Tech-savvy teens gather at Fletcher to develop STEM skills by building competitive robot

Four teenagers gather around a pile of wires, motors and steel. In just a month, the creation should be driven by a video game controller.

Their robot is in the early stages of creation. It's a large metal square with six wheels and four gear boxes. In the center is a piece of plywood on which sits electrical equipment that is still being wired together. The group is trying to decide the best way to fit the equipment inside the robot.

The plywood was the idea of Anabelle Barnett, 14, of Houma, who said she joined the team because she wants to become an astronaut, and the problem solving and mechanical construction is similar to what she saw her uncle do.

"I've always wanted to be an astronaut ever since I could remember," she said. "My uncle got a job at Space X, where he welds the parts for the actual spaceship. I went on a tour there over the summer, and it just extended my love for all of that stuff − engineering, welding, all that stuff."

The Bayou Crusaders is a new, 15-member competitive robotics team run by Bayou Stem. The team meets every Tuesday and Thursday at Fletcher Community College to work on its robot. They are competing in the First Robotics Competition, which pits school and community teams against one another in a battle that tests their wits, mettle and metal.

The Bayou Crusaders first match takes place April 3 through 6 in the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, Coach Trevor Vicks said.

The team is met virtually Feb. 29 with four members of Team Torbotics out of Hammond to ask for advice about the robot. They have been running into some problems with one of their gear boxes, and with the programming software. Most teams in the competition are using Java to program their robots, but Bayou Crusaders are using Python. Torbotics recommended they check out C++.

Barnett asked if the electrical, which she was in charge of, could proceed without the coding keeping pace, or if she would have to wait until the coding portion caught up. She said she knew the two worked hand-in-hand but didn't fully understand how.

"The way it works is the electrical is just the physical aspect of it, think of it more like your body itself, and the coding is just your brain telling it what to do," said Brylen Parkhill, 15, of Bayou Blue, the strategist for the team.

Noah Smith, 16, of Thibodaux, told Torbotics about a problem with the robot's mobility. One of the four gearboxes keeps locking up. Smith said he thinks something is getting stuck inside it. The teams collaborated to troubleshot the gearbox, and agreed it was likely a bad ball bearing. Torbotics said they have spare parts and offered to send the fledgling team a new one.

The teens of Bayou Crusaders have divided themselves into different portions of the work, focusing on strategy, mechanical, programming, communications, circuitry and more. During the competition, there are a number of tasks the robots can do within the time limit to score points. Parkhill said the team is focusing on making their robot launch a disc and lift itself on a chain. Once those are taken care of, if they have time, they may plan for more.

The robots also can try to hamper opponents' ability to carry out their tasks, and Rylen Prestenbach, 14, of Houma, is developing the team's defenses. He has 1x4's that he has cut pool noodles to shape around the wood. He plans to bolt them to the chassis of the robot to absorb the impact. He was talking with his teammates about 3-D printing plastic to go around the outside of the noodles to keep them from tearing on impact.

For now the programming portion of the team is planning a crash course in C++. Brayden Durocher, of Thibodaux, is a programmer for the team and has experience programming with a different robotics competitive league involving Legos. He has used Python to create a working calculator that he proudly showed off. Their robot will be controlled by two Xbox controllers, and it's his job to make the robot respond to the controllers' inputs.

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He said he wants to be an engineer when he grows up, and this helps him learn how to make the creations operate. Asked why he enjoys it, the teenager started with a joke, but then said he liked troubleshooting the language of coding.

"Okay well, A, I can make robots that can terrorize things," the 13-year-old said with a laugh. "B, I just have fun experimenting with stuff… I like the trial and error aspect of it."

Vicks said those interested in taking part in robotics can contact him at bayoustem@fletcher.edu.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Tech-savvy teens gather at Fletcher to build competitive robot