A 12-year-old boy walks into a room with 17 and 18-year-old men using huge power tools and working on a metal beast with all sorts of wires and screws that this boy cannot possibly understand. Does this sound like something most boys do when entering middle school? Probably not. However, this boy decided that this was the right path. How do I know? This boy was me. When I first came to Priory in seventh grade, I didn’t know how I would talk to my own classmates, let alone seniors. I could have just drifted along my first year, however, I decided to join something to see where it would take me. This was the Priory Robotics Club.
An overview of the Robotics Club: At the beginning of the Robotics season in January, we watch the live broadcasting of the challenge for the year. These challenges range from throwing balls into hoops and climbing up ladders to balancing on see-saws and aligning blocks. Then, teams have the season to build a robot that can accomplish some, or all, of these tasks. For reference, last year’s challenge was to place cubes and cones into their designated spaces and then balance on a see-saw before the time ran out. After we saw the video of what the challenge would be, we immediately began brainstorming on ideas. Our first few ideas were that of a robot with a foldable arm, or maybe a telescopic arm. Eventually, we decided on an extendable arm that simply moved up and down. Then, we got to work.
The Robotics club is separated into two overall groups: the robot side and the MTR (More Than Robotics™) side. Both of these groups are then separated into their own respective divisions. On the robot side, you can explore areas such as fabrication, computer design, electrical, etc. This side will allow you to work directly on the robot and get first-hand experience. On the MTR side, you can explore areas such as marketing, graphic design, financing, etc. This side is what makes the Robotics club unique. It’s not just a club about robotics, it’s also a club about how a business functions. This way you can be in any division that you are interested in. One of the best parts of the Robotics Club is that all of the divisions are student led. This means that any division you choose will have another high school student to help you learn and feel comfortable. I am the student lead of the computer design division on the robot side, so I specialize in creating a 3D model of the robot online for the fabrication division to use to build the robot.
Join Robotics! We are already meeting every Tuesday and Wednesday during club period. Stop by our lab on the lower level of the ASC and get more information soon! Our team name is the ViPrs. This is a combination of Viz and Priory, because we partner with Viz students in the Robotics Club. This is another great part of the club. Not only will you be able to get to know other students from Priory better, but you will also be able to get to know some Viz girls (if you catch my drift). Finally, being able to say that you were on a robotics team, especially if you become a lead, looks very good on your college transcript. In today’s world where robotics and AI is becoming ever more prevalent, it is important to be experienced with it. Do you want to be the guy who gets replaced by robots, or do you want to be the guy who knows how they work?
