Robots invade fairgrounds for Show-Me Robotics competition

On Monday, robots took over Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall as teams from across the state squared off in competition while other technologically inclined exhibitors hosted interactive demonstrations during the second Show-Me Robotics event at the state fair.

Crowds of spectators watched as Missouri high school FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) teams brought the robots they created last spring to compete in exhibition matches of Breakaway, a game in which navigators maneuver their robots around obstacles to net as many soccer balls in their goal within two minutes.

Kelcy Yunghans, a member of the Liberty Robotics Team 1764, said the more than 20 members of the team had only about six weeks to design, build and program their robot — which featured a spring-loaded kicking system, a lifting device and hooks for hanging on bars — before their first competition.

Every spring, FIRST releases details of its annual competition that determine the design requirements for the robotics teams. The teams then split off into groups that focus various aspects of preparing for competition, including electrical engineering, programming, design and website and marketing management.

Yunghans said the effort is entirely student-led, but an instructor is usually on-hand “to make sure we don’t blow up the shop.”

She said while the program was designed to encourage interest in studies of science, math and technologies, the primary appeal for the students was the friendly atmosphere and chance to learn something new.

“I think we all just love learning about new things and doing something I never thought I would in high school,” Yunghans said.

Collin Robinett, from Lee’s Summit West High School’s Team Titanium, said while the competition season begins in the spring, teams spend much of the rest of the year raising money to cover travel and shipping expenses for competitions across the region.

He said the team hosts summer robotics camps for kids and conducts demonstrations at elementary schools, along with other fundraising efforts.

“We try to get elementary and middle school kids into robotics before they have a chance to join a team in high school,” Robinett said.

Several exhibits circling the Breakaway ring in the hall also were aimed at stirring an interest in robotics among younger fairgoers.

Outside the hall, a robot crafted by Harrisonville high schoolers lofted T-shirts into the air. Meanwhile back inside, kids could craft their own mechanical creations with easy-to-build kits, tilt an elevated putting green to roll golf balls into a hole, or check out rocket and laser displays at the Kansas City Robotics Society booth.

Bill Pabst, with the University of Missouri Extension 4-H, said the two-day robotics showcase, which was coordinated by the 4-H, SCOPE (Science and Citizens Organized for Purpose and Exploration) and the Missouri State Fair, drew “tremendous interest from younger kids all the way up to adults.”

He said the displays, which ran the gamut from entry-level robotic toys up to industrial mechanics, were aimed at showing youths how and why to get involved with robotics.

“We want to foster interest and create a pathway for kids from an initial interest in science and technology to the next level challenges,” Pabst said. “Now it is used in everything from autos to surgeon tools, so we will need a work force who can utilize and also innovate the next technologies.”

Cynthia Kramer, director of SCOPE, said she hoped the event would inspire in visitors a spirit of building and innovation. She also said the state fair was an ideal venue for such an exhibit due to the deep historical connection between science, technology and agriculture.

“The Missouri State Fair is the expo for innovation for the state, and this is an opportunity to showcase the connection between science, technology and agriculture,” she said.