Robotics Merit Badge

[Rick TYler]

I'm on the volunteer committee working on the Robotics MB (RMB). The requirements have not been finalized and the book is still being drafted, so there aren't many details to share yet. About all I can safely say is that:

1. The RMB booth at Jamboree has been wildly popular. We estimate that as many as 1,000 Scouts and Scouters per day have driven a demo robot and earned their souvenir RMB patch. It's not the MB, by the way, but a pocket patch. VEX provided the demo gear, including five drivable robots, one static display, and their big t-shirt shooting robot, along with other trinkets and t-shirts. The heat, humidity, and dust of the outdoor venue has been a great testing ground for robot durability. I know that I haven't worked on any competition robots that could survive 50+ hours of operation in these conditions.

2. The RMB will be released during National Robotics Week in April, 2011.

3. The requirements are NOT available yet, but I think you will be happy. In a nutshell, a Scout will have to research, design, build, and test a robot, including maintaining a design/test notebook, and that participation in organized competitions may be used to fulfill part of the requirements.

4. The RMB is completely brand- and program-neutral. The team chose neutrality as a primary goal from the beginning so that any robotics development platform (VEX, FRC kitbot, BEST, home brew, etc.) can be used to earn the MB.

5. The RMB patch shows a NASA Mars Rover robot. I believe this design is final, but you never know...

6. The team working on the merit badge has vast experience in industry, science, robotics competitions, and Scouting. I am privileged to work with these people.

That's about all I can say right now, but I will be glad to check back in as components of the RMB are cleared for public release. I'm not trying to keep stuff secret, by the way, it's just that the team is in the middle of making these decisions right now and the answers to most of your questions are simply not available.