Robotics teams gear up for the community

The Red GearTicks.

Robotics programs for kids aren’t just engineering any more—they also teach public service, as Lincoln’s GearTicks teams have contributed ideas and devices to help the community along with winning contests.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) sponsors four different programs. FIRST Lego League Jr. is for ages 6-9, while those age 9-14 can participate in the FIRST Lego League (FLL) international competition. There’s also the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) (age 12-18) and the FIRST Robotics Competition (ages 14-18). All programs emphasize teamwork in designing, programming and building robots intended to play a game, solve a problem or beat other robots in competition.

Two FLL teams from Lincoln—the Red and Blue GearTicks—made it to the state finals in this year’s FLL competition, where kids from 80 countries had to identify and research a problem in hydrodynamics (how we find, transport, use, or dispose of water) and then design, program and build a robot to tackle that problem.

“I think [the program] is brilliantly designed. Each year there are some parts of the robot game that are easy enough for newbies to complete, while there are also missions that are so difficult that MIT grads can’t solve them,” said Ann Hutchinson, a volunteer for the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) who organizes the event each year. The Red Team won the Runner-up Champions Award and the Second Place Project Award at states.

The Red GearTicks (grades 6–8) realized that making T-shirts for various PRD-sponsored activities such as camp, sports, and spelling bees uses a lot of water—about 2,700 liters per shirt. The team came up with the idea of designing different appliqués for each activity and then putting those appliqués on a single T-shirt customized for each participant. Shirts would be purposely sized up so kids could wear them for multiple years until they were damaged or outgrown.

The team approached PRD Director Dan Pereira, who thought this was a great way to reduce the department’s T-shirt consumption and educate people about the drawbacks of disposable fashion. “I was completely unaware of the amount of water needed to grow cotton, and I found the presentation from the kids very informative,” he said.

The students put their idea into practice for their own team T-shirts, designing an appliqué and applying them to their shirts that they will use again again next year.

The Blue GearTicks.

The Blue GearTicks (grade 5) identified toxic algae blooms as their problem of interest, noting that it has necessitated closures at White Pond in Concord and other area ponds. The students sought to inform the public about the problem and how awareness can help solve it. After speaking with the White Pond Advisory Board and town officials, they designed a brochure and a presentation board they used when describing the problem and their solution at the Lego competition.

“FLL is an amazing project-based learning experience where the kids have so much fun that they don’t even realize everything they’re learning. The coaches don’t have the answers, so the kids teach themselves. The competitions are as exciting as sporting events, and kids come back year after year to improve their performance,” Hutchinson said.

Helping a national park

The FTC GearTicks recently designed and installed specialized fencing to protect new apple orchards at Minute Man National Historical Park (MMNHP) from deer and other wildlife. The apple orchards—some planted by Lincoln Minute Men—have been damaged by goats and deer since their planting began in 2016.

The FTC GearTicks at Minute Man National Historical Park, along with some musket-bearing Lincoln Minute Men.

Brown had noticed that the new orchards at MMNHP were being nibbled by the deer and goat populations. She asked the GearTicks to design 3D printed parts to support a tree enclosure to protect the orchards from the deer population. The device needed to be be adjustable, inconspicuous, and able to level spring steel rings and force the rebar stakes into a vertical position.

Alex Payne, a GearTick eighth-grader, led the design process of the device, which originally consisted of three parts. After the first round of testing, he redesigned one of the parts to improve the installation process and make the device more attractive looking. After one more successful round of testing, the team spent 50 hours printing the parts on their 3D printer.

In November, a dozen GearTicks met Brown and six Lincoln Minute Men at MMNHP. Working together, they installed the enclosures on about 10 of the trees in the orchard, all of which held up very nicely. The next steps involved draping netting over the spring steel and seeing how the parts handle the winter cold and snow.

In Fall 2017, the FTC team dedicated significant time to mastering the technique of 3D printing, including designing custom parts, experimenting with different types of filament, and learning best practices for using the printers. 3D printing was not only instrumental in the success of their robot, but it also provided the opportunity for the team to use their skills to benefit their community—they worked with staff and students at the Perkins School for the Blind to print parts for prosthetic hands and help assembled them.

During the 2016-17 season, the FTC GearTicks designed and installed baffles in two of the donation boxes at MMNHP. These baffles, which were specially angled plastic pieces to prevent money from being taken from the boxes, proved to be effective and prompted Margie Coffin Brown, a landscape architect for the National Park Service, to contact the team with another challenge.