Full steam ahead for Kinetic Knights in 2017 FIRST robotics challenge

It's full steam ahead for the Kinetic Knights, FRC Team 781, as they take on the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Steamworks robotics challenge for 2017.

About 25 team members and mentors gathered at the Best Western Plus Governor's Inn, Saturday morning, Jan. 7, for the kick-off. They were joined by about 15 members and mentors from the newly-formed FRC Team 6461 of Wingham, as well as a couple of adults interested in forming teams in Walkerton and Goderich.

Alex Pierce, awards lead, welcomed everyone, properly attired in his Kinetic Knights gear, including fancy hat, tie and glasses.

The group watched the official kick-off, with FIRST founders Dean Kamen and Woody Flowers and others announcing this year's game.

The challenge features airships which require fuel and gears to get them moving. Robotics teams must build a robot that can collect fuel and put it in the boilers for steam pressure, and lift gears into the airships to get the rotors turning. The end game is to have the robot climb a rope hanging from the airship.



The FIRST Steamworks challenge for 2017; video courtesy of FIRST

For the first time in the history of the FIRST robotics challenge, human players will be on the field during the competition, acting as pilots of the airships.

Jed Gonzales, Kinetic Knights build captain, said it is going to be an interesting game.

"There is a lot more human player interaction this year," he said. "As far as the design goes, I'm thinking a robot that looks like a dump truck to carry the fuel around the field. But the biggest challenge is going to be the end game, building a robot that can climb a swinging rope."

Administrative captain this year is John Dahmer, while programming captain is James Adams; strategy captain is Matt Venner; design, strategy and electrical captain is Brendan Arciszewski, and awards and donors captain is Alex Pierce.

Ryan Johnston, a mentor with the Wingham team, said this is the first time in 13 years that the town has fielded a team so it could be considered in its rookie year.

"It will be exciting to design a robot to meet the challenge, and then see what other teams have built and watch them compete," he said.

The teams have six weeks from the date of the kick-off, to build their robots which will then be put into storage until the district competitions begin in March.