Friday, Aug. 15, 2008

FMHS Robotic Team Places 5th in World

Flower Mound Robotics Team Places 5th in World

By John English

Contributing Writer

A third place win in a national 2007 high school robotics competition was an impressive accomplishment for the Flower Mound High School robotics team students. But that win only led the team to challenge itself even more in 2008 – and the results were equally as impressive.

The FMHS students recently participated in the 2008 MATE [Marine Advanced Technology Education Center] International ROV [Remotely Operated Vehicle] Competition that also included college robotics programs.

The high school students placed fifth in the world, beating teams from Arizona State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology along the way.

Flower Mound High School CTE teacher and robotics team sponsor Ralph Szydlik said the showing was a great accomplishment for the school.

"This is just something that the kids really wanted to do," Szydlik said. "They wanted to get into it and into some real good learning situations. They all love doing CAD [Computer Aided Design] and the applied technology that makes the vehicle. They designed it ... and it [the win] was just huge for us."

The seventh annual international underwater robotics contest was held at the Scripps Institue of Oceanography and the University of California in San Diego.

Students were given several challenges in which they had to create a robot that could retrieve items submerged in water. They had to submit drawings, reports and presentations in front of panels, and then complete the tasks.

The FMHS team – brothers Luke and Collin Cragin, Nathan Georges and Sung Ho Park – created the remotely operated vehicle that earned them the fifth place finish at the international competition. Szydlik said he was even impressed with how they did that.

"Most kids work from the outside in," Szydlik said. "Collin told me that he and Luke wanted to find some kind of material that was neutrally buoyant. They found the material first, and actually built it from the inside out. That was incredible."

Collin Cragin, a recent FMHS graduate who will attend the University of Texas at Austin this fall, said creating the object took some doing.

"It was a remote-controlled submarine that was designed to perform three missions," Collin Cragin said. "It was fully waterproof. ... Last year, we made one that was homemade with materials from Home Depot – like PVC, piping, glue – but this year, we took it to the next level. We got some people to help us with parts ... and my brother designed the frame. He used a 3-D design program."

Luke Cragin, an incoming junior, captained the FMHS team. He said that while he was satisfied with the team’s showing, he is not sure what Flower Mound will do in 2009.