4-H robotics program update

Aiden Feller (left) and Will Niestrath (right) set their robot up on the "mission board." Their task is to retrieve the chair pictured in the lower part of the photo, and to return it to the "base," the rectangle in the corner by Aiden. Gabe Franklin/Daily Mail

Nevada Daily Mail

The first Vernon County 4-H robotics class is coming to a successful close as only two meetings remain after Spring Break.

4-H Youth Educator Amanda Davis said that the spring program would end the last week of March. As a finale to the program, the last meeting for each of the two groups will be a demonstration for parents and friends of what they have learned throughout the past weeks.

Davis said that the kids love the robotics program, and while there is no shortage of interested participants, the program is in need of dedicated adult volunteers for this fall's season.

Sign up for the fall season should begin in late August or September.

Logan Jonker, Maker Space manager, explained how the program's new "mission board" worked. The mission board is a printed cover that is fixed to a 4-foot by 8-foot piece of plywood. The plywood has a raised wall around the edge preventing the robot from falling off the mission board.

In competition, the group's robot is programmed to complete assigned tasks on the mission board. Some of the tasks involve retrieving a Lego piece from the other side of the board, pushing a plunger to launch a dog, or flipping a lever on a stove. The robot has two and one half minutes to complete as many tasks as possible.

Chosen Reichard, Isaieh Jonker, and Navaeh Jonker were adding a catapult to their robot to complete the bowling mission. For the bowling mission, their robot has to launch a ping-pong type ball at "pins" and knock them over. The methodology is left up to the individual groups to decide on.

Phoenix Jonker, and Salem Jonker were working with their WeDo kit. They had built a sailboat that rocked back and forth and made life like sounds.

According to Davis, there are no plans for a robotics course over the summer. The next session will be start after Labor Day this fall.

For more information on the Nevada Public Library's Next Level facility go to http://www.nevadapubliclibrary.com/. For more information on the robotics program, contact Amanda Davis at the MU Extension office in the courthouse or call 417-448-2560.