REXBURG, Idaho –
Brigham Young University-Idaho hosted its first
annual robot competition Thursday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. BYU-Idaho students
built and programmed their own robots during an IEEE hosted event in the
Austin Building lobby.
“The main purpose is to get people into groups and engineer stuff,” said
Chris Latta, the chapter chairman, as he welcomed onlookers.
IEEE is the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. The
BYU-Idaho chapter has been up and running since January of this year.
There were two teams that entered their LegoŠ-made robots. Each team
created sensors and motherboards to power the robots and program them
which way to go through the maze. The students worked on these robots
outside of class on their own time specifically for this event.
Both robots were able to move and maneuver through the maze, but only
one was able to complete the course. The small crowd of students and
faculty cheered it across the finish line.
“The main goal is to get the students into groups, working together,
going through the design process, in pursuit of a common goal. In short,
we're trying to build thinkers and doers, and calling it a "robot
competition," said Latta.
Kevin Smith, a computer science and engineering faculty member is the
IEEE advisor. He was complimentary of the students who were getting
involved in the organization.
“It’s student driven, so it’s what they’d like to do,” Smith said of the
chapter and its activities. He spoke highly of the members involved and
expressed a positive outlook regarding the direction of the chapter in
future semesters.
The tentative plan is to continue this competition every year, but there
weren’t any promises. Latta did however mention his excitement for
improving their algorithms and products overall for a later competition
no matter when it takes place.
The IEEE is an international society, and helps set standards for many
technology devices including those for the Ethernet and the wireless
internet.