Chairman’s Award went to Miss Daisy’s new friends, The Holy Cows. It was an exclamation point at the end of splendid event!

The Wissahickon High School's Victory Flag

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