GSL Robotics team competes in Steamworks robotics game

The weekend of March 2-4, the Glencoe-Silver Lake (GSL) Robotics Team participated at the North Star Regional at Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. They competed with and against 60 other teams in this year’s challenge, “Steamworks.”
Steamworks invites adventure clubs from an era in which technology relied on steam power to prepare their airships for the ultimate long-distance race.
Each team prepares to take flight in three ways:
• Build steam pressure. Robots collect fuel represented by green balls. They scored in high and low goals in their boiler. As fuel is scored, steam pressure in the tank on the airship builds — the high goal builds faster than the low goal.
• Start rotors. Robots retrieve and deliver gears to pilots on their airship, who then install them in the appropriate motor. Once a gear train is complete, the rotor can be started.
• Prepare for flight. Adventure clubs want their robots to climb aboard their airships so that they can assist the pilots.
Teams then move on to the autonomous period. Robots operate independently from pre-programmed instructions for the first 15 seconds. Points are scored by reaching the baseline, delivering the gears to the airship, and scoring fuel in the boilers.
The final phase is the teleoperated period, in which operators take control for 2 minutes, 15 seconds, and collect points by collecting and delivering gears to their airship, scoring fuel in the boilers, climbing the ropes for their airship to prepare for flight, populating gear trains to start motors and defending against other adventure clubs. The adventure club with the highest points wins.
The event began with a practice day March 2 to fine tune and work out the bugs of the robots. Friday, March 3, was the first day of competition.
In the first match GSL Team 4665 was the only alliance partner that was able to perform as the two other robots did not move from start position. As it was team 4665 still scored 57 points in that match. The team had four more matches that day and ended on a 1-4-0 record and a ranking of 58th out of 60 teams.
The team made adjustments and came back Saturday, March 4, to win its next three matches.
The robot is able to pick up fuel (balls) from the floor and deliver them to the low goal, transfer gear to the airship and climb the rope. The final ranking for the team was 35th place.
This is the first year the team is competing in two events; its next regional is at the University of Minnesota, Mariucci Arena, April 6-8. The top alliance partners from all regionals qualify for “World Championships.” The 2017 FIRST Championships will be held in Houston, Texas, on April 19-22, and in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 26-29.
Students on the GSL team include Daniel Cross, Tony Fischer, Mason Husted, Earl Janke, Jacob Jochum, Haley Kirchoff, Paul Lemke, Bjorn Lucas, Cullen Lukes, Cole Mathwig, Luke Mattson, Tyler Mueller, Luke Ness, Jonathon Norling, Tanner Novack, Blake Ortloff, Kole Polzin, Jon Ramige, Anna Salgado, Roxanna Sanchez, Ben Siers, Theresa Siers,, Isaac Swift, Eric Villnow and Eric Wheeler. Mentors, Jeff Jenson, ReNae Jenson and Mike Sundblad.