Middle school league draws teams from 6 area districts to compete in bots combat

Freeport Area Middle School claimed the King of the Ring title last year and is hoping to repeat that feat May 17, when teams from six schools across the region pit their tech-based creations against each other at Indiana Area Junior High.

It’s the second year the Freeport Area school has participated in the 3-year-old Southwest PA Combat Bots Middle School League.

Freeport Area’s entry was judged to be in the best shape among remote-controlled robots that remained in running order after taking part in a group rumble with robots from other schools in a portable arena set up in the Indiana Area gym.

“Our driver was the most aggressive,” said Mark Dempster, adviser of the Freeport Area middle school combat robotics club.

Unlike some other participating schools, the club didn’t arm its robot with a scaled-down weapon to use against its opponents.

“With a good driver, you can beat somebody with a weapon,” Dempster said. He noted the proper profile is critical to fashioning a robot that’s a real contender.

“Usually, it’s a wedge shape,” he said. “That makes it so another team’s bot can’t get under it.”

The league was founded by Indiana Area technology instructors Scott Herrington and Michael Dolges, who wanted to offer 11- to 14-year-old students the same excitement and hands-on skill development experienced by senior high students who participate in the similar BotsIQ competition.

With permission from Indiana Area school officials and funding available through the district and corporate donors, “we took it and ran with it,” Herrington said.

The number of districts participating in the middle school league has grown from just two, initially, to a half dozen this year. Mt. Pleasant Area and Seneca Valley are the latest to sign on, joining Indiana Area, Freeport Area, Homer-Center and River Valley.

Herrington said he and Dolges used BotsIQ as a model when setting forth rules and procedures for the middle school league. One of the primary differences is that the middle school robots each have a weight limit of 6 pounds, compared to the BotsIQ high school limit of 15 pounds.

That means many of the components used to build the middle school robots are made from durable plastic, rather than metal. The Indiana Area program, which has enrolled about two dozen middle school students, uses a grade of plastic that is bulletproof, according to Herrington.

He said the school has partnered with the Indiana County Technology Center, where students fashion weapons for the robots.

Otherwise, Herrington said, the Indiana Area students are tasked with building their robots from scratch.

“They have to do the wiring and everything,” he said. “They also have a portfolio they’re judged on.

“If their bot is torn up in the arena, they have to take it back to their pit area. We give each team 20 minutes to rebuild it and get it ready for the next fight.”

For some participating districts, the new middle school league is seen as a feeder program to keep up student interest in the high school BotsIQ version.

Mt. Pleasant Area, which has had a high school BotsIQ program for more than a decade, attracted 15 students for its first year in the middle school league.

“We’re hoping it will spark that interest and get more kids involved,” said instructor Matt Gross. “We have one team of boys and one team of girls. We had more girls sign up than boys, so they’re going to help with the boys’ team as well.

“I think it’s great that both (genders) are involved. I’d like to see everybody get involved in it.”

Female pupils from Mt. Pleasant Area’s Ramsay Elementary were among more than 100 students from elementary and middle schools in nine area districts across Westmoreland and Fayette counties who took part Wednesday in the second annual BotsIQ’s Girls Exploring Tech Day event at Westmoreland County Community College’s Advanced Technology Center.

The girls were introduced to the STEM skills required to light a model house and to build a simple robot that can draw shapes.

Part of the bots concept at all grade levels is to expose students to STEM-based careers, by partnering with local companies.

Gross said Mt. Pleasant Area has turned to Mt. Pleasant’s Roechling Machined Plastics, for materials needed for robots, and to Unity’s L&S Machine Company, which creates some components that can’t be crafted at the school.

“The students still have to put the parts together, learn how to solder, program all the stuff and learn how to drive the bot,” he said.

This year, Dempster said, Freeport Area’s two middle school teams — including four female members — are using a computer-controlled wood router and other district equipment to construct their pair of robots.

He said the bots competition can dovetail with the district’s introduction to robotics class.

“They see how the manufacturing tools are used to help build the bots, and all the problem-solving and trouble-shooting that goes into it,” he said.

Fielding four middle school bot teams, Indiana Area has held onto the league trophy, with the winner determined through portfolio scoring and a double-elimination arena tournament.

“We had at least 100 people show up to watch last year’s competition,” Herrington said. “We would love all middle schools to get involved with this.”