The New Year Brings New Challenges for SM West Robotic Club
With the start of ’08, the Shawnee Mission West Viking Robotic’s team begins it third competitive season. This year’s robotic game, “Overdrive,” was unveiledby the FIRST Robotics, an international competition of 16,000 high school students from all 50 states and 20 foreign countries.
FIRST, the acronym of “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science andTechnology” was founded 19 years ago by noted inventor Dean Kamen as an avenue for students to demonstrate their talents in engineering, design, computer science and other technical areas.It’s Kamen’s vision to make theserobotic, and other featured technical completion as common and as popular as high school basketball games. With well over 2,000 teams, five of which in the Shawnee Mission district, Kamen’s dream is on its way to being realized.
To celebrate the unveiling of the details of this year’s game via an international video conference broadcasted by NASA, SMW Viking Robotics hosted a pancake breakfast fund raiser and robotic carnival in the high school’s cafeteria. The student’s and guests watched as the details of the game were revealed and include capturing, controlling and herding a 40” wide inflated exercise ball around 100 foot oval track. Points are given for the number of circuits each team completes, as well as bonus point for successfully passing the ten pound ball over a 7 foot hurdle at the start/finish line. 
“It’s a difficult and daunting challenge,” said Rob Dudek, lead sponsor of the club, “But the students are excited and already discussing various engineering strategies and designs to successfully complete challenge. “ He added: “With only six weeks, the time limit given to all the teams in the competition, to design and build our robot from scratch our students are going to be very busy for the next month-and-a-half.”
Assisting the students are professional engineering mentors who advise and guide the club’s members on all phases of the building process. Mr. David Kautz, an electrical engineer with Honeywell, Inc., is one such mentor. “I became involved with FIRST and the SMW club when my youngest son participated three years ago. 
Now he has graduated, and I am still involved, and several of my fellow engineers at Honeywell are participating here at West, and at other schools in the area. It’s a lot of fun, and it great to watch how these kids tackle solving the engineering challenges they are presented with. “ Besides Honeywell, other companies assisting teams in the KC area are the Kaufman Foundation, Garmin Industries, KC Robotic’s Club, and Black &Veatch are just a few of the area companies supporting FIRST teams in the KC metro area through direct financial contributions, supplying mentors, or both.
Why do students participate? According to Ms. Vicki Davis, co-sponsor of the Viking Robotic Club, “Many students are in it for the challenge and the chance to participate in a real competition with other schools and students. They get a real kick on being on the Hale Arena floor, next to the Kemper Arena. With the music, the crowd noise, and overall excitement it gives them a chance to be in the spotlight. Other students are involved, at least partially, for college
scholarship opportunities. FIRST has over 16 million dollars in scholarships. One of our students was awarded a $2,500 annual scholarship to Kansas State University, just for participating in the FIRST program.” Ms. Davis went on to say: “We are always on the look out for students wanting to participate in our club, and they don’t have to be involved in the technical side of the competition. One of our biggest need are students interested in business, advertising, public relations, computers and other areas. We try to make this an opportunity to see how to set-up and administrate a technical business, but on a student-level scale. It’s a great learning opportunity.
Any companies, engineering professional, organizations or students that would like to participate or support the SMW’s Robotic Club are invited to contact Mr. Dudek or Ms. Davis at the SMW high school at (913) 993-7800.
First Robotics Challenge
FRC is a team sport that is played on a larger scale. The teams have six
weeks to solve a given problem using a stand kit of parts and a common set of
rules.........
Our success will be defined by design, spirit, drive, skill, and
determination. FIRST ROBOTICS was founded by Engineer/Inventor Dean Kamen. First promotes
science, engineering, and technology. We will learn how to win and show
gracious professionalism. Team 1777 will show teamwork and cooperation. Dean Kamen is an inventor, entrepreneur and advocate for science and technology.
