Students Use IronCAD to Design Top-Performing Robot Team Advanced from Local to Worldwide Championships ATLANTA, GA. May 03, 2007 – IronCAD today announced Fort Erie Secondary School’s team 1680, FESStronics, finished 27 out of 86 in the Galileo division of the FIRST Robotics World Championship. Over 1,300 teams from the United States and six other nations gathered at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome to compete for first place.
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) is a high school robotics challenge created by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway Human Transporter. Before arriving at the Atlanta World Championships, FESStronics participated in two regional competitions, placing 3rd out of 30 teams at Waterloo Regional and 4th out 68 teams at the Greater Toronto Regional, both in Canada. Students from Fort Erie Secondary School used IronCAD to design the robot that placed team FESStronics among top teams in their division. This year’s game, Rack & Roll, involved building robots that place inflatable inner tubes on an eight side-fixture, the spider, centered in the playing field. Robots start opposite each other in their “alliance” zones with 2 minutes and 15 seconds to score. For the first 15 seconds, robots run in autonomous mode using student-programmed instructions to execute tasks. Then, students take over by remote control. Points are awarded based the number inner tubes placed in horizontal and vertical strings on the “spider-legs”. Additional bonus points could be scored for lifting opposing alliance robots off the ground. From its announcement in the second week of January, teams from around the world begin working on the year’s unique challenge. Six weeks are allotted for teams to brainstorm; design; manufacture parts; assemble; program functions and drivability; test; and ship their robots to competition locations. During robot development, Team FESStronics used IronCAD to test different methods of solving challenges posed by the game. IronCAD’s ease-of-use and facilitation for quick designs allowed FESStronics to consider multiple designs before selecting one best-suited for the competition. Team 1680 started by planning how the robot would score and play out the game. After brainstorming, students designed several arm, claw and drive-base combinations using IronCAD. Modeling in 3D presented concepts clearly and allowed mentors to provide feedback on proposed robot designs. FESStronics was even able to track pars and assembly weight to make sure their robot did not violate FIRST’s 120 lb limitation. When significant changes to the robot model were required, IronCAD handled them efficiently, allowing students to focus on design and not on whether their model would break “Mentors for the team were very impressed with the ease of use IronCAD provided to the students. It was even easy for students to transfer files from IronCAD to their in-house CNC router and then to local manufacturing companies,” said Brad Zeigler, chief mentor for FESStronics. aero-safe technologies, an IronCAD user and local high-tech part manufacturer for the aerospace industry, provided additional help to FESStronics with nightly IronCAD training sessions at Fort Erie Secondary School. “These students had no prior CAD experience,” says Scott Collison of aero-safe technologies, “But with IronCAD’s ease-of-use it wasn’t a problem. Students instinctively knew how things worked because IronCAD is designed to feel natural when you build models,” he continued. In past years, Fort Erie Secondary School has seen enrollment increase significantly because of team FESStronics’ success in robotics competitions. Through the IronCAD-sponsored team, students learn a variety of skills including: engineering, design technology, computer science and animation. “The youth are the future of CAD and technology. That’s why IronCAD enjoys supporting programs like Fort Erie’s team FESStronics, which stimulate a passion for science and technology with today’s students.” said Cary O’Connor, Marketing Director for IronCAD, LLC. IronCAD and aero-safe technologies will continue to work with team FESStronics as students at Fort Erie Secondary School prepare for their 2008 season. To learn more about team FESStronics, visit their website at: www.fesstronics.ca. About IronCADBased in Atlanta, GA, IronCAD is a leading provider of 3D Design Productivity Solutions that deliver the highest levels of customer satisfaction and productivity. Solutions that can be used either standalone or as complimentary collaboration solutions of a broader PLM initiative. Its flagship product IronCAD has won many industry awards for its innovative technology and leads the industry in its ease of use and design productivity. IronCAD products are being used successfully by thousands of customers worldwide. For more information on IronCAD, call 1-800-339-7304 or visit www.ironcad.com. About aero-safe technologiesEstablished in 1981, aero-safe technologies inc. specializes in Ultra High Precision CNC Manufacturing & Assembly of high-reliability components for the Aerospace, Defense, Life Support, Satcom, Optical and Medical Industries. aero-safe’s highly skilled employees provide manufacturing solutions from prototype through production using the latest solid model CAD/CAM systems, CNC manufacturing technology and microscopic deburring techniques to ensure quality products with excellent surface finishes and burr free components. About Team FESStronicsTeam 1680, "FESStronics" is based at Fort Erie Secondary School in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, across the Niagara River from Buffalo, New York. Each year, Male and female students from all grades and subject areas work with mentors to design, manufacture and strategically drive a robot. Originally composed of 14 students in 2005, the team has tripled in size and is now in its third season of participation in the FIRST Robotics program. FESStronics is an extracurricular school program that encourages students to learn more about math, science and technology while having fun. A member of NiagaraFIRST.org, FESStronics has developed numerous business partnerships to assist with financial sponsorship, materials and mentoring. Through the program, students have acquired new interests, knowledge, and in some cases have set related career paths with local industries that have become aware of students' skills and abilities. |
