Aaron Matthews a senior at the Academies of West Memphis is a robot fanatic so let’s see what he has to say.
The satisfaction of a project finally working smoothly how I envision is my chief motivation when beginning a project. The day I finally got the drivetrain for my senior capstone project to work correctly was euphoric. After 2 months of designing and reiterating one side of the drivetrain, I was able finish the other side in about a week. Actually seeing how well it performed gave me a sense of accomplishment like no other.
My team for the Vex Robotics Competition is called “Blue Screens” – a reference to a situation when everything has gone so wrong that you must scrap it all and start over. Every year the game changes, offering new challenges with different ways to earn points to win matches. In 2022- 2023 “Spin Up” was the name of the game, and the best way to score points was to launch 5-inch yellow discs into a frisbee golf goal. So that was what I wanted to accomplish. At first the robot was highly inefficient and the intake ramp to scoop up the discs was too low in the front – so low in fact that it scraped across the foam tiles of the field so much that I was disqualified in the quarter finals at a tournament in Cabot.
However, I did not give up and continued working to improve the design, refining and incorporating ideas we saw other teams use successfully. It eventually was able to fulfill its purpose, scoring an average of 5 discs per minute.
I had been thinking about this “tank” since my sophomore year. The first iteration was simple but effective with nothing special but a suspension system using only rubber bands. The “new” tank is a more drastic leap forward in complexity and a testament to all I have learned during my high school career. Having invested months in this project and falling victim to the time spent fallacy, I persevered even with the multitude of failures I faced with the design. However, failure can only exist if you give up. The tank currently has no other function except to drive and deploy its 4 pneumatic height extensions, air powered pistons meant to help it gain a vantage point over uneven terrain.
It is powered by an 8-motor drivetrain with each group of 4 motors coded independently, allowing the robot to drive like a “tank.” I plan on it having a rotating turret and being able to launch a harmless projectile for “fun.” If I have time…
My future plans are to enlist in the Arkansas National Guard (yes that decision may have swayed what I decided to build) and to attend either UALR or Arkansas Tech. I am confident that my experiences in high school can help inform and direct my future as an engineer.
Postscript from Mrs. Dewanda Kirkland, Robotics Teacher
Every year I get the opportunity to teach young people something they did not already know. But the more valuable lesson is when I can teach them something they did not already know about themselves. I have been Aaron’s teacher for both Spanish and Robotics (pre-engineering). I have gotten to know him well over the past 3 years and been fortunate enough to watch him grow from a short-fused and short-sighted adolescent (a.k.a all of them) into a fine young man who sees when he is getting in his own way. Never underestimate the ability to know when you should put something down and circle back to it later, or the bravery and wisdom to scrap it completely (time spent fallacy). He has a dedicated work ethic, a staunch moral compass, and a creative intellect – all qualities necessary for a great life to be well lived. I could not be prouder.
Nothing in college prepares you as a teacher for all the students who will touch your heart and become a part of your life – like Aaron. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Aaron’s journey through the maze/minefield that is high school. My prayer is that he finds a career that fulfills him as much as mine.