Student-Made Robot Wired for Success at National Contest

There were a few tense moments Monday for the robotics team at Chatsworth High School as they prepared Robo Charlie for its debut.

The gymnasium bleachers were filled with students, teachers, cheerleaders and band members--all waiting to root for the robot that would represent the school at a national science competition in April at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center in Orlando, Fla.

But only a few minutes before the robot’s unveiling, the team was frantically trying to repair its wiring, which was accidentally ripped out moments earlier when a student tried to take it for a test drive.

Beads of sweat broke out on team members’ brows when Mayor Richard Riordan entered the gymnasium, pressed the flesh with students and posed for photos with the pompom squad, signaling the start of the program.

As student body President Matt Berg walked to the podium to introduce the dignitaries on hand for the ceremony, the team finished its repair job.

And, right on cue, Robo Charlie rolled forward and was greeted with thunderous applause.

“We’ve been working on this robot for six weeks, and we’ve had some glitches and flaws,” team member Samir Patel told the crowd. “But we’ve gotten it together.”

The robot is an 11-foot-long vertical arm, equipped with a clamp that allows it to grasp objects. The arm is attached to a 4-square-foot board with wheels at the corners. The robot is operated by two remote-control joysticks.

For the demonstration, Samir asked Riordan to stand in the middle of the gym and hold out his arm. The robot, Samir explained, would pick up an inner tube and hang it on Riordan’s outstretched arm.

As the robot moved toward Riordan, the mayor quipped: “This thing isn’t related to Tom Hayden?” referring to his Democratic opponent in the upcoming mayoral election.

Robo Charlie performed the trick without a hitch, prompting Riordan to jokingly speculate that in the future “my big worry [will be] that Robo Charlie will run against me the next time around.”

Monday’s demonstration was a preview of the 1997 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Competition. The contest will feature robots built by 150 teams from 30 states.