Travis Stevents and Nick Thorns from Pickney Community High School won the third place in the robotics and automation category of the SkillsUSA Championships.
Travis Stevens, left, and Nick Thorns, recent graduates of Pinckney Community High School, work on their robot in preparation for the SkillsUSA state robotics competition in April, held in Lansing. They'd go on to take first place. Last week, they placed third at the national SkillsUSA Championships, held in Kansas City
They qualified for the competition after they stood first in the state level competition. Their mechanical systems teacher at school, Sean Hickman, stated that the competition was extremely significant for its scope of participation and its business presence.
Both graduates were focussed on pursuing an engineering degree. Their teacher explained that the competition required two-member teams to build a manufacturing simulation using a robotic arm. The students are temporarily provided with a robotic arm, they are expected to develop a robot controller and program the arm. They would also have to incorporate electropneumatics and integrate a number of sensors to execute a particular task efficiently and in minimum time. Hickman commented that though the participants are provided with the required equipment, it is quite a challenge to assemble and program the parts in order to achieve the specified goal. The students are required to sit for a comprehensive engineering test and set up the equipment on the first day. They are given two full days to program the robot and make it functional. Hickman added that the school receives a number of sponsorships from outside, which help them to participate in such competitions.
Source: http://www.skillsusa.org/