Lego robots come to life at RIT
Ethan Anselm of Irondequoit knew how to build a robot out of Legos. But until he attended RoboWeekend at the Rochester Institute of Technology this weekend, he couldn’t make his robot move.
Now Ethan, 11, can do both.
Ethan and Ben Schirck, 12, worked together to construct a robot using a Lego NXT kit, and programmed their robot to move through a maze and pick up a ball.
The boys’ creation was exactly what event organizers had hoped participants would learn during the two-day RoboWeekend workshop, said Ryan Bowen, 24, a graduate student in RIT’s computer engineering program. The workshop is open to middle- and high-school age students interested in robotics.
“Before this workshop, I’d look at the box and wonder, ‘How can someone build one of these?’ And now I’m building them and directing them,” said Ben, also of Irondequoit. “It’s pretty cool and a lot of fun.”
By showing participants how to use the kit — and how to build and program a robot — Bowen said he is hoping the hands-on activity will foster interest in the field of robotics.
“This is definitely something I want to do when I get older,” said Danny Li, 11, of Farmington, Ontario County. Danny, a sixth-grader at Victor Middle School, said that although programming the robot was not simple, he’s glad he took the time to learn more about robotics.
“It’s fascinating that you get to tell the robot where to go and what to do,” he said. “The hardest part was programming it to make it go where I want to go. But I like that, rather than reading about it, you get to try it and play with it.”
Danny said he plans to ask for a Lego NXT kit for the holidays, so he can continue honing his programming skills at home. “It was hard at first, but once you understand how to program it, it’s easy to follow,” Ben said.
After racing their robots through the maze, participants toured RIT’s robotics lab Sunday afternoon, Bowen said.
