"A is for Ampere"

Ladyada’s “E is for Electronics” is a coloring book adventure with electronic components and their inventors. Makers of all ages can learn, color, and share common parts and historical figures throughout history. Explore the world of electronics with Ladyada as your guide!

Here’s an excerpt: “A diode lets electrons flow in only one direction. It works like a switch: when current is flowing one way, the switch is on, but when current tries to flow the other way, the switch turns off. Sir John Ambrose Fleming is best known for inventing the diode, originally called the kenotron.”

Hawk Senior Wins Tech Service Scholarship

Congratulations to Hawk tech support student Mitchell Lafferty (photo, left). Mitch is on the VEX robotics team and is the winner of the Palm Beach County school district’s 2013 Pat Oliphant Memorial Student Technology Service Scholarship. Lafferty will receive the $500.00 award at the May 15 school board meeting.

Let's Plan for VEX Next Year!

Each season’s VRC game is a complex challenge for teams to design and build a robot for. Each year a new game is released in April; students design and build robots throughout the year, competing at local events. 

But certain game aspects repeat themselves, year after year. Team 1614 has been playing VRC five years now:

• VRC Season 2012-2013 Sack Attack 
• VRC Season 2011-2012 Gateway 
• VRC Season 2010-2011: Round Up 
• VRC Season 2009-2010: Clean Sweep 
• VRC Season 2008-2009: Elevation

At today's meeting, we made a list of some of those aspects. It is reasonable to predict that whatever robot is designed for VEX next year will need to address these challenges:

• FIELD ELEMENTS - Many game objects
• FIELD ELEMENTS - Height Challenge of different sized goals
• FIELD ELEMENTS - Different sized game objects
• FIELD ELEMENTS - Played on foam mats
• AUTONOMOUS MODE - tape on the field requires sensor(s) to follow tape
• AUTONOMOUS MODE Followed by DRIVER MODE
• DRIVER CONTROL MODE - Assisting our alliance partner if overturned
• STRATEGY - How to score/descore objects
• STRATEGY - Organization! A place for everything. Don't waste time looking
• STRATEGY - Alliance selection scouting reports
• STRATEGY - Selling ourselves, advertising for alliance partners in playoffs
• STRATEGY - Interview with Judges
• STRATEGY - Have fun!

LET’S PLAN FOR VEX NEXT YEAR! SOLUTIONS
Next year's robot should be versatile enough to address those challenges with some core design philosophy:

• ROBOT BASE - Holonomic base, Omnidirectional wheels
• ROBOT BODY - Low Center of Gravity
• ROBOT BODY- Scissor Lift
• ROBOT BODY - Motors in bottom
• ROBOT BODY - Battery Access, add weight to bass
• ROBOT BODY - Short telescoping arms for hard to reach heights
• STRATEGY - 2nd controller
• STRATEGY - photos of other team robots -- what's working for them?

Remember the 7 Ps: Prior planning and practice prevents piss poor performance!

20121209 VEX Sack Attack at Gulliver Prep

(Click on the first picture to flip through a photostream of 2012 VRC "Sack Attack" South Florida Championship at Gulliver Prep)

Seminole Ridge SECME students competed in the South Florida Championship of the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami on Sunday, December 9.

Seminole Ridge VRC Team 1614 consisted of robot driver Jesse Mendheim, and field scout Mitch Lafferty. To prepare for the competition, the group designed and built a robot (affectionately nicknamed  “Sack Sucker”) that could quickly and efficiently solve the specific obstacles and challenges in playing VRC Sack Attack.

The action-packed day required middle and high school students to execute VEX Sack Attack, a game that is played on a 12’x12’ square field. Two alliances – one “red” and one “blue” – composed of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a fifteen-second autonomous period followed by  one-minute forty-five seconds of driver-controlled play. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent alliance by scoring bean-bag like sacks in goals, earning bonus points and ‘parking’ robots at the end of a match.

Our students competed with and against 40 teams from across the state—Melbourne to Miami, Bradenton to Boca. The Hawks finished the qualifying rounds with a record of 3 wins, 5 losses, and missed making the playoffs. But coaches Erich Landstrom and Ed Batchelor are proud of their team taking what they’ve learned in the afterschool SECME program and applying it in an academic sport. Landstrom pointed out that building and programing a competition robot from the ground up, they are developing critical skills for the workforce including hard work, team work, collaboration and leadership: “We are building more than robots here, we are shaping inventors and innovators.”

Each week, Seminole SECME students apply what they‘ve learned about science, technology, engineering, and math in order to build the semiautonomous VEX machines. And through the competition students learn an equally important skill set: communication, project management, site management, and composure, working together on a variety of challenges and obstacles requiring problem-solving skills.

Our SECME VRC team must raise funds to cover the cost of robot parts, competition entry fees, and transportation expenses. Support them this holiday season—make a matching gift at http://tinyurl.com/AdoptSeminoleSECME. All gifts are welcome! 

VEX Sack Attack

VEX Sack Attack is played on a 12’x12’ square field. Two alliances – one “red” and one “blue” – composed of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a fifteen second autonomous period followed by one minute and forty-five seconds of driver- controlled play. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing Alliance by scoring sacks and bonus sacks in your colored floor goals, troughs and high goal, and by having the most robots of your color parked at the end of the match.

PBAU Math and MODS VEX

Click on the first picture to flip through the photoalbum of Seminole Ridge SECME on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at the Palm Beach Atlantic University mathematics and computer science competition. In Fort Lauderdale, Coach Landstrom, Bert Sivongsay, and Jesse Mendheim demonstrated VEX Robotics at the Museum of Discovery and Science.

Seminole Ridge students Samuel Smith, Mitch Vasquez, Jaret Rimel, Seham Ahmed, and Keith Miner participated in the 4th annual Palm Beach Atlantic University mathematics and computer science competition on Saturday, May 12, 2012. Nine high school teams from Boca Raton to Ft. Pierce attended the competition.

The team members are math whizzes from the school’s SECME engineering and MAθ (Mu Alpha Theta) math honor society. During the competition, students solved three sets of paper and pencil problems in algebra, trigonometry, statistics and pre-calculus problems using Texas Instruments graphing calculators.

The team from Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach was declared champion of the 3-hour competition. Atlantic’s 5-member winning team consisted of seniors Hayden Jansen (also winner of the Pathfinder Award in Mathematics), Michael Klionsky (Valedictorian), Gowri Nayar, Hanif Ahmed and Benny Tom. Atlantic’s winning team members won TI-Nspire graphing calculators and $375 in gift certificates to Best Buy. It was the second competition championship for Atlantic in the last three years of the competition.

Following Atlantic in 2nd place was the team from Suncoast Math/Science/Engineering (MSE) Magnet School. Seminole Ridge finished behind Suncoast and Atlantic High Schools, for a fourth place finish, and received $10 gift cards to Best Buy. Coach Ed Batchelor, math teacher for Algebra 2 and Geometry Honors, is proud of their honorable mention.

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Meanwhile, it was mechanical mayhem at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Ft. Lauderdale on May 12th as mentors and high school students from engineering programs teamed up for robotic demonstrations. Seminole Ridge students Bert Sivongsay and Jesse Mendheim showcased VEX Robotics, with the school's "The Iron Dragon v3" running a maze and manipulating Gateway game elements of barrels, balls, and rings.

Other teams from West Broward, American Heritage, and Cypress Bay showcased FIRST Robotics (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) shooting hoops in the "Rebound Rumble"

VEX and FIRST programs are designed to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership

FIRST Robotics Day at Museum of Discovery and Science

It’s Mayhem at the Museum of Discovery and Science as mentors and students from FIRST Robotics (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) team up for robotic demonstrations on May 12 & 13, 2012. FIRST programs are designed to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. Fort Lauderdales Museum of Discovery and Science

South Florida FIRST Robotics, March 29th – 31st

This year Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton will be the site of South Florida’s FIRST Robotics Regional competition where high school teams from the entire state of Florida, North America, and Central America will compete. Over 40 teams will bring 1,600 high school students and 1,000 mentors, family members and supporters to this event in March of 2012. For more information about FIRST: http://firstinflorida.wordpress.com. For inquiries or questions directly about FIRST activities in south Florida, please send your emails to: robosofl@gmail.com.

Seminole Ridge Robotics Team Wins “Clash in Clermont”

Seminole Ridge Robotics Team Wins “Clash in Clermont”

Seminole Ridge SECME students won first place at the “Clash in Clermont” on Saturday, February 18, 2012. The Hawks took home the trophy from VEX Robotic Competition Gateway tournament, and qualified for spot at the VEX Robotics High School World Championship in April!

VRC Team 1614 consisted of robot driver Bert Sivongsay, field scout Jesse Mendheim, and programmers Brendon Gearty, brothers John and Joe Swierzko, and coach Ed Batchelor. To prepare for the competition, the group has designed, built, and programmed a robot that could quickly and efficiently solve the specific obstacles and challenges in playing VEX Gateway.

Assistant Principal John Hay looks on as Seminole SECME students Joe Swierzko, John Swierzko , Bert Sivongsay, and Jesse Mendheim of VEX robotics team 1614 program their robot for autonomous operations.

Our students competed with and against 30 teams from across the state—Melbourne to Miami, Loxahatchee to Leesburg. At the end of qualifying rounds, we ranked sixth with four wins and two losses. Advancing into alliance selection for the playoffs, the Hawks put together the winning trio of teams made of team 880A Wolverine Robotics from Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami, team 1365A ERM Robotics from East Ridge Middle School and team 1614 Seminole SECME from Seminole Ridge High School in Loxahatchee. Our alliance won the best two out of three against the previously undefeated Carver Crazies and the Red Raider Robotics from Carver Middle School.

Our SECME VRC team must now raise funds to cover the cost of robot parts, competition entry fees, and transportation expenses. Support them this spring — make a matching gift at http://seminolesecme.blogspot.com

The 2012 VEX Robotics World Championship is a gathering of greatest robotics teams from around the world to celebrate their accomplishments and compete with/against the best of the best. Held in Anaheim, California on April 19-21, 2012, it will include top-ranked teams from over 230 VEX Robotics Competition Gateway tournaments happening in cities around the world from May 2011 to March 2012.

The goal of VEX Gateway is to attain a higher score than the opponent by scoring ‘barrels’ and ‘balls in goals. Two alliances—‘red’ and ‘blue’—are composed of randomly paired teams to compete during a twenty-second autonomous period followed by two minutes of driver-controlled play. The allies work both independently in the isolation zones behind the Gateway and together in the interaction zone.
Clash in Clermont qualifying round
Giving SECME students the opportunity to work with the VEX robotics systems promotes education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and teaches critical life skills such as teamwork, project management and problem solving.

Each week, Seminole SECME students apply what they’ve learned about science, technology, engineering, and math in order to build the semiautonomous VEX machines. And through the competition students learn an equally important skill set: communication, project management, site management, and composure, working together on a variety of challenges and obstacles requiring problem-solving skills.

Hawks Compete in Gulliver Gateway VEX South Florida Championship

(Click on the first picture to flip through the Gulliver VRC Gateway photostream)

20111204 VRC Gulliver Gateway

Seminole Ridge SECME students competed in the South Florida Championship of the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami on Sunday. VRC Team 1614 consisted of robot drivers sophomore Connor Piegaro and freshman Bert Sivongsay, field scouts junior Kadeem Spencer and sophomore Jesse Mendheim, and programmer Brandon Gearty. To prepare for the competition, the group worked together to design and build a robot (affectionately nicknamed “Iron Dragon”) that could quickly and efficiently solve the specific obstacles and challenges that come with playing the game VEX Gateway.

The goal of Gateway is to attain a higher score than your opponent alliance by scoring barrels and balls in goals, earning bonus points and doubling or negating goals. Two alliances—‘red’ and ‘blue’— are composed of randomly paired teams to partner that compete during a twenty-second autonomous period followed by two minutes of driver-controlled play. The allies work both independently in the isolation zones behind the Gateway, and together in the interaction zone.

The students competed with and against 47 teams from across the state, Melbourne to Miami, from Bradenton to Boca, at the tournament. The Hawks qualified for the quarterfinal’s but were one-and-done during the playoffs. (Their record in the qualifying rounds was 2-4, and just made the playoffs cutoff as team 32). Still, the team’s coach, physics teacher Erich Landstrom, is impressed with the team: “We are building more than robots here - we are shaping our future innovators to positively impact the world around them.”

Each week, Seminole SECME students apply what they’ve learned about science, technology, engineering, and math in order to build these semiautonomous VEX machines. And through the competition students learn an equally important skill set: communication, project management, site management, and composure, because students have to learn to ‘fail faster’: not just how to win. but how to recover from losing. They work together on a variety of challenges and obstacles requiring new problem-solving skills.

Seminole SECME VRC team #1614 raises funds to cover the cost of the robot parts, competition entry fees and transportation expenses by asking the local community for support. Please support Seminole SECME this holiday season and make a matching gift at http://tinyurl.com/AdoptSeminoleSECME . Give $3, $30, or $300 -- all gifts are welcome.

REAL "Real Steel": Seminole SECME in Miami VEX Robotics Competition

(Click on the first picture to flip through the VRC Belen Jesuit Prep photostream)

20111022 VEX Belen Jesuit

(Click play to watch videos from VRC Belen Jesuit Prep)






Seminole Ridge students from VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) team “Underdogs” soared through the semifinals, but fell during the finals, at the Miami Official VEX Gateway qualifier hosted at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami this past weekend.

VRC team 1614 was comprised of 3 members: freshmen Bert Sivongsay, sophomore Jesse Mendheim, and junior Kadeem Spencer. To prepare for the competition, the group worked together to design and build a robot (with the assistance of sophomore Connor Piegaro) using the VEX Robotics Design System that could quickly and efficiently solve specific obstacles and challenges that come with playing the game VEX Gateway.

The action-packed day required middle and high school students to execute VRC Gateway, a game played on a 12’x12’ square field. Two alliances – one “red” and one “blue” – composed of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a twenty-second autonomous period followed by two minutes of driver-controlled play. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent alliance by scoring barrels and balls in goals, earning bonus points and doubling or negating goals. As tournament finalists, the team has qualified for the chance to compete during the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship in California against top teams from over 20 countries worldwide.

While the Red Alliance of Team 4411A “WARwolf ROBOTICS” from the TERRA Environmental Research Institute and Team 5959 “RAMTECH” from Miami Coral Park Senior High School won the event overall, many other teams received esteemed awards. Award-winners included Seminole SECME’s Blue Alliance partners, Team 4330N “Invention” from Ransom Everglades Middle School in Miami.

Seminole Ridge SECME Team 1614 will be competing in the upcoming South Florida Championship VRC on Sunday, December 4, 2011 at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami. The event is open and free for media, families, and other community members to attend.

The Underdogs team raises funds to cover the cost of the robot parts, competition entry fees and transportation expenses by outreaching to the local community for support. Please support STEM education. You can help us by making your direct donation to Seminole SECME. Learn more about Adopt-A-Classroom at http://tinyurl.com/AdoptSeminoleSECME . Give $3, $30, or $300 -- all financial gifts are welcome.

Erich Landstrom, the team’s advisor said, “I am proud of these students for their ability. The students competed with and against 32 teams from south Florida, rising to become one of the final four teams at the end. We are building more than robots here - we are shaping our future innovators to positively impact the world around them.”

Each week, SECME students apply what they’ve learned about science, technology, engineering and math in order to build the semiautonomous machines. An equally important set of skills is learned through the competition -- communication, project management, site management and the importance of composure, because students have to learn to fail faster: not just how to win but also how to recover from losing. They work together on a variety of challenges and obstacles - requiring them to develop new problem-solving skills both individually and as a collective whole - as they think, create, build and amaze, to design a robot that they will use to compete in one of many tournaments throughout the year.

Joining a VEX Robotics Competition team enables students to experience a variety of roles on the team, and share responsibility for all aspects of the building, programming, designing and management process. No prior experience is required, just one’s imagination, desire to build, and willingness to be a team player.

LCBC: The Next Generation

VEX team 1614 (go Underdogs!) at Seminole Ridge SECME. During this lesson in robotics they investigate the concepts underlying energy transfer; and through experiments they build an understanding of the relationships between forces and motion. It include demonstrations and hands-on experience examining electrical and kinetic energy, power, DC motors, torque, traction, fritction, simple machines, levers and gears, chains and sprockets , etc. In mathematics, students apply an understanding of ratio and proportion as they explore the relationship between gear ratios and the radius of a wheel.

20111005 VEX - SAE AWIM Gearbox

The SAE A World In Motion program brings science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to life right in the classroom. In the Motorized Toy Car challenge students develop new designs for electric gear driven toys.

Robotics exhibit at South Florida Science Museum

NASA News: A Salute to Spirit

NASA Science News for June 3, 2011
It's been more than a year since NASA has heard from Mars rover Spirit. The agency says it may be time to say "thanks and farewell."

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/03jun_spirit/

VEX Gateway

The 2011/2012 VEX Robotics Competition game Gateway. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent by picking up colored balls and barrels and placing them in circular goalposts of varying heights. But the gate bars the way from the isolation zone to the interaction zone!

Hawks Claw Their Way to VEX Robotics World Championship

Hawks Claw Their Way to VEX Robotics World Championship at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on April 14-16, 2011
2011 VEX Robotics World Championship
Seminole Ridge High freshman Connor Piegaro joined nearly 10,000 middle school, high school and university participants from 16 countries around the world to compete in the action-packed 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship at the Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando, Florida on April 14-16, 2011. Kari Byron, host of the Discovery Channel’s hit show MYTHBUSTERS and the Science Channel’s HEAD RUSH, emceed as teams from the United States, Canada, China and New Zealand triumphed or got toasted during the intense three-day tournament. This year, almost 600 out of the nearly 4,000 VEX Robotics Competition teams earned the right to bring their robots to the roundup.
Team 1614 Connor Piegaro and Coach Erich Landstrom from Seminole Ridge High
Round Up, the 2010-2011 VEX Robotics Competition Game, is played on a 12’x12’ square field where two alliances composed of two teams each compete against one another. Each match consists of a twenty-second autonomous period where robots are controlled by onboard software, followed by two minutes of human-operated play. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent alliance by having your robot place round tubes upon goalposts, owning goalposts, and by your robot climbing the ladder in the center of the field and hanging high off the ground.

Erich Landstrom, Seminole SECME school coordinator, points out that Seminole SECME had great success in their inaugural year of VEX Robotics Competitions. Team 1614 from Seminole Ridge won the Miami VEX Round Up Qualifier in October, and finished as finalists at the South Florida Championship in December and the “Mayhem in Miami” in January. Our robots are clearly to be reckoned with, a masterpiece of machined metal, a Cinderella story of circuits and steel at ‘bot ball. All attending teams qualified for the championship after dedicating countless hours to honing their building, programming and strategy skill sets to outperform and outmaneuver others in order to reach the international stage. After a series of intense back-to-back scrimmages, Connor controlled the BBot from Seminole Ridge High to record of four wins, four losses, and one tie during the qualifying rounds, and a ranking of 52nd place.

Landstrom applauds Piegaro’s perseverance and the Hawks hard work: “Giving SECME students the opportunity to work with the VEX robots promotes education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and teaches critical life skills such as teamwork, project management and problem solving. But celebrating National Robotics Week at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex gives the event mainstream recognition similar to that of an international sporting event.”
Team 1614 Connor Piegaro and Coach Erich Landstrom from Seminole Ridge High
Upon arrival, students were showered with confetti from bursting canons, welcomed by stilt walkers, a resident DJ, and entertained by a graffiti artist that painting the town robo-red in honor of the intense competition. The games kicked off on Thursday and continued Friday when teams from around the world poured into the stadium for the opening ceremonies, waving colorful flags from their respective countries and hailed by Mickey and friends. MYTHBUSTERS & HEAD RUSH host Kari Byron joined on Friday night to unveil the 2011/2012 VEX Robotics Competition game Gateway. The object of next year’s game is to attain a higher score than your opponent by picking up colored balls and barrels and placing them in circular goalposts of varying heights. Bryon then served as master of ceremonies to guide teams and spectators through the final award ceremony on the last day of competition.

The VEX Robotics program is in support of The White House's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) initiative to get kids engaged in higher learning, and recently received attention from President Obama who visited a Miami Central High School classroom where he interacted with students excelling in STEM education through VEX Robotics.

BEST Robotics, a middle and high school national robotics program established in 1993, also hosted its second annual national championship alongside the VEX Robotics World Championship. The Boy Scouts of America were on hand to award some of the first Robotics Merit Badges to more than 25 deserving scouts. Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy AROW hosted its water robotics competition.

Presenting co-sponsors of the 2011 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship include Autodesk Inc., NASA, EMC Corporation, and the FUTURE Foundation. Additional supporting partners include Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, Microchip, Intelitek, Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon University, the CREATE Foundation and Northrop Grumman.

Hawks Power Up for VEX Robotics World Championship

Hawks Power Up for VEX Robotics World Championship at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on April 14-16, 2011

Seminole Ridge High freshman Connor Piegaro will join nearly 10,000 middle school, high school and university participants from 16 countries around the world to compete in the action-packed 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship at the Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando, Florida on April 14-16, 2011.

Round Up, the 2010-2011 VEX Robotics Competition Game, is played on a 12’x12’ square field where two alliances composed of two teams each compete against one another. Each match consists of a twenty-second autonomous period where robots are controlled by onboard software, followed by two minutes of human-operated play. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent alliance by having your robot place round tubes upon goalposts, owning goalposts, and by your robot climbing the ladder in the center of the field and hanging high off the ground.

Erich Landstrom, Seminole SECME school coordinator, points out that Seminole SECME had great success in their inaugural year of VEX Robotics Competitions. The Hawks won the Miami VEX Round Up Qualifier in October, and finished second at the South Florida Championship in December and the “Mayhem in Miami” in January. This tournament’s trip to the playoffs shows that our robots are clearly to be reckoned with, a Cinderella story of circuits and steel at bot ball. Landstrom is very proud of the Hawks hard work. “Giving SECME students the opportunity to work with the VEX robots promotes education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and teaches critical life skills such as teamwork, project management and problem solving. But celebrating National Robotics Week at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex gives the event mainstream recognition similar to that of an international sporting event.”

This year, almost 600 out of the nearly 4,000 VEX Robotics Competition teams have earned the right to bring their robotic masterpieces to the “Happiest Place on Earth” where they will form strategic alliances with other teams and challenge their toughest competitors playing the game Round Up. All attending teams qualified for the tournament after dedicating countless hours to honing their building, programming and strategy skill sets to outperform others in order to reach the international stage.

Getting Vexed: a robot kit that's fun as well as functional

IEEE SPECTRUM
By Stephen Cass / May 2006

Vex Robotics Starter Kit
US $300
http://www.vexrobotics.com

Either you think building robots is cool, or you don't. But if you do, then you'll love the Vex Robotics Design System, a line of robot construction kits and accessories from RadioShack Corp., headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.

First Eyes Inside Nuclear Plant May Be A Robot's

First Eyes Inside Nuclear Plant May Be A Robot'sWorkers in Japan want to look inside three troubled reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. But intense radiation inside the buildings means that it is too dangerous for them to enter. One solution? Robots. They're good at going places where people just don't want to go. And they could be at the site in a matter of days.

Full story at NPR

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Can Japan Send In Robots To Fix Troubled Nuclear Reactors?
It's too dangerous for humans to enter the Fukushima Dai-1 nuclear plant. Why not send in robots?

When it comes to robots, Japan is a superpower, with some of the world's most advanced robotic systems and the highest levels of industrial automation. So it makes sense to ask: Why can't Japan use robots to fix the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Dai-1 nuclear power plant?

Many people have wondered about this possibility, and there's been a lot of speculation and confusion. One news report even slammed Japan for lacking nuclear-disaster robots.

I'd be the first to shout, "Send in the robots!" if it were clear that robots could help in this case. But things aren't that simple. To understand what robots can and cannot do at Fukushima, I spoke to several experts. Here's what they say:

Read more at IEEE Spectrum's robotics blog Automaton

Robonaut 2 Set to Launch in February

Robonaut 2, a dexterous humanoid robot explorer, is set to leave Earth in February to join the crew of the International Space Station.

FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/31jan_r2/