When complete, the robot being created by members of Fulton High School's Robotics Team will have a big task to perform, but the project has a greater mission.
"We learn we can transfer these skills to an engineering field," team member Tabitha York said. "It transfers to the job market real well."
She said she's also learned she can fix other things. York is part of a team of about 20 students of all grade levels building a robot for national competition. They will be one of about 60 teams competing March 8-10 at a robotics competition hosted at St. Louis University.
Construction plans began Jan. 6 when members of the team were given their task.
"We have until Feb. 20 to finish the robot," said teacher Jim Hall, Fab Lab advisor. "We're the smallest public school that's going."
This year's task is to build a robot that can pick up, carry and then lift a plastic-covered milk crate, about 3.5 pounds, onto a structure similar to a teeter totter with various levels.
The team has been working on the robot every day after school and on Saturdays. Freshmen Nathan Lowry and Jacob Moakwere were trying to work out a two-arm grabber mechanism to pick up the crates.
"Our grabbers are like arms on the robot used to pick up our cube and put it down wherever it needs to be," Lowry said.
Moak added the arms will be operated with pneumatic cylinders that will open and clasp around the crate, holding it by pressure.
"This is our third prototype," Lowry said.
On another workbench, a cluster of students stood around the base of the robot, which will be propelled with three wheels on each side. Ben Rowe and Shane Edwards were installing electronics for the drive train, and explained the power source will be a 12-volt battery.
Another group, including Sarah Hanson, Ethan Medrow and York, were attaching the slide for the elevator - this will lift the milk crate - to the robot frame.
When done, the robot will weigh about 120 pounds - about the weight of 15 gallons of water. A CAD designing program was used to design parts, and a computer board helps with functions and controls. The robot must be able to act on autonomous mode for a portion of the competition. Students have yet to decide whether to use a joy stick or a Play Station controller to operate the robot.
"Last year, we used a Play Station controller," York said. "It has more function, so we can do it just right."
This is the fifth annual competition for the team.
"Last year, we named our robot Big Bertha, but we don't have a name for this one yet," York said.