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Valen
Experienced Roboteer
Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Posts: 4436
Location: Sydney
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I'd like to integrate the battle system into it If possible, perhaps as a link off it just to have all the info accessible and automatically updating.
I was thinking about how to get some new members, If we can pitch it as an educational program to high schools, I'm thinking year 9-10 design and technology (perhaps yr 11-12 but I'm not sure how the HSC examiners would regard it, considering most people build a canoe or something).
I was thinking if we can give it to schools as a well supported program that shows how it fills the syllabus requirements and we are able to back it with school visits and build days etc (meaning that at worst there is no additional work for the teachers and at best we can do some of the work for them) then we could build some new members there.
If they have access to "club equipment" for the expensive items, chargers that kind of stuff so we can minimize their inital outlay then parents would sponsor their kids to the tune of $50-100 for the project, to be completed in 4-6 person teams.
We would mentor the teams, help them with hot works (welding, grinding etc).
What we need to get is $ for event insurance, look at the insurance obligations with regards letting a 14 year old near something sharper than a spoon, and if possible free licenses for some kind of CAD software for the kids to draw their bots up in.
_________________
Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets
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Sat Dec 12, 2009 9:32 pm |
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Andrew_Campbell [WA]
Joined: 09 Dec 2009
Posts: 9
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Been there, done that Valen  . You will find that the insurance for actually building the robot will come under the jurisdiction of the school in question, or the Education Dept for the State Govt in the case of Public Schools. The event we had running over in WA 10 years ago fell apart simply due to the Public liability insurance blow up for the event itself; over a several month period, it went from manageable, to couldn't-get-insurance-for-any-money, hence the event was killed off. There was an option of allowing the Education Dept to 'Manage' the event, which would have put us under their insurance cover, but then the bureaucracy would have stepped in, and the event destroyed in any case, so we decided, wisely, I believe, to nip it in the but and hold the idea in abeyance for when times were better suited...like now, actually.
I'm currently getting feedback from the old team on whether we want to go to the effort of setting it up again; if anything, it is a much easier sell, as the cost of making a simple robot is less than half that it was back then, and likely to perform much better.
One thing we had back then, that you would be advised to do also, is a build manual, listing how to make three designs, step by step, with pictures and forum support, so even the schools that are not gifted with a strong DT program can participate. A Wedge, a Thwack bot and a Rammer. It would also be a great idea to approach suppliers and ask them for a special tax free 30x rate for their product to be included in a standardised kit robot pack (Radio, ESC, Receiver, Motors, Mixer, SLA) which the school can buy for ~$350 or whatever. If you put too many choices in front of teachers that already have way too damn much to look after, then it will be shoved in the 'Too hard' bin. I would also get some glossy info packs put together of the event, the rationale, how it can help the kids, and how you can take the stress off the teachers running it at a school level, and take it to one or more of the many education PD days that happen at the start of each semester - Captive audience. Also, most States have a newsletter that goes out to every teacher in the govt system, and they will often be happy to run a small infomercial on the upcoming project. you would have to start thinking about rulesets, events, blah blah now, and work on key figures over the first half of 2010, for a build in Semester 2 and the event in November. It is quite possible, and there are a lot of teachers out there that will really go for the idea, as they were the ones giggling with glee 15 years ago when they were watching Robot Wars UK.... The Private Girl's Schools here were the most ferocious about wanting to compete and destroy the other teams..I tell you, those Catholic Girl Schools... (St Trinians wannabees, perhaps)
I'm happy to help with some advice, if you wish, which may give you a few ideas on how to proceed.
if you are really serious, then we should think about a national ruleset, that will be acceptable for us perhaps turning it onto a national comp, with the top 4 or 6 teams from each participating State/Territory competing for a National Prize. If there are two States running similar programs, it would be silly having incompatible rulesets.
**Edit bit** Don't think of a National anything, though, for at least the first few years of a State based program. The rules, aye, but not the program. A National level of the sport will naturally flow from two or more successful State comps getting together, but the State comps have to come first.
Andrew
Last edited by Andrew_Campbell [WA] on Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:33 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:27 pm |
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