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Waiakea High Micro Robot Team Wins FIRST PLACE in Japan
Source:
Art Kimura
Waiakea High School's Robotics Club returned to Hawaii as WINNERS with 3 awards from the 16th annual Micro Robot Maze Contest held in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan. On November 11th at the Nayori Conference Hall, Nagoya University, the annual contest was hosted by General Chair, Dr. Toshio Fukuda, Nagoya University engineering department, and Secretariat, Hidenori Ishihara, Kagawa University.
As the first American secondary school team to enter, Waiakea HS competed with Asian colleges and other high school teams in a variety of micro-robotic contests. Their robots were so small (either one cubic inch or one cubic centimeter in size) that the students were required to use a microscope or magnifying lenses to work on them. The Hawaii team was mentored by Waiakea High School and UH College of Engineering alum, Riley Ceria, who is currently employed by the CalTech Submillimeter Telescope in Hilo, a strong supporter of Ceria's mentoring efforts.
Waiakea High School won awards for:
1. First Place - Fully Autonomous Micro Robot Maze Competition (robot name: Teeny Humuhumu)
2. Third Place - Micro Robot Racer (robot name: Stich.05)
3. Special Judges Award 5th Overall - Remote Controlled Micro Robot Maze Competition (robot name: Teeny Humuhumu)
Waiakea's team represented the United States and Hawaii honorably, not only in competition but in their conduct and with the "Aloha Spirit" they shared throughout their stay in Japan.
Also, as one of the four judges, I can attest to their competitiveness and their "gambate" attitude throughout. The skill sets they've gained in this robotics program are unique. The students design and fabricate their own circuit boards and develop an awareness and professional level skills used in industry (i.e., nanotechnology).
Their Japan itinerary included:
- The National Museum of Emerging Science and Technology
- The Sony ExploraScience Museum
- The Toyota Commemorative Museum and
- Meinan Technical High School
Among the competing Japanese high schools competing was Ritsumeikan Senior High School, which has been designated as a Super Science High School by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. An invitation has been extended to Hawaii to have Hawaii students and teachers participate in their annual fall Super Science Fair, a symposium of 100 student speakers, team events and home stay in October 2008, and to promote further cooperation and discussion about STEM through future student and teacher exchanges.
We hope that other Hawaii schools will be able to replicate our trip through the checklists and procedures that we've developed during this experience. If you are interested in organizing your own group to compete in the Micro Robot contest (the information includes ground transportation details, a list of museums to visit, typical costs and hotel arrangements, etc.), please let us know. We will be happy to assist you in planning your journey.
Congratulations to Waiakea High School and lead teachers, Dale Olive and Eric Hagiawara, mentor, Riley Ceria, and their students!
Art Kimura
Future Flight Hawaii
Hawaii Space Grant Consortium
http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/
Phone (808) 934-7261
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