STEM introduction in a difficult circumstance

[Kuhnahtt]

Hello all, I'd like some advice concerning a small outreach event my team is conducting in Buffalo, New York. We are located in Georgia, and I have an opportunity to take time from my mission trip to teach little kiddos about STEM using our team's VEX bots, and letting them drive it around a bit.

I need some advice as how I can stick the information into these kid's heads. They live in an extremely rough area with a very low unemployment rate, and I would love to see them take interest in STEM and excel. I am going to contact the nearby robotics teams, but is there anything more I could do?

[Foster]

Maybe reach out to the teams in NY to see how they deal with "I'm in a New York State of Mind". Lots of teams in the Rochester area that have amazing outreach for teams along the northern tier.

Foster stupid question time (tm): Why travel 2000 miles to another state to do STEM outreach when there are a ton of places in your area that are in the same situation? I'm all for road trips, but is that the best use of time, money and effort?

If going to Buffalo was the goal, bag that, go across the river into Southern Ontario. Better Falls, things to see, they have poutine and butter tarts, etc.

Want to go half way, go to the bottom eastern shore of MD and Southern Delaware and build teams there. That area I have grant money for.

[Kuhnahtt]

Oh, I forgot to mention, we're doing this as a side thing because i'm going on a mission trip up there. Meaning we're not taking an entire team up there for just a small thing like this! But thanks for the ideas. Having a hard time getting in touch with teams from that specific area (Seneca area).

[Tom Line]

Show them the movie "Spare Parts". It's RIGHT up their alley.

[Foster]

OK, thanks for helping me out on "mission". I have two different clawbots (Clawbots Rock!) that I take with me depending on the age level (VEX or VEXIQ) and a few of the cubes from Elevation (foam cubes 2" square, you can hack a pool noodle into 2" slices) and a red Folgers plastic container. The future roboteers can drive the robots, grab the cube (or slice) and put it into the "goal". Cubes don't roll, I tried tennis balls to start and that's just a mess.

The VEXIQ robot is the clawbot from their docs, I just added a ton of extra connector to make it solid. There is a plate at the arm/claw joint that's weak, I glued those pins (It's a demo bot).

The VEX EDR (VEX metal) is a standard 4 wheel drive base, Upper support, with a shoulder joint (double driven, use the wide gears on BOTH sides), linear slide arm, to a wrist to a claw. This means lots of weight out front, so the battery pack is to the rear. I mount two battery packs, for weight and I know that I'll change them, so the first battery swap is just a cable swap.

The VEX metal robot has a potentiometer on it. Full left and one person can drive the robot, full right and one person drives the base (tank drive) and the second person drives the claw (shoulder, wrist, extension, claw). So the metal one has the ability to get your point of "communications as a drive team". I normally have the base driver become the claw operator and a new base driver, so everyone gets a chance at both positions. (You'll need to be the first claw operator).

Battery packs will be your downfall. You need to take lots of charged ones for the robot and controllers. Take a spare interconnect cable for the VEX metal, roboteers often walk away with the controller and break the cable. Invest in a tether cable for both robots for those two times the radios don't want to work or robot/controller are no longer paired.

Make a double sided handout with WHAT they did, WHY you are doing this, and WHERE to go next and WHO they can contact. In your case you will still need a Western Buffalo set of teams. Job skills, college grant money (between RECF and FIRST there is about $2.3 million in grant money every year) and that it's fun are good things to have on there. (Contact your RECF person for VEX they can help you out with contacts, etc.)

I have buttons that say "Clawbots Rock -VEX" that I give to the best drivers. Your FRC team most likely has a button maker (is there an FRC team that does not make buttons?) Giveaways are always good.

Less talk, more drive. Do a 5-9 minute talk about why robots are cool, why STEM is cooler and why they want to be the cool kids. 1 minute on the robot and how it works.

Good luck!

Edited to add: Since you are traveling, think about using thumb screws to assemble the arm to the base, that way it can come apart / be put back together for travel. The clawbots take up 18"^3 and the IQ robot is 13"^3 so that may be a consideration for your trip.