Stellar Robotics, a Mansfield area, community based FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, attended their first competition earlier this month and returned victorious. “We actually won the event, which was very unexpected because we’re just getting started as a team,” said team founder Chantal DeYoe.
The competition consisted of a game, similar to basketball, played by teams of three robots assisted by three human players. Alliances of three teams were formed between FRC teams based on automatically generated selections, though alliances alternated from game to game, allowing those same teams that worked together to compete against one another.
Gabby Allen, a 14-year-old home-schooled student from Ontario, and Ciaran DeYoe, a 16-year-old home-schooled student from North Fairfield, were hands-on, operating robot controls during the competition.
“We were defense robot and we inbounded from the human player,” said Allen, noting that the team worked “to get the assist” when helping their alliance teammates.
Joel Golias, a 14-year-old Mansfield Christian School student from Mansfield, and Michael Adams, a 14-year-old home-schooled student from Crestline both assisted with construction of the mechanism used in the robot as well as the bumpers and frame. Adams said this was his first experience in building a robot, but Golias has built a few smaller ones in his spare time, he said.
During Friday evening’s video replay of the competition, it was apparent that the parents were as excited as the students.
When asked how she felt about the team and the competition, Allen confessed she had been “dragged into this,” but thought it was “pretty cool” after the first orientation meeting and was even more excited after working on the robot. “Seeing the actual robot come together, I thought, ‘This is really cool. I’m totally into this,’” she said.
Her enthusiasm for the competition was evident as she said, “We got there on Saturday, and just the general buzz, and everyone running around and helping each other, and seeing all those robots in action and knowing every single one of them was built from scratch, I was completely addicted at that point.”
Allen’s enthusiasm was shared by North Central State College Associate Professor of Engineering and Technology and mentor for the team Randy Storms. “The excitement that was there was just incredible to watch,” he said.
Storms noted that not only was he impressed with the design the team developed, but also in how the older students assisted and mentored the younger ones.
The team is now registered for the Greater Pittsburgh Regional event, and in registering were given their official team number of FRC 5413. That event will take place over a three day period, and an entirely new robot must be constructed for the competition.
“To have a team you need several things: you need sponsors, for money; you need mentors; you need students; and you need a place to build. Kehoe Center said they had space, so they’ve given us a home,” said Chantal DeYoe. She added that she hopes to find other mentors with North Central State College as well as mentors from industry, such as engineers.
“We also still very much need financial support from businesses,” said Chantal DeYoe, noting that it is expensive to operate a team. “The maximum you can spend on a robot is $4,000, and as a rookie team we don’t have any leftovers from last year to start with,” she said.
Additionally, there is a $4,000 entry fee for each event, as well as a $2,000 fee for the basic kit of items that may be used during the event. “You can see how the costs just add up right off the bat,” she said.
The team is still accepting members of high school age. To join, become a sponsor, or to find more information, interested parties may visit the website or contact Chantal DeYoe at 419-929-8558 or stellarrobotics@gmail.com.
