Sock Monkeys And Robots
The Sock Monkeys robot attempts one of the many goals it needs to accomplish during a timed session.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The buzzing of electric motors and the grinding of gears that generate cheers from participants and spectators alike is what awaits a spectator to the, yet little known, world of robotics competition.
Molly Bleything is a Senior at Oskaloosa High School, and she talks about Team 4443 Sock Monkeys. What is a ‘Sock Monkey’ and how is the school connected with robotics?
The Oskaloosa High School is home to its very own robotics club, and ‘The Sock Monkeys’ are currently the elder team of the club. “Every year, we build a new robot to fit the specifications of the game. We have a new game every year provided by the FIRST Tech Challenge. The FIRST Tech Challenge is a part of the FIRST program. Learn more about them at usfirst.org.
The students design their own robot to achieve set goals provided by FIRST Tech Challenge. “The day the game is released, we have an open house party and watch the video a couple of times. After that almost everyone doodles up their ideas and images on paper, the board, and in notebooks for what they want the robot to look like.” Explains Bleything.
On the 15th of November, The Sock Monkeys played host for their very first match of the season. “It was one of three of the qualifying matches we have. We just so happened to be lucky enough to host one.” Explained Bleything.
On the subject of hosting another match, “We would love to do so again. It was a fun and educational experience for my team and I. We got to see how everything was set up/run from the other side of things. The turn out was great and it was good to see members of our community sitting in the stands.” Said Bleything.
Bleything describes how a day tournament like that hosted by The Sock Monkeys goes. “Teams arrive, check in, and then proceed to set up their pits. There is opening ceromonies. Hardware/software inspection follows after that and then the competition begins. Sometimes there will be a lunch break, sometimes we don’t start until after lunch. By the time the matches are over, there is closing ceremonies, and then we all pack up go home. As far as how we did: We did just as good as everyone else. The qualifying match that we hosted was more or less a familiarizing game rather than a competition. The word “competition” is almost misused. It was like a workshop. We are in leagues this year and aside from 3608, every other team is a first or second year team. So a lot of time was spent with various Sock Monkeys walking around helping them. It was fun!”
Last year, The Sock Monkeys made it to ‘Worlds’. I asked Bleything about the goals for this year. “The plan this year is to succeed as much as possible. We have meetings now at least twice a week as a team and come up with goals and plans. We discuss what we have accomplished and what is the next step in reaching the ultimate goal. Worlds last year opened our eyes to how big the FIRST program actually is. It’s amazing, and we miss our foreign friends from other countries. We hope to go back.”
If you would like to know more about The Sock Monkeys, visit them on their website at oskyrobotics.weebly.com
