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The FIRST LEGO League International Open had the Brick Warriors pit their robot against simulated natural disaster scenarios.
Four Ann Arbor teenagers turned a chance to partake in the FIRST LEGO League International Open competition in Toronto into global recognition and a potentially patented invention this month.
The Brick Warriors placed ninth overall in the Toronto International Open tournament this month.
The Brick Warriors, sponsored by Ann Arbor Christian School, earned second place honors for the programming they did on their robot, and placed ninth overall in the competition, according to the official standings.
The team consists of Zack Gossiaux, 14, Robert Royce, 14, Matthew Clark, 13, and Daniel Chen, 14.
Peter Chen, their coach and a computer science professor at the University of Michigan, said the team's first international competition went well.
"It was a great experience for them to compete against the best in the world," he said.
The FIRST LEGO League is an international competition for students aged 9 to 14 years old, which presents challenges that focus on real-world topics relating to the sciences. The students are asked to design and program robots able overcome obstacles presented by the given theme for the year using LEGO Mindstorms robot kits.
FIRST, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is an international youth organization that sponsors robotics and technology competitions around the world.
This year's theme, Nature's Fury, asked students to focus on problems presented by natural disasters.
Chen said the team's small, autonomous robot was required to do everything from moving and lifting objects to pushing levers, knocking over buildings and completing other simulated missions on the competition board they were assigned to.
The team made it through a regional competition, and placed first at the state level in order to compete in Toronto at the International Open.
In addition to building and operating a robot, the team was judged on their display of the team work and professionalism, core values of the league, and a research project that has garnered some recognition outside of the competition for the students.
When the team found that one of the most deadly natural disasters is flooding, they decided to build a special sensor that could be used to prevent deaths in floods.
Chen's son, Daniel, said he and his teammates discovered that people drive their vehicles into flooded streets because they misjudge the depth or power of the current, often with fatal consequences.
"They think the vehicle is really heavy and won't get washed away," he said, but "as little as six inches [of water] can make you lose control of your vehicle."
The sensor, which is affixed to the bottom of a vehicle, detects when there is an unsafe amount of water on the ground.
It works well enough that the team filed a provisional application for a patent on the sensor, and has met with General Motors in Detroit a few times to discuss their idea with engineers.
Teammate Zack Gossiaux said meeting with representatives at GM was a lot of fun.
"They liked it [the sensor]," he said, "which is cool, but they also said it has a long way to go."
Between their performance in the international competition and the success they have had with their invention, Peter Chen said he was happy with the team he coaches.
"They certainly performed at expectations and above," Chen said.
He was most impressed with how the proficient the boys were with programming.
"What's impressive is the stuff the kids learned to make the robot work," he said, adding that the complex algorithms required to make their robot move as accurately and effectively as it did were not used by many other teams at the competition.
The competitors were fairly happy with their performance, too.
"I just went in expecting to do OK," Gossiaux said. "I didn't think we'd take second place. It felt really good. I was surprised."
Daniel Chen said that he had expected to do a bit better in the competition, but still learned a great deal.
"It was a great chance to show off what we built," he said.
There was more to the trip to Toronto than beating opponents, though.
Despite the level of competition, there was a high level of camaraderie.
"Everyone is really friendly," Gossiaux said, and it was interesting to hear ideas from different countries in addition to learning a bit about foreign cultures.
His teammate, Chen, said it was great to get to talk to different experts and judges at the competition.
Both Gossiaux and Chen said that they are looking forward to a future involving competitive robotics during their time at Skyline High School, where they will each be freshman this fall.
Peter Chen said he intends to coach the team, which might have some new members, during their upcoming season.
Ian Thibodeau is an intern reporter for The Ann Arbor News. He can be reached at [email protected].