Mission, Texas – The Veterans Memorial Robotics Engineering team is not wasting any time during their off-season. They’ve been hard at work with the creation of their newest robot, the MK3 Iron Patriot. Unlike the team's competitive robots, this one was built with the purpose of connecting with the Mission CISD community.
Student Jordan Hernandez, a VMHS Robotics team member, assisted with the initial development of the robot. “The purpose was to create a robot for us to engage with our community by launching T-shirts at football games, pep rallies, and other school events.” said Jordan. “It’s exciting when people know what you are doing behind the scenes, and they are able to engage in STEM-related activities in a new way.”
Robotics Mentor for Veterans Memorial High School, Mr. Jose L. Sanchez did not know what to expect during the robot's big debut. “I was surprised! From the time that we arrived at our first football game and started launching T-Shirts, the reaction from the crowd was immediate.” Mr. Sanchez shared. “The students wired everything, they modified the cannon to the robot, they programmed all the functions – ultimately, it’s their work and that’s what makes it more impressive.”
Although the outreach cannon has been a huge success, it was no easy feat to accomplish. “The first six weeks was a challenge. There were certain things we did not know, but we figured it out,” said Mr. Sanchez. “Our success last year has taught me a lot. If you believe in the students and trust them, they will deliver and come through.”
The next time you see the Iron Patriot in action, you may notice a few modifications. The team plans to mount a second cannon to simultaneously launch two T-Shirts at the same time to make the outreach experience more fun for the community.
The team all shares the same goal this competitive season, to build up their resume to be a legitimate contender for the Impact Award, which is the highest award that is given in FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition).
Pictured the Veterans Memorial Robotics Engineering team, Mr. Jose L. Sanchez, Robotics Mentor for Veterans Memorial High School and the Iron Patriot.
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