Alliance High School’s Science Research class has taken on the challenge of building a functioning robot from predominantly junkyard materials. The class of sixteen seniors has been working cooperatively to find avenues to make their robot a reality. The eclectic group has a wide range of ideas on what the robot will look like and what it should be capable of doing. “This is not just about making a robot,” said the group’s leader Austen Fults, “it’s about the experience of working together and truly foreseeing what this group is capable of,” Fults continued.

The class started the year by working with a partner to construct a mousetrap car, without using any instructions, to compete in a contest for the fastest and longest traveled vehicle.  They followed up this task with the objective to convert their mousetrap car into a solar powered vehicle again only using their previous knowledge and creativity.  Finally, the task was to construct a mini-robot capable of performing a variety of functions.

The next task for the group is to develop a junkyard robot. The group is currently in the process identifying and locating cast-off materials that will be needed when the construction of the robot begins.  The goal is to find as many of the necessary materials as possible through donation sources.  Recycling unused and unwanted materials into a useful product was the motivating premise behind the idea for the robot’s conception. “The purpose for the project is to locate as many necessary cast-off materials as possible to make the robot,” said the Science Research teacher Mrs. Joule. Joule also mentioned the project is type of a “Green House Project,” which encourages students to use what is available to them along with their ingenuity to build what they need.  The group has started to compile a possible list of materials they are going to recycle once the robot construction begins including: old printers, televisions, remote controls, cell phones, steel, metal, tubes and pipes.

The class has divided themselves into five different sections, each section having a specific task to contribute in making the robot. The groups are Hydraulics, Electrical/Radio Frequency, Tech Center, Design/Structure, and Public Relations. Each group has a designated leader with a certain area of expertise about their section. The leaders coordinate what each member will do and the sections compose research to find the most effective parts for their functioning piece of the robot.

There is also a side objective for the Science Research class of learning the process of grant writing.  The class will be writing a grant with the goal to augment the funding provided by Alliance Public Schools for the project materials needed that cannot be found in a junkyard.  The group is also in the process of identifying experts in the community that would be willing to assist with the areas of robot construction when questions arise.  As the class began to clarify their goals for the junkyard robot, they have realized the wealth of knowledge in the Alliance community they can draw on for support.

The operation of building the junkyard robot is a yearlong process with the completion date expected to be in the spring of 2014. If you would like to contribute your expertise or have any items that would be useful in the construction that you would like to donate, please call Alliance High School at 762-3359 and ask for Vicki Joule or email [email protected].