The robotics class has been meeting at VEKA every Wednesday since October to build a battle bot to compete with. They’re preparing for the BattleBots Competition that will be coming in April.

The robot that is being built is known as the “VEKA Mach 2,” and is a reincarnation of last year’s battle robot. It does feature the same motor and wheels, but everything else is similar, improved or entirely new. The students in the class all have specific duties in order to maximize success.

These responsibilities include: Junior Eric Eisenbrown as the driver and computer designer, Senior Josh Leasure as the electrician, Senior Travis Hryckowian as the programmer and photographer, Senior Alex Howland as the welder and assembler, Senior Jared Hartle as the machinist and Mrs. Beth Majors as the club sponsor.

When going to work on the bot, the students drive over to VEKA in Fombell, located near Young’s Custard Stand, after school. The company has 18 locations in 14 countries. Three of these plants are here in the United States. VEKA produces an array of goods, but specializes in windows and vinyl. All of the members put in several hours of work when they go there. VEKA’s facility perfectly suits the needs of the robotics class to build the bot.

“I left at 7:30 p.m. on one occasion,” Eisenbrown said.

Due to the fact that the class consists of solely upperclassmen, it’s difficult for them to commit to every building session. This is because the members are also athletes, volunteers and have jobs.

The students work with employees of VEKA to try to make the best possible bot. The work is very thorough to ensure no errors. The process involves sketches, computer modeling and blueprints.
“Every time I leave [VEKA] I always end up with a headache [from working so hard.] Usually there is [planning] but we always seem to change the plans midway. Nothing is set in stone and we never end up close to what we planned, for the better,” Leasure said

As of mid-January, the class has gotten the exterior finished. It features a similar, but improved design from last year’s bot. They were working on constructing a switch and are figuring out the circuit board. The switch comprises of a variety of materials from plastic to metals. The plastic needs precise drilling done by a machine that drilled on an X, Y and Z axis controlled by Hartle. Additionally, an employee from VEKA was showing students tips on soldering. The class decided on maneuvering the robot by using a PlayStation 3 remote. This is a change from the generic controller that was utilized last year.

As of the third week in January, students started putting in several hours of work, multiple days a week. This is to allow for the class to have time to work with the finished robot before the competition. The class also uses the extra work to catch up in the places they have fallen behind in.

The students of the robotics class look forward to the upcoming competition with certainty. With all the hours being put in, they are sure that they and the battle bot will perform well.