ncssm ROBOTICS

[Lee Coltrane]

Hey - It's good to see that there are still people out there on this list.

We may not have a football team, but NCSSM does have a robotics team.  
And...we desperately need more adult mentors to help out.  If there's 
any chance at all that you might be interested, please read on <lee is 
on his knees begging>...

Every year the students build a fully-functional robot, complete with 
autonomous functionality, and human-operated remote (RF) controls.

Each year they take the robot to compete in at least two regional FIRST 
(http://www.usfirst.org/robotics/) robotics competitions.  Last year 
they went to Columbia and Atlanta.

These are *real* robots.  Not little radio shack toys.  Some parts are 
regulated by the FIRST organization, and thus those parts are supplied 
by FIRST.  But the majority of the robot is built from scratch, in the 
machine shop at NCSSM.  The students fabricate parts, and build the 
mechanical structure according to their own design.  The electrical 
components, sensors, and microprocessors are built/wired by the 
students, also according to their own design.  The students write the 
software/firmware that controls the thing.
This is a *huge* project.

AND - here's the rub - they can't do it without strong, committed 
mentors to guide them, teach them, and work with them.  We've always 
been short on mentor support, but this year we've lost several of our 
mentors from previous years (job changes, over-commitment, etc).  We now 
have only two committed mentors for the entire project (me and Chip 
McFalls).  We are both software/electrical guys -- the team has *no* 
mechanical engineers -- and, while I could probably handle most of the 
mechanical engineering requirements, that would mean that I would have 
to neglect the software and the electrical.  This is a big problem.  
It's just not a project that can be handled with only two mentors - 
regardless of specializations.

So...if you live anywhere within driving distance of NCSSM, and you're 
willing to commit at least one evening every two weeks (more than that 
would be great too), please drop me an email.  It doesn't matter what 
your expertise is.  If you can hold a screwdriver, or offer an 
encouraging word, these students could really use your help.  If you can 
design functional mechanical systems, and/or teach students to do the 
same, then you would be worth your weight in gold to these kids.

They really are great kids.  And the project is a really awesome thing 
to see completed.  Besides, when else will you get a chance to build a 
rover-sized robot, in a machine shop, at no cost to you?  (If you get 
that opportunity elsewhere, then I'm assuming that you have a much 
cooler job than me -- which many of you probably do ;-) ).

Thanks everyone.
Please email me if you're interested.

-Lee Coltrane
'94