Jet Lastimoso, a UAA second-year mechanical engineering student and mechanical leader of the UAA Iceberg Robotics team, describes how this year’s VEX robots are designed. Photo by Kaycee Davis
The UAA robotics team – Iceberg Robotics – hosted an open house on October 3 for the community to meet members and learn more about their robots. Iceberg Robotics demonstrated last year’s robots “Sid” and “Granny” – named after the film “Ice Age” – as well as models of this year’s robots. They also operated a 3D printer throughout the evening.
Iceberg Robotics is participating in the VEX-U competition. This is a competition organized by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation to develop a robot to specific specifications.
The VEX-U competitions feature elementary through university divisions and give participants the opportunity to participate in their mission statement; “Science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science.”
Every year VEX-U offers a new game for robots – this year the game is called “Over Under”.
Jet Lastimoso – a UAA mechanical engineering second-year and mechanical lead for the 2023-24 Robots – said the game is played with tribal balls – often called “acorns” – and the goal is to create a robot that can put the balls in Scores goals and then can lift himself up on a pole at the end.
Lastimoso said this year’s robots don’t have names yet, but they’re thinking about “Scrat” and “Scratte” because the game involves acorns and Scrat and Scratte are saber-toothed flying squirrels in the movie “Ice Age.”
Robotics team members at the open house answered questions and worked with the 3D printer to create name tags for attendees.
Many families with children attended the open day to see the robots and the 3D printer. “I think it was a good event and the kids got to experience some of the toys that many engineers play with,” mechanical engineering student Robert Thorson wrote in an email.
The robotics club teaches practical skills beyond the classroom. Members say they gain valuable experience by building these robots.
Robotics team president Mya Schroder — a junior computer science and computer systems engineering major — wrote in an email: “I think the Robotics team teaches a lot of job-relevant skills that I can’t learn as much of in the classroom .” These include leadership qualities, initiative, teamwork, fundraising and so on.”
She wrote that she included her experience with Iceberg Robotics on her resume and that she thinks everyone else did the same.
The UAA Robotics Club meets on Fridays at 5 p.m. in the Engineering and Industrial Building
