Pullman mayor visits the SciBorgs

Sara Moore, electrical sub-team leader shows Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson the electrical components needed to operates this year’s collector/elevator system that will pick up five-inch wiffle balls. From left to right: Sara Moore, Adam Brewer, Johnson and Micah Brewer.

The Palouse Area Robotics Team has “bagged and tagged” its robot and is now preparing to compete in its first competition of the year at the West Valley High School District on March 3-4 in Spokane Valley.

The “Sciborgs” team is made up of a group of 30 high school students from five high schools: Pullman, Moscow, Colton, Colfax and Garfield/Palouse.

Over President’s Day weekend, while the SciBorgs scrambled to build their robot before the appointed deadline, they received a visit from Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson. He toured the Lincoln Middle School science classroom and woodshop that is the home of the SciBorgs.

Over the Feb. 18-20 three-day weekend, the team spent 12-hour days constructing gear collection and winch systems for lifting the robot off the ground. Coding its autonomous programs also was finalized. Along with the mayor, the SciBorgs were also visited and helped by past alumni and close-by robotics team, the VIKotics of Palouse.

The two teams will compete against teams from around the northwest as far away as Anacortes, Wash.

The robotics teams began work on Jan. 7 to build their prototype under the theme of “Steamworks,” in which robots will capture wiffle-balls and place them in a steam machine for points. The machines will also need to climb a rope at the end of each game.

Each team had six weeks to build their machine.