Knocking
Down the Pins and Dropping the Balls
by Dr. Robert Meditz
We all know that the
goal is to knock down the pins when bowling, but since when is dropping the
balls a good thing? Well, in Lego
Robotics it is one of the best ways to lead the pack in ‘Robot Performance’. Another way is to WOW them with an
‘Innovative Design’ to a problem the elderly have. Then of course you can make a lasting
impression on the judges in all areas so that you earn the ‘Judges’ Award’ or
take home the third place ‘Champions’ Award’.
However, the most valuable awards are earned by all the teams,
individuals, coaches, and parents – fun and fellowship with friends, learning
new and challenging material and skills, and an enhanced sense of mastery and
achievement in a competitive but cooperative environment. It was disheartening not to see every team
individually recognized for all their efforts and unique insights and solutions. Although even that offered the opportunity to
learn another life lesson – that the bar we set for ourselves is the most
important one that we need to cross.
Only we can determine where we set it, how we prepare for it, our
response to the result, and the future implications of either attaining our
goal or not.
Gear Masters - the seniors! |
Mindstorm Mechanics |
All 4 teams used
technology that is readily available and well developed so that it would only
have to be modified slightly for human use in their solutions.
Robo Squad developed a unique and affordable airbag system to prevent injuries from falls. Their prototype aimed to avoid hip fractures, given the great morbidity and mortality associated with them.
Mindstorm Mechanics put forth an ingenious web based video conferencing system to both check on and direct the elderly in their daily activities. From reminding them to take their pills to actually observing them for signs of illness or incapacity, a distant viewer could prevent problems from occurring or activate the emergency response system to intervene on life threatening problems.
Planetary forces dealt with impaired mobility by designing an elegant
motorized medicine cabinet. Their
ingenious design incorporated shelving changes and Velcro to maintain the
integrity of the contents despite the movement.
Gear Masters took a more behavioral approach by building upon the natural affinity and love of the elderly and their grandchildren for each other by teaming them up to exercise together when they can or to encourage each other to do the same. It is mutually beneficial because regular exercise minimizes many of the adverse health effects of aging while also helping to avoid the burgeoning rise in childhood obesity and the predicted increase in the weight related health problems it can cause.
Robo Squad |
Robo Squad developed a unique and affordable airbag system to prevent injuries from falls. Their prototype aimed to avoid hip fractures, given the great morbidity and mortality associated with them.
Mindstorm Mechanics put forth an ingenious web based video conferencing system to both check on and direct the elderly in their daily activities. From reminding them to take their pills to actually observing them for signs of illness or incapacity, a distant viewer could prevent problems from occurring or activate the emergency response system to intervene on life threatening problems.
Planetary Forces |
Gear Masters took a more behavioral approach by building upon the natural affinity and love of the elderly and their grandchildren for each other by teaming them up to exercise together when they can or to encourage each other to do the same. It is mutually beneficial because regular exercise minimizes many of the adverse health effects of aging while also helping to avoid the burgeoning rise in childhood obesity and the predicted increase in the weight related health problems it can cause.
It is a great pleasure
to announce that the FHRL did extremely well again this year. Mindstorm Mechanics won the ‘Judges Award’
for strong scoring in all categories.Planetary Forces won the award for ‘Innovative Design’.
Gear Masters took a commanding lead early in
‘Robot Performance’ and held on to it throughout the entire competition. In addition they won the Third Place
Champion’s Award, for overall excellence.
The combined teamwork of the children, coaches, and parents helped
achieved these amazing results. However,
even more important is that it showed the children that learning can indeed be
fun and that the values that lead to a successful team here are applicable to
all areas of life.
Gear Masters |