Is robotics bad for your health?
 

This is just a simple question. Is robotics bad for your health?

I know their is a thread about sanitation, but this is about something different. I'm talking long-term illnesses. Perhaps it can be, if you think about it. There are many stress related illnesses and ailments (ulcers, IBS, etc), and robotics can be extremely stressful. In addition, robotics can lead to a lack of sleep, possibly making existing conditions worse.

From my personal experience, I think that it can be a health hazard. Personally, I got pretty sick last year during robotics season and it isn't a short term thing. I still miss about a day of school a week because of it. This has not been diagnosed yet (due to slow and possibly incompetent doctors), but it probably started as a stress related illness.

Perhaps these risks are worth while. FIRST teaches everybody lessons, however hard-learned they may be. It is a way of showing students the real world.

Just a word of warning, be careful and stay calm. Or as Douglas Adams would say, Don't Panic

-Daniel

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Robotics in and of itself is not bad for your health.

What you do in response to robotics can be.

If you eat healthy, get a full night's rest (that means you, programmers), and work out on occasion, you ought to be alright.

And if things get to you, take a deep breath, walk to the bathroom, walk back, and repeat as necessary.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I sincerely hope that was dripping with sarcasm...but since my Billfred Industries Sarc-O-Meter isn't working at the moment, I'll remind the group that there is no shame in taking a step back, especially when your health is at stake.

I'll use an example. When I had a car breakdown last week, did I immediately start running to Irmo High School? No, I got the car to the dealer and got it fixed. (Plus IHS is about 30 minutes by car, so I would be foolish to try to run that far.)

Or consider FIRST and schoolwork. It's widely accepted among teams that schoolwork comes ahead of robotics. I'm yet to have a problem of the two conflicting, but if it comes down to missing a meeting or getting a paper done, then 1293 is just going to have to deal without me for one night. (And to the 1293ers on CD, don't start celebrating. I only have one class that ever meets the day after a meeting. :D )

Remember, if FIRST is your top priority, you need to look at your priorities.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

yes and no; it is bad for my health, but it makes me extremely happy to be involved in it....it is hard to measure what the exact overall effect of it has on me, but I probably wouldn't be as motivated or happy....

It can be hazardous, but I believe the positive effect it has outweighs the negatives....just gotta look for the positives first....:)

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

nope, its not bad for your health, unless you make it bad for your health. you gotta make a schedule and deadlines and work your way from there. if you dont you'll spend countless hours the night before deadline working on animation or something and then also miss school or something b/c you still had to do your homewrok that you didnt complete.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Yes.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I think robotics can be hazardous to your health, just like making things fit by "using a bigger hammer" ouch, watch out for in-the-way toes and fingers. But on the other hand, the motivation that is gives to its competitors and the rewards and lessons far outway a little added stress into the life of a high schooler. Lessers that FIRST teaches everyone are great ideals to hold in life, but health is utmost concern, take a step back if you get to stressed, I go to the cafeteria to get a drink and walk back with a cool head and better thinking. A better deal and you get all the lessons and less sickness!

Robots are awsome and good for your health, 99.9% of the time!

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

It can be if you let it get out of hand. Just like anything else you must know when to quit. One's body physically and mentally can only take soo much. some handle this stress better than others but either way can be harmful. I would say in my opinion it is up to you to know when you have gone to far. I know it might be hard for some to put themselves before their team but when it comes to one's health NOTHING should be more important than that.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I agree with most of the points so far. This year I have been stepping back and readjusting my priorities around school and health first. I'm generally missing 2-3 meetings a week, and I haven't been in at all this week (finals, bleagh). It is hard to find a limit; consider this a warning to those "over-dedicated" students out there who think robotics is first (no pun intended) like I did last year.

Good suggestions Billfred, I'll keep them in mind (especially since I'm weaker physically, I've lost 35 pounds since last season).

Thanks and good luck,
Daniel

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Are hard drugs bad for your health? Hell yeah! How many heroin addicts decide to quit because it's bad for them? How many FIRSTers would quit if they found it was bad for them? I think most FIRSTaholics are thirteen steppers ;)

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

well plenty of things we use are known to be hazardous in the state of california. and since i dont live in california, im fine. but californians beware. solder fumes, melting lexan, etc. bad for you in california :p

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I do not believe that robotics has anything to do with your health. Stress has alot to do with your health but robotics has little if nothing to do with it at all. Unless you get hurt in the shop or you are an old lady around a FIRST robot. Stress is linked to many different mental and even physical problems. The best way to stay healthy during build is to keep your self from over stressing. When your drive train catches fire and you lose a week of work yes it is a bad thing but just remember it is better to have your life then your robot, so chill out take a deep breath, maybe hit a freshman (just kidding) and then get back to work. The dead line comes fast and makes times stressfull for everyone but its how each person handles the stress that determines there health.

So after all of that randomness I say that Robotics is not bad for your health, stress is. Don't let the stress get you and you should be ok.


Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

just my 2 cents..

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

This is just a simple question. Is WORK bad for your health?

I know their is a thread about sanitation, but this is about something different. I'm talking long-term illnesses. Perhaps it can be, if you think about it. There are many stress related illnesses and ailments (ulcers, IBS, etc), and WORK can be extremely stressful. In addition, WORK can lead to a lack of sleep, possibly making existing conditions worse.

From my personal experience, I think that it can be a health hazard. Personally, I got pretty sick last year WORKING and it isn't a short term thing. I still miss about a day of WORK a week because of it. This has not been diagnosed yet (due to slow and possibly incompetent doctors), but it probably started as a stress related illness.

Perhaps these risks are worth while (TO WORK).
***********************
Daniel, I'm not really making fun of you, but just making a point.
Everything is stressful, everything can affect your health, and everything should be done in moderation.
Mentoring FIRST Robotics is my way of enjoying what I like about being an engineer and to get away for the mundane office work for a short six weeks that challenges my brain cells.
Gotta keep the brain sparks firing. :)

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Of course not
Robotics is a very 'good' environment. It's educational and also even a stress reliever when working with the good 'ole rubber mallet. It's pretty much a fix-it-all tool when working with something that is not exactly 'cooperative'...

Okay I was joking around, but how could robotics be bad for your health?
It's being in a good, not always safe environment, with 'most' of the people that you enjoy hanging around with and is also a very good place to meet new people...Wait...I just totally got off subject...but how is robotics bad anyways?

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I think everyone else has pretty much said it...robotics in itself is harmless, it's just the rest of the things that tag along with it that can sometimes cause problems. It simply needs to be "appreciated with moderation" ... and I guess it sort of depends on the environment you work in, how well you get along with those around you, etc, which unfortunately are factors than can't be changed and rely on the forces of nature. There are things you can do, however, to avoid making the situation worse than it already is...(and everyone's said them already)...dont skip meals, balance your diet, get enough sleep, and don't forget that there is life outside of FIRST (which means stay focused - and awake - in school!!!). Minor physical stress is expected, I guess, but if your health problems are psychological, that's when things get ugly...

Fortunately i've never had any major problems related to robotics-health...sometimes i find it necessary to take a day or two off just to relax and recover...it does help relieve stress. And it really does keep you physically and mentally well.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

One of my tech teachers (ex robotics coach) has acid reflux and he blames it on robotics.
Back when he was robotics coach, he would drink lots of soda and then leave late. After the long drive home, he would be so tired that he would eat junk food then go to sleep. He also said it kept him away from his family.
So it can affect the adults and mentors too.

It doesn't seem to affect my health at all; if it did, I wouldn't mind.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

It depends on how you and your body handle stress, what's going on in your school life, your family life, etc.

I do have IBS, began the beginning of my senior year, before robotics season started. I have to devote time to staying healthy now, a little more than most people. I need at least 8 hrs of sleep per night or else I get sick, I need to watch what I eat, I need to spend some time just relaxing or else things catch up with me and I get sick.

Bottom line, listen to you body (in my case literally my gut). I don't think robotics is necessarily bad for your health, but things that are good for you in moderation can be bad for you in excess, it just depends on where your specific moderation and excess limits are.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

No! No! No! :ahh:

There is NO credible evidence that Stress, Lack of Sleep or Junk Food has any negative effect on health. The studies that links Heart Attacks, High Blood Pressure and Weight Gain to robotics was funded by a bunch of ex-jocks to try and lure youth to the dark side.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

actually it depends on what you do in robotics... i know if your a machinist all your life they won't do MRI scans.. so yeah not like we are machining parts 24/7/365...but really i find it to relieve my stress in school-- but yeah it can add to stress if you don't balance your time as a student and even as a mentor. everything in life can be stressful just handle it the way you need to and yeah you'll be fine. relax and live cause FIRST is cool and one of the best things ever created and you'll ever experience.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Yes.

Simple explanation:
Last off season I lost 40 lbs. :D This build season I've regained 5 lbs from not biking as much :o . I miss the days of late summer when 4000-5000 calories was necessary to maintain my weight.

As soon as it stays above 40 F I'm riding outside again.

It's not like taking 2 grad classes and working full time while trying to still be a mentor is unhealthy for a person :rolleyes: . Right?

Pete

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

*gasp* Robotics? bad for your health? I refuse to accept that as an answer. ;)

As others have already said in this thread, it's not Robotics in and of itself that is bad for your health, but how you respond to robotics that can be unhealthy. If you choose to let robotics problems cause you worry 24/7, if you decide to live build season in the workshop, surviving only on junkfood and maybe 15 min sleep a night, then sure, your health will go down.
but if you instead choose to think about the stuff your robot does well, actually go outside once in a while and have healthier food, and get a few hours of sleep a night, then your health shouldn't decline (well, at least not from your involvement with robotics).

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

If working makes you sick, then I suggest that you don't join any teams...or exercise...or do anything other than live a sedentary lifestyle for the rest of your days. Honestly, eat right and sleep. That may be a little basic, but if I can eat fast food five days a week (don't ask, it's a long story) and be all right, then you can do robotics and be fine. I honestly don't see how it can generate enough stress to create chronic disorders.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Robotics only seem to give me stress induced(sp) headaches. Other than that, its bad for my grades, i sign out of every class to work on it, and in turn, when my parents beat me for almost failing physics, yeah, id say its bad for your health. (yeah, i know thats a really bad run on sentance)

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

My hands are scraped, cut, and sore. My whole body is sore. I haven't had a day off since the kickoff. This stupid thing invades my thoughts and my dreams. I go to sleep thinking of it and wake up thinking of it.

The last two years, I've taken a vacation after the robot shipped and remember spending a lovely week on Kauai sick as a dog.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I actually think robotic enhances your health. I attend a very academically advanced (in other words: difficult) school, and I find myself doing the same thing everyday. Without robotics, I think I would die of boredom. (Being melodramatic :D )

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I don't know how bad it is... our team logs hours since we can't afford to bring everyone to the competitions. There is a small group of us that are usually the last ones to leave, and we usually start acting pretty weird near the end, so it probably does affect our health. Speaking of which I have 50.5 hours logged this week... so far (it was the 2nd half of exams).... O_O.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Well so far the worst injury physically was when a mentor of the was threading a well ground shaft through a bearing and got slaughtered by the key way. Lets just say the bearing his hand and the shaft were nice and red. His hand in 2 places. Next I'm trying to hammer a bearing out of a hole( yes I used a perfectly calculated screw that was just utterly perfect) that is until I kinda missed the screw and well Mr. Team captain decided to protect the Scrap piece from last years robot with his finger. But the broken bits end mills and drill bits total about 3 all together. Aren't good but Its Mr. Co-Captain that is good at sooting them at people. And that $@#$@#$@#$@# new drill bit its sharp when you decide to twist it in your fingers to unjam it because you stuck it in a pre-drilled hole. Also Gotta remember I come to robotics today and look at the tower we have it has a endmilled team number on it and on another side it doesnt resemble it. I finally remember ( I said hey Yoni How did the drill bit work on milling that aluminum) well you get the idea when someone trys to mill numbers into aluminum with a drill bit. :]

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Yes. Don't let the stress get to you. Don't let the large amount of work get to you and keep your eye on the goal. Every accomplishment deserves a high-five(every high-five deserves rebound). You aren't superman.

Oh yeah.

Most important.

Robots will kill you.

Watch those shifty bastards.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

*falls over in shock* There is no possible way that FIRST can be bad for you!! wait... is giving up sleep bad for you? Cause if it is I'm pretty addicted then...

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I think the real question is, How do we deal with stress without totally screwing up on the robot or otherwise. As wierd as the question sounds, it has some truth to it.
_Roboticks 408_ :]

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I'm okay, because I never was into this "sleeping" thing to begin with. :D

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

it can be if you're stressed about other things and losing sleep and whatnot. but other than that. i don't think so. :yikes:

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

If robotics is bad for you, well then I guess I'm gonna die. But hey, we all die eventually. At least I'll die happy :D .

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

The same happens to me every season and afterseason rebuild...and I couldn't be happier :)

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

yeah, dito to what karen said....plus, robotics is mentally stimulating - it's a lot less physically taxing than sports too. And I wouldn't be concerned about sleep (or lack thereof) - robotics just reaches you how to manage your time... :D

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I dunno, when I had my first FIRST dream (funny sentence) I woke up laughing. The robot was chasing Nick, a kid on our team that is about 5-1, around 75lbs. You would have to know the kid for this to be funny, but he was running away from the robot (in my dream) and the robot's vision sensor was working like a dream (that in itself seperates it from reality) finding his red shirt and locking on, following him in circles.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

YES... ITS VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY BAD for my health, cause I like it way too much that at times I will forget to sleep. I love FIRST. :]

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

No way! If by hazardous you mean thinking about robots 24/7, waking up at 2am in the morning to jot some ideas down, completely losing your social life, and staring at a computer until your eyes hurt, then yeah! :D

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Yes. and i LOVE it.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Well if almost breakin gyour finger counts for that sure. I was walking backwards through a door someone no names. Cough (Jacob son of the Dude that lets us use his shop also has brother tahtt got us connections when he was in robotics) Placed a scooter near the door I tripped over it dropping the robot slicing my finger while nearly breaking it and hitting the team caton on the head all at the same time!

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Long answer: Yes
short answer: No

or is it Long Answer: No
Short Answer: Yes

great now i am confused

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

well, its horrible for mine
i'm up now at 2am because i was programming, but now i have an essay to do for english :ahh: :ahh:

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I haven't had time to read through all this (just got back from the shop :ahh: ) but I would say yes, it is bad for your health. Sleep deprivation and metal absorbtion (like fine aluminum dust) are not good for you. Robotics probably brings down your physical health a little bit, but increases your mental health a lot, unless of course that aluminum starts to make you forget things. What was I saying?? :confused: :D

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

Well I don't know if robotics is bad for your health but I certainly know it's bad for your marriage. :rolleyes:

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

i dont think its bad for your health. however i do think its bad for your hands :]

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

since when is not sleeping, caring more about the robot and such bad for you? If it is how come I didn't get the memo? :ahh:

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

I spend six days a week in robotics meetings, and leave around 5 PM. Most team members stay until around 6 or even later. On Saturday, the meeting is from 8 AM to 5 PM. That's on top of school and homework. So if sleep is essential, then yeah, I'm in trouble.

Re: Is robotics bad for your health?
 

No, i dont think robotics is bad for your health. Always think safety first, to avoid any dangerous situations, if you dont then you can get injured and that isnt very good for your health. You have to be cautious about sleep, food, school, ect.. or it could potentialy be harmfull in some way, but no Robotics isnt bad for your health unless you let it be.