Coming To Cape Makers Faire: Robots

Cape Cod Makers on Saturday, April 30, will kick off its third annual Cape Cod Mini Makers Faire at Mashpee High School, a collection of “mad scientists” gathering to show off their homemade wares and gadgets, such as large swords, a computer numerical control, and other do-it-yourself contraptions New this year is the robotics challenge in which mostly high school students across the Cape will enter homemade robots into a playing arena. Their mission: collect as many “score cubes” in five minutes scattered around an obstacle course with an electronic, remote-controlled robot. “The goal was to give students an outlet for the work they have been doing,” said robotic challenge organizer Jesse E. Craig, who manufactures computer chips and is a member of the local Makers chapter. “Pretty much every high school on the Cape is doing something with robotics. That’s part of why we did this competition. But it’s hard to motivate students without a goal. With a goal, it’s a lot easier to problem-solve.” Hence the competition. Besides the glory of the battlefield, the winning team receives a $50 gift certificate to Sparkfun, an online, electronics retail store and forum. Second place is a $25 gift certificate to Sparkfun. Additional awards will be given for the most innovative design, best repurposing of found parts, and best aesthetics. Mr. Craig works from his home in Eastham for GlobalFoundaries, an international company that manufactures microchips for such companies as Samsung. He said that the robot design and manufacturing industry is a global market. From self-driving cars to military designs, robotics is a growing field, and STEM classes have designed courses to meet that demand. “It pays really well, too,” he said. Mr. Craig hopes to make the competition an annual event to encourage students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, fields. The Cape Makers group is part of a national conglomerate of maker groups. They host meet-ups, information and educational sessions around the Cape in an effort to bring together commercial and basement engineers, or “makers,” to promote the do-it-yourself lifestyle. The fair is the main event of the year. This year’s fair will run on April 30 from 10 AM to 4 PM in Mashpee. The robotic challenge will kick off around 10:30, Mr. Craig said. About 15 teams have entered the competition, including some from Mashpee. Registration for the competition closed in March. Competitors will attempt to drive, or fly, their robots through an eight-by-eight foot plywood arena. One corner will be marked off as a starting location and the rest of the space will have obstacles like wooden blocks that teams will have to navigate their robots around. Teams one at a time will try to grab, push, or drag rubber “score cubes,” about 35-millimeter cubes, around the obstacle course and back to the starting location.