“unlikely champs” - challenges.robotevents.com · we needed to know the last letter of the team...
TRANSCRIPT
“UnlikelyChamps”SandpiperHexperts–Team2014F SushantBhopale,SupritiBhopale,RishiIyengar,SweekritiRatnam
ThecrowdedgymnasiumatBlachMiddleSchoolgrewsilentasahundred
anxiousfacespeeredatthejudge.Twenty-fourteamsbattledandperseveredatthe
LosAltosTournament,withthisultimategoal–winanautomatictickettotheVEX
RoboticsStateChampionship.
“AndtheExcellenceAwardforElementarySchoolgoestoTeam2,0,1,4…F!”
“What?!Whatwasthatlastletter?”Weneededtoknowthelastletteroftheteam
name,becausethatwasouridentity.Ahalf-dozenteamshailedfromSandpiper
School,andweweretheSandpiperHexperts.
“UnlikelyChamps”SandpiperHexperts–Team2014F SushantBhopale,SupritiBhopale,RishiIyengar,SweekritiRatnam
“Didhejustsayourname?Areyousurewewon?”askedSweekritiwitha
bewilderedlookonherface.“Yes,Idefinitelyheard2014F!”saidSushant
confidently.Allofuswalkeduptothestagewithsmilesonourfaces,withaflutter
inourstomachs,andwithanexcitementaboutthepossibilitiesthatawaitedus.
So,whymightyouask,werewesosurprisedthatwehadwon?Weworked
hard,VERYhard.Wehadgreatteamwork.Infact,weareallgoodfriends.We
perseveredthroughdifficulttimes,includinghavinganalmostdisastrousstartat
ourfirstscrimmage,whenourrobotfailedtomove.Yet,wewerestillsurprisedto
hearournameaschamps,becausethecompetitionwastoughandnearlyeveryone
underestimatedus.
Whowouldhavethoughtthatateamwithtwo,third-gradegirls(withno
roboticsexperience)andtwo,fifth-gradeboys(withlimitedroboticsexperience)
couldhaveworkedsowelltogether?Infact,somehadwrittenusofffromthevery
beginning,remarkingthatonlyateamfullofboyscouldwin.
What do girls know about robotics? Third grade girls can’t
possiblybeonacompetitiveteam.Theyneedafewyearstobeon
a“learning”team.I’mnotsuretheycantakethepressure.
Wearesogladthatwedidnotlistentothosevoicesbutinsteadfollowedour
owninstincts.Weknewthegreatestteamsaregreat,notbecausetheyhaveasingle-
mindedview,butbecausetheybringtogetherteammateswhohavegoodchemistry,
eveniftheydonotagreeallofthetime.Tous,thatisthe“GirlPowered”motto.
“UnlikelyChamps”SandpiperHexperts–Team2014F SushantBhopale,SupritiBhopale,RishiIyengar,SweekritiRatnam
Tohavea“girl-powered”perspective,youdonothavetobeagirl.Weallcan
havethatperspective,ifwerememberthatbyliftingupthetalentsofgirls,weall
getliftedup.Thatiswhywearesoproudtohavetwo,strong-willed,girlsonour
team.
WelcometothejourneyoftheSandpiperHexperts,themostunlikely
champions.But,wearegettingaheadofourselves.Letusrewindtoourfirst
meeting,wherewetooknearlytwohourstoagreeonateamname.Allofus
participateontheMockTrialTeamatschool,andwelovetoargueforourown
pointofview.
“WeshouldbetheMasterCrafters.It’sacatchyname,anditrhymes,”said
Rishi.“Well,IthinkRockin’Roboticistsisbetter.It’sunique,andweliketodance,”
“UnlikelyChamps”SandpiperHexperts–Team2014F SushantBhopale,SupritiBhopale,RishiIyengar,SweekritiRatnam
counteredSupriti.“Wedon’tdance,”Sushantshotback.Thatishowitstartedand
continuedfortwohours.
Somewhereinthemiddleofourarguments,theparentsdecidedtocallfora
break,andwewatchedvideosofrobotstosparksomeideasfordesign.Getting
awayfromtheargumentsaboutourteamnameclearedourheads,andwhenwe
resumeddiscussion,weagreedonanameforourrobotandteamquickly.
“Webelieveinrobotics,right?Aren’twebelievers?”askedSupriti.“Believers,
achievers,fevers…”someonemused.“Whataminute.Weareusinghexballsthatwe
heave.WhataboutHexballHeaver?”proposedSweekriti.“Hey,that’sagreatname
forourrobot!”exclaimedtheboys.Whew!Robotnamewasdone.Teamnameleftto
do.
Somehow,westartedtalkingaboutHarryPotter,andthatledusdownapath
of“Hogwarts,Hexwarts,Hextables,Hex-ers,Hexonics,Hexians.”Thisdiscussionwas
endlessandnotveryproductive.“Aren’tweexpertsinrobotics?”askedRishi.“Well,
notyet,”Sweekritisaidreluctantly.Then,someoneblurted“Hex-perts.”Onebyone,
weallagreedtothename,withSweekritithelastholdoutbecauseofherconcern
thatshewasdefinitelynotaroboticsexpert,atleastnotyet.
Thatwasourfirstagreementanddisagreement,amongmanytocome.The
timewetookthatdaytosortoutourdifferencesaboutourteamandrobotname
wasimportant.Ithelpedushavebetterteamwork,andeventhoughwehad
differentviews,weworkedtogethertofindateamnamethatweallliked.Inthe
end,wefeltlikewehadreallyaccomplishedsomethingthatday,andthatwasthe
firsttimeweshowedourteamcheer.
“UnlikelyChamps”SandpiperHexperts–Team2014F SushantBhopale,SupritiBhopale,RishiIyengar,SweekritiRatnam
Afterourteamandrobotnamesweredecided,weturnedtoourSTEM
project,whichultimatelybecameentitledasthe“EffectofAcupressureonBlood
PressureandHeartrateAfterExercise.”Likenearlyeverythingelse,eachofushad
ouropinions,andnoneofuswereshytosharethem.
“DoesanyonehaveanideaforourSTEMproject?”ourmentorasked.Allfour
handsshotup.“Howabouttheeffectofvideogamesonbloodpressure?”proposed
Sushant.“Ortheeffectofexerciseonheartrate,”Rishisaid.Theideasjustwenton
andon:robotstohelpwithdyslexia,robotshelpinginsurgery,theeffectofTV
showsonheartrate,theeffectofmusiconbloodpressure,theeffectofexerciseon
appetite.
Oneideainparticulardemonstrateshowfarourbrainstormingwent.
Sweekritisuggestedthatweexperimenttheeffectofband-aidsonwounds.“But
wouldn’twehavetofirstcutthefingersofourpatients?”askedSushant.“Yes,that
wouldbeaproblem,”agreedSweekriti,ourSTEMlead.“Hmmm…wekeepbringing
upbloodpressureandheartrate.Howabouttheeffectofacupressureonblood
pressureandheartrate,”suggestedSupriti.“And,let’smakearoboticacupressure
devicetogowithourSTEMproject,”suggestedRishi.Everyonefinallyagreed!
Ournextchallengewastoactuallydesignourrobottogatherthemost
hexballsintothegoalsandgetthemaximumnumberoftotalpoints.Beforelong,we
realizedthekeywastogetourrobotparkedonabalancedbridge,becausedoingso
wouldgiveourteamawhopping25points.
Weneededarobotthatwasfast,agile,andcoulddeliverthehexballsintothe
goalseasily.Ourinitialdesignwasaclawbot.Inourfirstscrimmage,however,we
“UnlikelyChamps”SandpiperHexperts–Team2014F SushantBhopale,SupritiBhopale,RishiIyengar,SweekritiRatnam
realizedthatourdesignwasverylimited.Theclawbotcouldgiveusabout30points
atmost,andweknewthatwasnotgoodenough.
Backtothedrawingboardwewent.Weconsideredforklifts,otherclawbot
designs,andconveyerbelts.Intheend,wedecideduponamodified,forkliftdesign
thatcarriedtwoballsatonetime.
Thisdesignwasgoodenoughtoscore35pointsconsistentlyinthedriver’s
skillchallenge,withourbrother-sisterduoofSushantandSupritiasdrivers,andit
scoredusatopscoreof65pointswithanotherrobotintheteamworkchallengeat
theLosAltosTournament.Notbad!
“UnlikelyChamps”SandpiperHexperts–Team2014F SushantBhopale,SupritiBhopale,RishiIyengar,SweekritiRatnam
Thatleftourlastchallenge–programming.Wewantedourprogrammingto
scoreus35points,equaltoourdriver’sskillchallengescore.Aswiththedriver’s
challenge,ourstrategywasfortherobottouseonegoalpostasleverage,graspafew
hexballs,traveloverthebridgebackwards,turnaround,andusetheopposite
goalpostasleveragetodepositthehexballsintothegoal.Ifwedidthatjustonceand
parkedonabalancedbridge,wewouldscore35points.Makingthishappenwas
easiersaidthandone.Atfirst,withtheprogramweused,ourrobotwasnotpicking
uporretainingtheballscorrectly.Ourrobotwouldpickupahexballonetime,but
notcaptureitthenexttimethatweusedtheexactsamecode.Strange!
“UnlikelyChamps”SandpiperHexperts–Team2014F SushantBhopale,SupritiBhopale,RishiIyengar,SweekritiRatnam
“Boy,thisisfrustrating.Whatarewedoingwrong?”askedSushant,
scratchinghishead.Rishi,whowasourprogramminglead,suggestedthatwe
analyzetheproblemstepbystep.Wesoonfiguredoutthatourrobotwasgivingus
inconsistentresultsbecauseofdifferentstartingpoints.Ifourrobotstartedoffset
fromthecenterbyevenamerecentimeter,ourcodewouldfail.Therobothadtobe
linedupjustrightforthecodetowork.
“ButeveryVEXfieldmightnotbesetexactlythesame.Won’tthatbea
problem?”askedSupriti.“Yes.Ithinktheprogrammingstrategyweareusingistoo
risky.Ifourcodefails,wecouldendupwithzeropoints,”saidSweekriti.Ultimately,
weplayeditsafeandconstructedacode,sothatourrobotsimplyparkedonthe
balancedbridgefor25points.Weknewthatcodewouldworkonanyfield!Though
wewalkedintothetournamentunsureofthestrengthofourprogrammingscore,
wewerepleasantlysurprisedtofindthatmanyotherteamsalsousedthesame
strategy.Infact,somerobotswereunabletoevengetontothebridge.Atleastfor
theLosAltosTournament,oursafebetpaidoff,andwefeltgoodinthechoiceswe
made.
**********
Drivingsouthon101,thefourHexpertsstartdaydreamingintheminivanof
theirmentors.AstheyheadtotheStateChampionshipinSantaClara,hopingfor
anotherExcellenceAwardandapossibletickettotheWorldChampionship,theteam
hasmixedemotionsaboutwhatthefutureholds.
“UnlikelyChamps”SandpiperHexperts–Team2014F SushantBhopale,SupritiBhopale,RishiIyengar,SweekritiRatnam
“WecouldmakeittoWorld’s,butthecompetitionistough,”saysSweekriti,
alwaystherealist.“We’regonnadoit!”exclaimsRishi,doinghisbesttocheeruphis
teammates.“Guys,wejustneedtothinkpositiveandtryourbest,”pleadsSushant.
“Nooneexpectedthisofus.We’vemadeitthisfarbecausewetrustedineachother,
evenwhenothersdidnot,”Supritiwhispers.Supriti’ssoftwordsrouseanother
Hexpertcheer.HowdoestheHexperts’storyend?Onlytimewilltell.
CREDITS:
“UnlikelyChamps”
Team2014F–SandpiperHexperts
(lefttoright:SupritiBhopale,SweekritiRatnam,SushantBhopale,RishiIyengar)