Robot Ethics?

[Alexa Stott]

Don't take it apart unless it is absolutely essential. A few bits and pieces of some of our old robots have been taken off due to the fact that we absolutely needed a few of the parts, but we have never completely ripped one apart.

I remember my first robotics meeting, which was in the middle of September of this year. Some of the seniors took us freshman into our back room where we store everything. We have a shelf in there with about 5 robots on it. We were really able to get a sense of history just by seeing those retired bots up there. I looked at them, and realized what I was getting myself into. I was looking upon a legacy that I was about to become a part of. As some of the members told us about the robots, I was able to realize how much each of them meant to them.

Each season has its triumphs and some have its difficulties, and the robot is a symbol of what happened that year. Just think of the amount of time you spent working on that robot, testing it, programming it, designing it, building it, fixing it, etc. Now, do you really want to get take apart something you put so much into, just for a few more detailed CAD drawings? In a few year's time, you may revisit your old team (if you're still not with them, of course), and if you keep that robot, you can look back at it and remember how great this season was, or how you wished you had done better, or whatever.

Keep the robot around. It could be useful for inspiring rookies like me, or giving them a sense of history.

Besides, old bots are great for teaching new members programming, or even some of the mechanical aspects of building a robot.