Students design robot soccer players
A small taste of the future came to Centro shopping centre on Tuesday September 18 when local Year 5 students displayed robots they created as part of a program for gifted students.
The students, who are from different primary schools in the region, come together once every fortnight to participate in the Primary Extension Challenge program.
After a few months in the program, they have created robots that can play soccer (well almost), dance to music, navigate a maze and even follow a mock skiing course.
Along with Riley Boardman and Evan Milroy, Machlan Felix from Millars Well Primary School created a soccer pitch and programmed one soccer robot to try and score a goal while another defended.
“PEAC is fun because you get to go on computers and program them,” Machlan said. “You can choose what you want them to do.”
Machlan and the other students will participate in PEAC for the next three years, after being selected for the program based on testing results they completed in Year 4.
In that time, the students will undertake a variety of challenges that may range from mathematical problems and photography to forensic science and poetry, with each course designed to improve the student’s problem solving skills.
But the robotics course, which uses Lego Mindstorm Nxt, a mixture of Lego blocks, sensors and small computers, seems a clear favourite.
Machlan and the gang said they would love to become programmers and have their own robots in the future.
“I’d use my robot to help people,” Machlan said.
Machlan’s teammate Riley Boardman acknowledges robots can help humanity, but he thinks they would make great personal maids too.
“I’d make it serve me,” he said.
Tags: education, Karratha, peac, pilbara news, robots
