Reporters on the Job

Pathways School Noida Team 2

One more day of Robongiers, one more day of fun!

The Pathways Noida team 2 are the defending champions of the beginners group, and are excited about the Robongiers Inter-School Championship 2012-13.

They completed their initial robot in fifteen minutes flat and are very enthusiastic about trying it out in the terrain, where all the robots are going to fight for one trophy.

The students are smart and are not facing any problems. They are working keenly on the NXT software on their laptops and they are testing each and every step, every two minutes.

I wish them best of luck and will  catch up with them later!

-Dhruv Hajela 8x

Manav Rachna International School Gurgaon
Manav Rachna International School are the defending champions in the advanced group and they definitely expect to reach the finals this year. Their attempts till now have been magnificent and they are involved in their work like lamas in meditation.

They have divided their work equally and are showing true team spirit. The team is really enthusiastic and is enjoying the work they are doing.

The team captain is a good leader and is treating all the team members equally.

I wish them luck and catch up on them later!!!

-Dhruv Hajela 8x

Amity International School Gurgaon

At the beginning of the allotted building-and-trying time, the Amity team were completely immersed in the building of their robot for their challenge, The Explorer.  In fact, they were so immersed, that Mr. Andrew had to come around and remind them to document their process!

They were working together, with one member building complicated parts that fit together, to create a creative structure.  When he seemed to reach a roadblock, every member of the team looked over the Lego manual.  In fact, the Amity team was the only team that had brought the manual out to the breakfast table, to look over the parts and puzzle over the ones they would use to build.  They were also one of the teams that went outside and tried out their robot.  There seemed to be a problem, for the wheels racked up little sand piles outside.  But it worked remarkably well.  On returning inside, they talked to Mr. Dasharha about the problem, and got straight to their tables, solving it.  

More updates later!

Sameera Pant Grade 7x

Manav Rachna, Faridabad

The participants seemed confident and enthusiastic, yet a little tense (who wouldn’t be?) about The Explorer, which was the challenge they had chosen.

They were playing around and putting together a part or two, and figuring out the basic figure of their robot.  One team member seemed to be figuring out the program, which is, of course, a vital component of the robot.  They were deep in discussion as a team and analyzed the parts that they had created.  There were also minor disagreements, when one member would sit with a hand plastered on his head while the other wagged a finger.  A little while later, they seemed to be divided into two divisions, with three designing the components and two working on the program.   Another participant seemed to be documenting using a phone, while some of them went on working, oblivious to the camera winking at them.

More updates later!

Sameera Pant Grade 7x

Amity Internation School, Gurgaon

A short time later, the ‘Amitians’ went out once more, to test out their robot.  Unfortunately, they had experienced another problem, or perhaps the same one, and Mr. Dasharha and Mr. Andrew were explaining their problem.  When they returned, one could sense the dedication in them as they worked on the itty-bitty parts.  You could see them working with motors, touch sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and whatnot!  They worked together, building up what seemed like a fantastic machine, better than the one before.

More updates later!

Sameera Pant Grade 7x

Manav Rachna, Faridabad

Sometime ago, I spotted the Manav Rachna-ians out measuring something in the sand pit, for the Explorers, perhaps a preferred size for their robot? 

They were hard at work later.  Again, the work seemed divided up among them.  Two worked on a power point presentation, which must be how they have documented their process and the other three were working on an impressive-looking machine.  Let’s hope this robot will be able to build an Explorer that can brave the terrain !

Sameera (who else?)

Pathways School Noida

Pathways Noida is doing great. They have worked and finished on their structure and their programming. They are definitely awesome as a team, with each of them doing a small bit of each section of the job.

They programmed their robot to balance and walk on a string. Sadly, the first time they failed, the robot wasn’t moving properly! But hey, that’s part of the design cycle!! Try and try again, right?

Stay tuned!!

Kieren Mehra, 8y

Shri Ram - Team 1

The team from Shri Ram is very excited to be here. They told me that they feel as though they can win this competition. However, they feel that it is unfair that only they have a retail kit while the other teams have education kits that contain more parts.

Each team member was assigned a specific role according to their specialties. Every member was contributing heaps of ideas, so the builders needed to sieve through them to find a suitable model. The Shri Ram students kept on dashing outside to test their prototype, as the team repeatedly changed the design of their robot.

I look forward to see what they come up with at the end and wish them the best of luck for the challenges that lie ahead.

Nikhil Ramakrishnan, Grade 8y

Vasant Valley

When I got to their table, the Vasant Valley team was slowly falling apart. It started when Harsh decided to use a piece that Aryaman thought wasn’t right. I was afraid that it would turn into a full-fledged brawl. Before it got too intense, Avarokin turned away from his laptop and broke up the argument. The group then joked around for a couple of minutes and then went back to work.

When I came around the next time, they were having fun with the web cam. Any guesses who the fun-lovers in the competition are?

Nikhil Ramakrishnan, Grade 8y

American Embassy School

The American Embassy School was at a great place when I got to their table. They had a grip on things and the basic functions were ready and they were testing out what they were doing. The American Embassy School has excellent teamwork, always ready to help each other out and are extremely upbeat. They were just waiting anxiously to go and test out their newly modified model. Each of the team members has their specialities and they were assigned roles that were to their advantage.

More later!!

Riya Vasudeva, Grade 8y

Pathways World School, Aravali

Pathways Aravali is progressing fast; they are almost done and have come up with a brilliant structure that almost resembles two unicycles side by side. They also doubled the sensors for ‘extra power’ and are 110% sure they are going to win! I’d watch out, because they just might. Thus far, they have had nothing but positive results in this challenge. They hardly have any time to talk!

Tune in again!

Kieren Mehra, Grade 8y

Manav Rachna International School

When I got there, the participants from Manav Rachna were out in the atrium testing their robot. Unfortunately, their motor failed to activate and a wheel fell out. They tried several times to fix it but the result was fruitless. I followed them inside and they tried to fix their robot. When I came back, they told me that they had fixed it. Curious, I trailed them back to the atrium where they put their new and improved robot to the test. Sadly, they failed again. I guess it’s back to the drawing board for them.

Better luck soon!

Nikhil Ramkrishnan, Grade 8y

Pathways School, Noida-Team 2

The day has almost ended and the teams are thrilled to know the surprise which Mr. Andrew and Mr. Sevak have in store for them.

They have almost finished with the making of their robots and are working on the programing on their laptops.

They have divided their work equally and are working as a team. Two members are finishing the robot while the others are busy in programming.

At every step they test their robot in the atrium. After that they work on their weakness and keep on improving their robot, capable of winning.

Pathways Noida is a school working with utmost sincerity and dedication, and this is showing in their work.

Great Going!

Dhruv Hajela, 8x

Sri Ram Team #2

A fun, energetic, and cooperative group is an understatement for the Sri Ram Team #2!

They worked very well together, and made a LOT of progress. This team decided to go with the project of ‘Rope runners’ and overall their idea was fantastic. The team had a few issues with making the motor work, and they did get into a couple arguments, but they resolved their problems soon enough. They went outside to test their invention a couple of times, and I think soon enough, they will definitely succeed. Their happy faces will take them a long way!

Ashita Dhawan, 8y

Pathways School Gurgaon -Team 1

When I arrived at the Pathways school Gurgaon- Team 1, they were bursting with enthusiasm. They had a team name, ‘Roboways’ and  were so busy adding motors, wheels and axels and various bits and pieces, that I have no clue about!

They were so active and on their feet and had even named their brick, ‘Brick-Breaker’. The only problem was that they had a long way to go before they were done so I left them to it.

When I came back to check on them I was amazed at how much they had accomplished in such a short amount of time!

I wish them all the best for what lies ahead.

Riya Vasudeva, Grade 8y