weight class. C.O.N. conquered the
Beetle class melee, taking control
over any who dared approach it.
Front Wedgie (a wedge)
unexpectedly won the Ant division
melee after most of the other bots
had fallen through the open
trapdoor. Blond Redhead came out
on top in the Fairy division melee
after Snorlax flipped over and got
stuck near the trap door. The Mid-American Melee culminated with
awards for all the tournament and
melee winners. The event organizers
thank Finger Tech Robotics and Basic
Micro for generously providing the
prizes. First place finishers received a
two channel electronic speed
controller appropriate for their
weight class from Basic Micro;
second place finishers won LED bars
from Basic Micro; and third place
finishers received gift certificates to
Finger Tech Robotics. SV
EVENT REPORT:
National Rob tics
League Championship
Twenty-nine robots built by 91 students from 14 schools battled
for national recognition in two days
of intense competition at the
National Tooling and Machining
Association’s (NTMA) 2011 National
Robotics League (NRL)
Championships held May 21-22 at
Vincennes University’s Aviation
Technology Center in Indianapolis,
IN.
University of South Florida Robots Interest
Group with The Brain – 1st Place.
● by Kevin Berry
NTMA is a national association
representing nearly 1,300
companies in the precision custom
manufacturing industry. The
organization founded the NRL to
challenge misperceptions about
manufacturing, and to attract
students to high paying technical
careers. The program partners teams
of middle school, high school, and
post-secondary school students with
local NTMA manufacturers who
work together to build machines
designed to test ingenuity and do
battle.
The result is the creation of
incredible 15 lb robotic machines
and fun and exciting events, all
while building high tech skills and
sparking the interest of students
about careers in manufacturing.
Bloomsburg High School Team Malicious
Intent with Pixie – 2nd Place.
The bleachers were packed with
cheering fans watching rounds of
metal-crunching competition in the
plexiglas arena.
A volunteer panel of three
judges from the Indiana Chapter of
the NTMA scored each round, with
points awarded for combat and
engineering. NTMA Board Chairman
Grady Cope, CEO of Reata
Engineering & Machine Works in
Englewood, CO presented trophies
to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place
teams.
“The large numbers of students,
parents, teachers, and volunteers
that the NRL brought together
exceeded our expectations,” said
NTMA Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer Rob Akers. “The
NRL program is one of the best
Venango Technology Center Team Mayhem
with Khaos – 3rd Place.
32 SERVO 08.2011
