ngineering and Computational Thinking Kids!
Issue VI Storming Robots’ Student Publication January, 2014
Teams Ranked High at Team Quark Charm
International Competition Advanced to MIT/NASA
By: Nikhil Shah ZeroRobotics ISS-Final
During the summer
of 2013, many teams By : Tanya Glushkova from Storming Robots represented the United One Storming Robots States at the High School team once
international RoboCup again won the 3D Junior competition in Elimination Round and advanced to the ISS-Final Eindhoven, ZeroRobotics Logo. Netherlands. After Robocup Junior Logo. Photo ZeroRobotics Programming Photo Credit: http://www.zeroboticsr.org/ succeeding at regional Credit: http://rcj.robocup.org/ Competition. The tournament tournaments in multiple was created by NASA in collaboration with the Massachusetts categories, such as RoboSoccer, Rescue, and Dance, teams Institute of Technology. The Branchburg team is called The Quark from the center were allowed to compete in this international Charm, and currently has ten members. The competition is based tournament, with representatives from countries all around the around mini-satellites called SPHERES, which fly around in the world. In the end, the teams from Storming Robots performed International Space Station. Teams program these SPHERES to very well, with teams such as the Visionaries winning second compete in several challenges. They get to control the speed, place for having the best technical programming in the dance direction, and rotation of the robots, but they must also ensure that
Continue on Page 6 ► Continue on Page 6 ►
Table of Contents
Headline news Storming Robots Teams Ranked High at P. 1, 6 Nikhil Shah Tanya Ashley Yang Bhavik Shah International Competition Glushkova Editor-in- Co-Editor-in- Columnist Editor Zero Robotics Competition P. 1, 6, 7 Chief Chief Grade 9 Grade 9 Grade 12 Grade 12 Robotics News Maker Faire 2013 P. 7 Ca lling for Columnists and Writers Insidie News The pen is mightier than the sword ! My Experience at RoboCup 2013 Eindhoven P. 2, 3 Being a future engineer with writing skills makes you one of the cool- est kids on the block! Join us the Loose Gears Newspaper group. Interview With Jonathon Van Blarcum P. 4
Preparing for RoboCup Junior 2014 P. 4 Road maps and What’s New in 2014 P.5 Att ent ion! Algorithm & Science Send us shout-outs, accomplishments, and Maximizing Memory in a Prime Number Generator P. 8 articles! Send us your own comic strip. Nobel Prizes in Chemistry and Physics for 2013 P. 8 Write an article about your interests, such as science, technology, your favorite school events, or Student Articles anything else. Mars P. 9 Email [email protected] to submit something, or Is Intergalactic Travel Possible? P. 9 to request more details about what is accepted by the paper. The Road to Storming P. 10 FIFA 14 P. 10 On the lighter side ngineering and Computational Thinking For Kids! Sensor Obituaries P. 11 3322 Route 22 West, Suite 402 Puzzles P. 11-12 Branchburg, NJ 08876 Telephone: 908-595-1010 Comics and Calendar P. 12 Fax: 855-595-1010 www.stormingrobots.com
Page 2 Wnter 2014 Inside News
My Experience at Robocup Junior 2013: Eindhoven By: Bhavik Shah
The Robocup Junior 2013 competition was one of the most enlightening and amazing experiences that I have been able to commit myself to throughout all of my time (6 years) at Storming Robots. This has added unspeakable amount of knowledge on my belt In additional to the various things I have learned about robotics during the years of being in Roboclub at SR. This includes from simple mechanical concept, various types of sensors interface, to some really cool computer science data structure, algorithms, etc. Then, for the competition, I finally extended to have an opportunity in The RoboCup Junior arena. getting in electronic and do some cross- platform programming and electronic hookup (between NXT and Arduino). My team consisted of three people: separate floors; the first floor contained Throughout the duration of the William Cui, Ashley Yang, and me. We two rooms while the second contained the competition, I learned very valuable sets of participated specifically in the Rescue A - last one. Within the first two rooms, the skills that are useful in virtually any work Primary division of Robocup Junior. This purpose of the robot was to follow a line environment. One of these skills is working specific challenge had many particular while avoiding obstacles and turning right as part of a team to effectively complete parts, but in its essence, the challenge at intersections of lines. At the entrance to tasks based on a schedule, in which the was divided up into three separate rooms the final room, the robot had to first stop at tasks can be divided up. Also, I believe and a ramp. a silver tape marking. Inside the room, the that the entire process was able to help me judges placed a single silver can in a develop into an independent thinker. The rooms were divided into two Continue to Below ▼
▲Continue from Above Center in Jersey City, NJ. The robot we use multiple I2C sensors on one port. random position. At this point in the field, took to compete with was programmed using RobotC, a IDE (Integrated During regionals, each team got three the robot’s task was to pick up the can and time slots (one on each field) to attempt to bring it to the designated drop-off zone in a Development Environment) developed achieve the highest score possible. Only corner of the room. by Carnegie Mellon University. We used an NXT controller and two motors for the highest score of each team was basic movement, with sticky wheels to considered in the final ranking process. In increase friction and ease the robot’s the end, our team, The Horatii, got third ascent up the ramp. We also had a servo place. Only the first and second place motor to power a claw, but it was teams are permitted to go to the plugged into a sensor port instead of a international competition. However, our motor port. We also used a multitude of team merged with the first place team, sensors. On the front of our robot, we Seedz, which ultimately allowed us to go. used a light array to follow the line, a The team Seedz that we merged with LEGO light sensor to recognize the silver consisted of Sean Doran, Yuwen Zhang, tape, and an Electro-Optical Proximity and Neelay Trivedi, which raised our Detector, or EOPD sensor, to recognize team’s number to six people. The first obstacles in front of the robot. problem we had to overcome as a new On the sides of the robot, there were team, with limited time before the two mid-range distance sensors from international competition, was which robot Sharp in order to help it detect the can to use. In the end, we decided to utilize the and navigate around an obstacle once it frame of their chassis, as their treads detects it. In the center of the robot, made it ideal to navigate up the ramp. elevated slightly, there was one compass However, we decided to use our sensors sensor and one accelerometer. We as they provided a much wider array of attached the compass sensor to align options. In terms of hardware adjusting, we with the silver tape, and we attached the removed the accelerometer, and added another bottom facing light sensor to aid in Bhavik at Eindhoven, Netherlands accelerometer to speed up the power on ramp. Due to our robot having more than detecting silver. We also edited many four sensors, on port 1 we had to use a portions of our code. We made a more HiTechnic multiplexer, which allowed us sophisticated gap navigation code, created The regional competition for Robocup to put more than one LEGO or HiTechnic an obstacle avoidance program that Junior was held at the Liberty Science sensor on a port. We also used a port adjusts the sharpness of the turn based on splitter in port four which allowed us to how far the robot is from the object, and a
Continue on Page 3 ►
Inside News... Winter 2014 Page 3
◄ Continue from page 2 three main categories (rescue, soccer, and dance). When we arrived at internationals there were two main options for living: the hotels located around the city, and the tents on the competition premises. The tents were located in the building attached to the arena where the competition was held, and provided cots and communal showers for all of the residents. All of the members on my team chose to reside in hotels.
The competition itself was divided up into five days, plus a symposium for robotics related lectures afterwards. On the first day, each team gave a technical presentation that provided an overview of the software and hardware of the robot, and answered questions from a judge. The next three days were almost exactly the same as the day in regionals, with three runs a day. However, because there were three days, the total amount of runs accumulated to nine. All of these runs would be added into a team’s final score, Students from Storming Robots at Eindhoven, Netherlands. except for the lowest one, which was omitted. On these days, my team would work almost twelve hours a day fine- scanning program that could be adjusted speaking country of the tuning our algorithms and sensor based on the location of the door to detect Netherlands. However, our team was able calibrations. Some problems we the can more efficiently. With these tools to communicate with residents of the city, encountered involved getting our new and adjustments, we went to Eindhoven, as most of them spoke English. All of the obstacle avoidance algorithm to scale Netherlands to compete in the announcements in the competition were properly in regards to the robot’s distance international competition. said in English as well as Dutch. There away from the obstacle. Another problem were hundreds of people representing was found in our line tracing algorithm, Eindhoven is a city in the Dutch around 40 countries that participated in the Continue to Below ▼
▲ Continue from Above each team is randomly paired up with Another prevalent problem was how to another team to try to complete a communicate with the other team’s robot which was that our robot would turn left at challenge that involves two robots. with alliance team for the SuperTeam intersections. Our robot should have been However, the catch is that nobody knows Competition. Our solution involved hitting turning right at intersections, as it utilized a what the challenge is until the day before a touch sensor on their robot a number of right-bias algorithm so every time the robot they have to complete it. times that corresponded with the amount hit an intersection it would automatically of intersections. We were unable to turn right without checking any other sides In our division, the challenge was for establish a Bluetooth communication as to confirm if it was an intersection rather the first robot to count the amount of their robot had insufficient hardware to be than a regular right turn. We found the intersections on the first floor, then compatible with Bluetooth. We were problem which was the values spiking, and communicate to the second robot (which assigned to the team that represented in order to fix this we took a series of would be stationary on the ramp the entire Mexico. Overall, our team, Seedz, scored values at a time and had the robot average time) the number of intersections. Using 18th in the world, and tied for 4th in them before making any decisions. this data, the second robot would have to Superteams. pick the correctly numbered pathway, which had a silver can that needed to be On the final day, an optional pushed to a drop zone. symposium was held for lectures based on applied math and robotics. These lectures We encountered problems during this consisted of various mathematical challenge as well. One of these problems algorithms and how to apply them, along was specifically recognizing the with ideas for new artificial intelligence intersections. Our robot lacked a color algorithms for the robots. Many of these sensor which we could have used to lectures were tailored specifically for the recognize the green spots that marked adult soccer league. In the end, even intersections on the field. The reason for though we didn’t win, Robocup Junior this was that our robot was utilizing right 2013 was an amazing experience that bias, which disregards actually recognizing expanded my horizons regarding robotics. Rescue A Layout Sample intersections, and instead just turns right whenever possible. We overcame this The Robocup Junior website says that problem by using a light sensor, and the “Robocup Rescue competition counted intersections by utilizing the minor provides benchmarks for robot rescue On the third day of competitions, the fluctuations within the light values. strategies. Robotic systems are integrated “superteam” challenge was revealed. A However, this solution was not always into an autonomous robot system or a “superteam” is when, in each division, 100% accurate. simulated robot.
Page 4 Wnter 2014 Inside News
Interview With Comment from Morgan’s mother Preparing for “...I wish to express my whole-hearted Jonathon Van thanks for creating such an important and RoboCup Junior special business. Your program was so Blarcum special to Morgan - given his interest in 2014 Interviewer: Nikhil Shah engineering, and lack of opportunities By: Tanya Glushkova within the public schools - your program Interviewee: Jonathon Van has been an integral piece of his education Storming Robots is busy once again - since 4th grade! Through Storming preparing for RoboCup Junior 2014. There Blarcum Robots he was able to take his theoretical are three divisions in RCJ: Rescue A, understanding of math and apply them to a Jonathon has been a member of practical application. Plus having the Rescue B, and Soccer. Each team must Storming Robots for many years. He opportunity to teach gave him the skills choose to compete in one of these areas has recently graduated to college in Fall needed to work besides RPI college and must make a robot to perform the of 2013. Below is a list of questions he students one summer though he was still assigned task. answered, followed by an e-mail in High School. I have no doubt that these exchange between Ms. Elizabeth, the experiences truly helped him stand out Rescue A and B involve navigating owner of the Storming Robots facility when applying for colleges and helped several rooms and finding key objects, and and Jonathon’s mother. secure substantial amount of scholarship... while Soccer consists of a typical soccer So my hats off to you! My son's success is game with robots. The Storming Robots Can you tell me about yourself? a direct reflection of the value Storming soccer team, Luke Dai and Vadym Robots brings to out community. “ Most of my time is divided between Glushkov, will be competing for the third school, soccer, and robotics. I enjoy the year in a row. Last year, they were competitive aspects and athletic challenge tremendously successful, making it all the of soccer as well as the mentally taxing way to the quarterfinals at the World event challenges provided in robotics and at the Netherlands. academia. I will be attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) this fall to study Although they have just participated for Mechanical Engineering. I love Chinese two years, the team has gained valuable food and short walks on the beach. insight into continuing to further improve upon the algorithms in both hardware and How did Storming Robots help you develop over the years software development . They are preparing to make this their best year so Storming Morgan shows his funny side at summer far with the ultimate goal of making it to the Robots has classes in 2010 finals. fostered my interest in How exactly do they plan to approach engineering and the challenge? “We are still in the process mathematics, of finding the best design for our robot. providing focus Comment from Elizabeth Mabrey However, we have found some great for my hardware to make our robot as strong as it academic “Most of us in SR know him by the can be,” says team member Vadym pursuits. In name Morgan. I can go on for pages to Glushkov. For example, the team will competitions I describe what a fine young man Morgan learned how to is. Morgan is a very well-rounded, and acquire brushless motors, which are talented individual. He has always been special because the rotation speed can be Morgan at 5th grade. That cooperate with varied by the amount of volts applied to it was one year after he has a team and our go-to-guy whenever anyone has any joined Storming Robots. develop a final building issues, or running our strategic and the torque of the motors is based on product. I have ideas on robotics projects. He clearly the current going through them. These no doubt such skills will be invaluable in proved himself as an out-of-the-box motors will give the team a much better the real world. thinker and showed his leadership handle on their robot’s motion and will potential in very early age. He has started allow them to control the robot much more Did Storming Robots influence you his mentorship and instructor role at SR precisely. choice in engineering? ever since his 8th grade. It is a privilege for SR to have Morgan in our roboclub alumni Another crucial part of the robot’s I came to Storming Robots in 4th grade list. Among many farewell good wishes, I design is the sensors. “One mistake we because I expressed an interest in joked, “Morgan, make sure you come back hope to avoid this year is unstable plates. engineering. Some 14 years later Storming to say hi when you get famous one day!” Robots has confirmed that I do indeed Last year the top plate of our robot, which enjoy the engineering process and have at contained several sensors, began to least some aptitude for it. Without wobble. It caused inaccurate readings from Storming Robots I doubt that I would have those sensors, which 1 is smaller than last developed the passion for engineering that year. “Hopefully with the new hardware now fuels my work in school. that we’re getting we’ll be able to win first Why did you want to select place,” says Vadym. mechanical engineering and environmental engineering? The team has certainly been working hard with the help of their mentors and I have chosen to pursue Mechanical parents. This year’s competition will be and Environmental engineering in college. tough, but the soccer team is ready to I chose mechanical because I enjoy face the challenge. designing and building. I recognize that a well designed product can change how people live. I am planning to focus in environmental engineering because gas is expensive and eventually our dependence on it just won’t end well. I would like to do Morgan was mentoring a RCJ team in my part in helping to provide alternatives to 2011. fossil fuels and develop technology that uses energy more responsibly.
Page 5 Wnter 2014 Inside News Learning Paths: “Road Maps” for Students
what classes you have to look forward to in the future. The left map - By Kelly Kraemer (the administrative assistant) below is for students in fourth to eighth grade. The right map below In the past, we have always made verbal suggestion to parents is for students in eighth to twelfth grade. By looking at these road about students’ progression to the next level. In 2014, due to our maps, you can see how you will progress through different difficulty rapidly increased students volume, we created a road map which levels and topics during your time at Storming Robots. serves as a compass for every Roboclub student to have an idea
Instructors and Students to Receive Certification What’s New in 2014 for Through RobotC/Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy Roboclub? Starting this year, some of the advanced Gr. 7+ instructors will receive “Mindstorms Mentorship Program Programming Instructor Certification” from the RobotC/Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy. Starting this year, the most outstanding Coming in Fall/2014 — selective students in the Multi-Agent Robotics Group will receive members of Roboclub will have the chance badges for passing an internal exam at Storming Robots. The badge will also be recognized to become mentors for other members. by the RobotC/Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy. Students selected to be mentors will be those who demonstrate maturity and self- discipline, and who have been actively Looking Ahead to the Summer involved in intensive robotics competitive Are you ready for events in the past. Grades C l a s s ( T e n t a t i v e O n l y ) summer classes at 23-Jun 27-Jun 4 - 8 Robotics Technology Projects Selected students will be mentors for Storming Robots? 3 - 4 Super Mechanical Thinking Creator 3 - 4 Amusement Park I classes, competitive teams, and will help Registration will begin 30-Jun 4-Jul Center Closed coordinate competitive events. Mentors by the end of January, so take a look at the 7-Jul 11-Jul 6 - 10 Programming with Algebra &Robotics should be enthusiastic about robotics and 5 - 8 Robotics Nano Missions! tentative summer about seeing their fellow Roboclub 14-Jul 18-Jul 4 - 6 Robotics Fun with Mathematics schedule, pick a class or members succeed at competitions. They 4 - 6 Robo500 Grand Challenge & Drag Racing two, and get prepared to will have the opportunity to be actively 21-Jul 25-Jul 7 - 11 R o b o t - to- Robot Automation in Remote Con- involved in creating visions and plans for sign up. More 4 - 6 Remote Control Racing Bot! classes, articulating them, and exercising information about 28-Jul 1-Aug 8 - 11 Physics with Robotics their commitment to completion. classes and the final 8 - 11 Robotics with Electronics - H y b r i d summer schedule will be 4 - 8 Robotics Engineering Projects Mentees will learn from and be advised available this month at 4-Aug 8-Aug 8 - 11 Robotics with Electronics - A r d u i n o by mentors who have a successful history the Storming Robots 4 - 8 Robotics Zoo 11-Aug 15-Aug 4 - 8 Robotics Think Quest at Storming Robots and in competition. website, 4 - 8 Robotics VEX IQ Challenge summer.stormingrobots. 18-Aug 22-Aug 6 - 10 Programming with Algebra &Robotics Mentors will gain a sense of com. Registration for 8 - 11 Robo500 Grand Challenge & Drag Racing leadership, as well as dedication, integrity, summer sessions must 25-Aug 29-Aug 7 - 9 RobocupJunior Rescue Projects Training assertiveness, magnanimity, and humility. be done online through 4 - 6 Remote Control Racing Bot! In this way, both mentors and mentees will the Storming Robots benefit from this new program. website. Note: Most sessions will have pre-requisites, especially those are for Gr. 7+.
Page 6 Winter 2014 Headline News
Storming Robots Ranked High at International Competition
◄ Continued from Page 1 Additionally, Team ShimoZumo won to play a game of soccer against another 2 the Best Technical Presentation award. -robot soccer team. competition. They were also part of a larger team, known as a “superteam,” that became the World Champion in the Finally, the SR-chitects reached 13th RoboDance category. The RoboDance place among the 29 teams competing in competition calls for a team to design and the RoboRescue B competition, in which program a robot to dance along with teams program a robot to find a victim background music. emitting heat. All of the teams worked very hard to qualify for and compete in the international tournament.
Team ShimoZumo in action!
They were competing in the RoboRescue A category, in which they had to identify a fake victim in a multi-platform obstacle course.
Seedz, another team from Storming Rescue B Super Team—Storming Robots’ Robots, came in 15th out of the 31 teams SRchitects competing in the tournament. The Dimensions also performed well and made Colleen and Brenna with their awards: 1st Place it into the Quarter-Final round of the RoboDance SuperTeam World Championship Award and 2nd Place of RoboDance Technical RoboSoccer competition in the Secondary Award. age group. They programmed two robots
◄ Continued from Page 1 Team Quark Charm Advanced to ZeroRobotics ISS-Finals
Vadym Sunny Brady Bean Pranav Abhishek Siddharth Pradyumna Uday Shawn Michael Glushkov Aggarwal Gr. 10 Darbha Kalita Kurella Rao Shankar Sheng Wu Gr.10(Lead) Gr.11 (Lead) Gr. 9 Gr.10 Gr.10 Gr.9 Gr.9 Gr.9 Gr.10
they conserve fuel, and stay within the from Texas and “At Least We Tried” from productive teams has helped out the effort time and code size limit. The finalists get to California. The three teams worked to create more creative strategies to have their program run by an astronaut together to create the finished program by complete the mission. Overall, all team aboard ISS. the end of November. Team leader Vadym members have put in a tremendous Glushkov says that collaborating with other amount of effort, both at Storming Robots Teams use the Zero Robotics website and at home, to finish the challenge. to generate and run code in an environment that simulates space Final code submission was taken environment. Teams must find a way to placed on December 22nd of 2013. complete multiple challenges, including Then, their code will be loaded into the picking up and getting rid of space debris, satellites, SPHERE, and compete a live and protecting their home base from the championship aboard the International asteroid heading their way. Teams can Space Station (ISS). An astronaut will accomplish their tasks in multiple ways conduct the championship competition live such as lassoing or using gravity. In order in the space station. for a team to become a finalist on the ISS, they must pass a number of preliminary rounds. So far the Storming Robots team Sunny, the co-captain, initiated the has passed both the 2D and 3D qualifiers. design of the team logo. Since there is no Quark Team won the 3D round with flying known shape of a Charm particle, he color. Zero Robotics satellite. decided to use a heart shaped charm. Photo credit: http://usstem.org/ Team thought it was a cool idea. The final programs.html It then formed an alliance with two Team Quark Charm’s logo indeed looks other participating teams: the “Radjanauts” charming. Continue on page 7 ►
Headline News... Winter 2014 Page 7
◄ Continue from Page 6 was invited to talk at an internet radio talk competition in Space! How cool is that to Elizabeth, the mentor, helped to show—Good Morning—Hunterdon run your software up in the ISS real time! improve the image by adding in the 3D Chamber Internet Radio on December The robots are SPHERES satellites inside cosmic effects to symbolize speed and 31st. Only eight out of the total ten the International Space Station. They are cosmic collision. Grid lines give a sense of members were able to make it to the show. truly engaged in systems engineering time-warping. which requires them to tackle a complex technical problem systematically.
You may wonder how on earth the word named “Charm” become part of the The competition closely resembles the team name. For those who are curious, way software written for spacecraft. Their here it is. code will control the satellite positioning in 3D space. This requires application of Calculus, motions/ physics, linear algebra, and explore motion feedback control systems. Truly give them a head start to competitive college environment too.
On the coming Januany 17th, the agenda they have at the ISS-Final 8 Team members met at the Hunterdon competition date is not short from being Chamber Internet Radio Station intense. It starts from 7:30 am with speeches from event organizer and special guests. The Final will start “live” on ISS around 9am. After lunch time, they will conduct interview. They even will get a Team Quark Charm’s Logo chance to view Gavin Hood, Matt Butler present “The Making of Ender’s Game, which shows how they simulate Zero-G Quark is a sub-atomic particle. It has 6 Battles. Ceremony will finally take place at types—Top, Down, Up, Bottom, Strange, around 6pm. and Charm. Charm is the most massive one. In addition, it can only be produced in Go Team — Blast off to space on high energy collisions, such as cosmic January 17th. rays and in particle accelerators. That was why Charm was chosen. Talk Show Host speaking to the team.
Adding onto the excitement, the team The Zero Robotics High School Tournament is the world's first robotics
Robotics News...
the West Coast prompted the organization the students got a chance to present their Maker Faire 2013 of a Maker Faire in New York. The Maker projects to many interested adults and Faire is an opportunity for makers, who students. include technology enthusiasts, engineers, teachers, students, hobbyists and anyone The Maker Faire had hundreds of who has something to show the world, to booths that gave kids and adults the showcase their inventions, businesses, opportunity to see the newest technology, and interests. Anyone interested in seeing and talk to some of the most interesting fascinating technology, or catching up on people. Some of the more prominent the latest gadgets is welcome to technology represented at the fair included experience the Maker Faire. This year Arduino, robots of all types, and 3D printers. There were also authors, jewelry RoboCup Junior and Storming Robots organized a booth at the Maker Faire. makers, and photographers selling their art. There were plenty of activities set up
MakerFaire Logo. Storming Robots students who for younger kids, including several science participated in RCJ showcased their robots experiment stations. There was plenty to
Photo credit: http:// and other projects at the fair. Michael Xie, do and see at each booth. The Maker www.makerfaire.com the team lead of SR-chitects, gave a Faire is an amazing experience for people presentation about his Rescue B robot. of all ages and offers everything from Bhavik Shah and Salil Pathare, two long coloring pictures and making necklaces, to By: Tanya Glushkova time SR roboclub members, collaborated watching a working 3D printer and to create a remote control car using both interacting with robots. On the weekend of September 21st Arduino and NXT parts. Ashley Yang, and 22nd classes were canceled at another long time roboclub members, Storming Robots because, for the first brought some of her best Lego creations time, Storming Robots was represented at including a working Lego guitar and the World Maker Faire in New York. The trumpet, and also a Rescue A robot. The Maker Faire is an annual, weekend-long soccer team, Vadym Glushkov and Luke event that was started in 2006 in the Bay Dai, brought their soccer bots as well. All Area. The success of the Maker Faire on
Algorithms and Science Winter 2014 Page 8
Create a counting variable with the Assessing bits and assigning bits Maximizing initial value of 2. (I disregard 0 and 1). In individually is where things get tricky. this program, the counter is called Memory in “x”. Every number between 2 and the In order to utilize every bit, I will have a Prime Number maximum input value provided by the user to create a conversion by the bits order. In is defaulted to be prime, then the program order to set the bit, I have to use bit-wise
eliminates the numbers that are operation, such as bit-xor, bit-shifting, Generator complement and two’s compliment. composite. The following diagram By: Bhavik Shah illustrates the algorithm. The first trick is to set all bits to 1. The
In my time at Algorithm C classes at easiest thing to do is to set the entire byte Storming Robots, I wrote a prime number to –1. Why? It is because of the 2’s generator that utilizes every bit of data compliment structure. Here is how: being. A prime allocated. A prime number, To do: X = -1 most of us know, is a number that is
divisible only by itself and one. 1) Set to 0000 0001 2) Take 2’s compliment:
The algorithm I used for determining 2.a)compliment 1111 1110 the amount of prime numbers involves first creating an array of bytes that will 2.b) + 1 1111 1111 represent each number up to the limit determined by the user of the program. As you see, all bits are set to 1. That The size of the array is set by dynamically means number 1 thru 8 are defaulted to be allocating a memory space based on the An image of prime and composite numbers. prime. Same trick also applies to the next Photocredit: http://www.jonesnc.net/Page/2128 input. Then, I proceed to use the algorithm byte 9 thru 16, then byte 17 thru 24 etc. called the Sieve of Eratosthenes. Although this method is very efficient, After that, I will simply apply Sieve memory management needs some level of First of all, let’s talk about the basic Eratosthenes Algorithm to find out the care. Even when I use one byte to flow of the program as following; prime vs composite numbers (bits). represent number, it is wasteful. One byte For x from 3 to maximum value actually takes up 8 bits. Although it is set To do this, I will have to apply another { to either 1 or 0 (one bit usage), it uses up binary trick to convert all the subsequent If (x is a composite number) bits to the corresponding based-10 Go back to the beginning of the whole byte (8 bits) to simply represent the loop a single number. This wastes seven bits numbers. To do that, I simply use bit-Xor Else for every number I need to assess! So, I (exclusive OR) and bit-shift method to a Mark every multiple of x up was determined to use up every single bit target bit to 0 as composite. to the max as composite } (literally) of the data space I have The following illustrates how to use bit- The numbers remaining are prime. allocated. Continue to Below ▼ ▲ Continue from Above creating simulations. Either the shift and bit-Xor for the operations: Nobel Prizes in computationally taxing quantum X = 1101 0110 i.e. number mechanics are used, or the less accurate 2,3,5,7, 8 are left Chemistry and classical mechanics are used. However, as prime Physics for 2013 with developments from Martin Karplus, To Set number 8 to be composite, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel, this you need to do: problem is being addressed. They were A) 1<<7 == 1000 0000 able to blend the different models of B) Bit-Xor with X By: Nikhil Shah physics and make it easier to model = 0101 0110 chemical reactions. This bit is set to zero. That means The Nobel Prize is one of the most number 8 is composite. Only number respected awards in many fields, including Both of these prestigious awards were 2,3,5,7 are left as prime. the sciences. The prizes for physics and awarded to scientists from different chemistry have been awarded for this countries. Truly, scientific progress has Using these simple bits operations, I year. According to Nobelprize.org, the become an international endeavor and is am able to set a target bit that I need to in prize in physics was awarded to Peter optimized with teamwork. These strides my prime number generator, while still Higgs and François Englert. The press made in both physics and chemistry will making sure any other bit in the data bits release detailing their award describes allow scientists to better understand the remains the same. The main idea is that how they had correctly created a theory world that we live in. when a bit is set to zero, it means explaining how all subatomic particles composite. When it remains to be 1, it contain mass. This was then confirmed by means prime. physicists in 2013 in the Large Hadron Collider. The entire model of modern Utilizing this method, I can use 8 times physics depends on this theory developed more than without these binary tricks. This almost 50 years ago. proves to be a very efficient in terms of memory management. However, the Nobel Prize awarded in With 64-bit machine, I can chemistry was also very significant. go up to almost 150 Computers and programming are very Quintillion (i.e 1018). Based prevalent in the modern world. They affect on the Great Internet not only daily life and culture, but also Mersenne Prime Search research and professional fields. (GIMPS), the record is However, when Nobelprize.org posted a press release awarding their annual prize Eratosthenes, inventor of the Sieve currently of Eratosthenes algorithm. held with in chemistry, they described a common predicament in chemistry. When modeling A Nobel Prize medal. Photo Credit: http:// 17,425,170 Photo credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ chemical reactions, problems arise when www.windows2universe.org/ digits. File:Nobel_Prize.png
Page 9 Wnter 2014 Student Article
surface of a planet or moon), but this travel time, to Mars takes 2 and half Mars happened a billion years ago. The largest years? No one has lasted that long in outer crater on mars is about 1800 km across. space. By: Aneesh Durai That is huge enough to swallow half of Europe. Wooster had planned a mission in
2006 to send 15 mice into outer space for Valleys have formed by cracking in the five weeks to find out how mammals might planet’s surface, when the crust stretches fare on Mars. Each of the mice had its own and pulls apart. Valleys on Mars are so cage. The Spacecraft had span enough for wide that if two people were on opposite the mice to experience the gravitational ends of one, they wouldn’t be able to see pull found on Mars. each other. Today, mice and robots are still Mars has the largest volcano in the exploring Mars and getting to stroll across solar system. It’s called “Olympus Mons,” the dusty surface of the Red Planet. three times higher than Mount Everest. However, none of the volcanoes on Mars are active at the present time.
Aneesh Durai Two actual radio-controlled robots named Spirit and Opportunity are exploring Mars. The rovers (the process of preparing Mars is called “The Red Planet” a strand) are sending information back to because it appears like a red star in the earth and giving it to scientists that have sky. The red appearance of the planet never studied that information in such comes from the rust in the rocks. Mars detail before. orbits around the sun at an average distance of 228 million km, with an Spirit and Opportunity have found average distance of 114 million km some interesting information about the between Earth and Mars. rocks, dirt, and landscape on Mars. They had to do many things on Mars to collect Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. the information. For instance, Opportunity Mars Since it is 114 million km away, human dug a trench with its front wheel and that visitors would find it really cold. Humans Photo Credit: http://www.npr.org/ showed that the soil composition changes blogsthetwoway/2013/05/02/180532424/ on Mars could have other problems. The with depth. send-your-haiku-to-mars-nasa-seeks-poets air is 100 times thinner on Mars than it is on earth. It’s completely made of carbon Spirit was on the other side of the dioxide, which plants need more than planet. Spirit found the top layer of soil to humans. Visiting humans would need to be stickier than he thought it would be. wear oxygen masks and special suits. They could also have a sealed home on Gravity is different on Mars than it is Mars where they would not need to wear on Earth. A person’s muscles and bones oxygen masks and special suits. would break down on Mars due to this difference. A person weighing 100 pounds Mars has many large impact craters on Earth would weigh about 38 pounds on south of the equator. Craters have been Mars. made by meteorites (objects that pass through the atmosphere and fall to the Did you know that a mission, including
another. Even with the fastest of human humans, on one trip. Time dilation could Is Intergalactic made objects, at its max speed cruising at also be a huge benefactor in these kinds of and near 3% of the speed of light, traveling trips. Even though millions of years might Travel Possible? to the nearest galaxy would take billions of pass on Earth, traveling at near the speed By: Prayaag Rao years. Frankly, the human race does not of light would make the trip much shorter have that kind of time to spare. for the occupants. Finally, the Alcubierre Furthermore, according to the current Drive is a concept that would allow theory of the speed of light, the limit of the spacecraft to go over the speed of light. speed of light will stop us from going at The space itself might not need to surpass speeds that would allow us to reach other the speed of light, but the space around it
galaxies within a reasonable time limit. would. This concept is highly hypothetical, Also, communication would be a major but could be possible. To culminate, the problem. Radio signals would take possibility of intergalactic travel is highly hundreds of billions of years to get to other unpredictable, and it is impossible to galaxies. Lastly, the navigation would be a answer that question in current times. problem because we do not fully understand how galaxies move. I used this source in writing this article, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intergalactic There still lies some hope for the travel. Date of Visitation: 8/20/13. Prayaag Rao optimist. There are stars which have With current technology, intergalactic escaped the Milky Way and other galaxies travel is not possible. There are several so that means humans might be able to go huge problems that we need to face. The “island hopping” from star to star. Though enormous distances that separate galaxies it may be extremely difficult, we could build would make it near impossible to allow a a spacecraft that could spend thousands of spacecraft to go from one galaxy to years, with hundreds of generations of
Student Article Winter 2014 Page 10
full time. I was never able to find them, but discovered NXT. The Road to I did find a good alternative: the Storming Robots class, which my parents Storming discovered online. If I couldn’t find the kits, By: Samvit Deshmukh I thought working with them would be the second best thing. I was very excited There is not much I remember about because working with Legos has always being three years old other than lots and been one of my favorite pastimes. The lots of Lego related objects- Lego blocks, class has always been enjoyable, and the Lego clothing, a trip to Legoland, etc. teachers teach in a way that is not at all However, once I was in grade school, I hard to understand. As an added bonus, stumbled upon a very unusual type of the curriculum teaches programming, a Lego: Bionicle. Here was a set of Lego Bionicle skill I have wanted to learn ever since I humanoid, customizable figurines, with an discovered that robots needed programs. actual storyline behind them! The sets Image Credit: http://www.wallsave.com/ All in all, I love programming and I look were usually just armor and pieces of that wallpaper/1600x1200/bionicle- forward to going to Storming Robots this 1161985.html specific character, but I built a whole new year! person with armor from different sets. I would save up my allowance to get the sets I liked. I would also relentlessly browse through Lego magazines and I have to admit, I was excited! Now, websites for Bionicles I wanted, and I not only could I customize them, I could would either get them for my birthday, or get them to move! Unfortunately, I could save up my allowance for them. One time, never find the sets in stock at any Lego I paid ten dollars for a set all in coins! And stores near me, so I just kept on looking The Storming Robots logo through all of this, I continued looking for them, and when Bionicle was through magazines. It was there that I discontinued, I began looking for NXT kits
The lightest contact would send which were mentioned above (in theory, at FIFA 14 players spinning and sprawling across the least). By: Jay Joshi ground. “Human Intelligence” will cause the FIFA 14, the much anticipated game of Online game crashes: Nothing is more players to act in a more understandable this fall, was released on September 24, infuriating than playing a game online, way; more runs into space, more intelligent 2013. The publishers of this beautiful winning by a huge margin and randomly dribbles, more thru-balls, better overhead game are the influential EA Sports. getting disconnected. Which basically passes. destroys your online record, and might FIFA 14 has a lot of upgrades from even get you banned. “Real Ball Physics” will determine the FIFA 13, which solve previous problems, trajectory of the ball in game, allowing some of which were the extremely Annoying commentators: The players to use the ball just as they would in annoying to deal with: commentators were quite harsh on the real life. players and would criticize even the Glitches: Every game has glitches, but smallest mistake. The game sold about 4.5 million copies FIFA 13 was full of them. The glitches alone in the first five days. That was were quite frustrating and they would occur The improvements enhance the overall nothing compared to Grand Theft Auto V, randomly and could completely range from game play experience, along with the which sold about 80 million copies in its a small glitch to ruining a game. Glitches usual graphical upgrades. The upgrades first day. Still, soccer fans and video game include: will be quite beneficial: enthusiasts will greatly enjoy the game.
Invisible soccer balls. Ignite Engine, a realistic AI system that FIFA 14 was much anticipated by Invisible players. will make the soccer player “smart” with millions of soccer fans across the world, Wrong numbers on the referee’s better game reading abilities. It would and with EA Sports releasing tantalizing substitution board. basically stop all the problems in FIFA 13, screenshots of the game, many couldn't wait to get their hands on it.
The game is sold by most game distributors, such as GameStop and Best Buy (in the USA) and Vogue Distribution (in the UK). The release dates:
September 24, 2013 - USA September 26, 2013 - Rest of the world
FIFA 14 Photo Credit: http://www.gamerheadlines.com/fifa-14-leading-game-charts-breaking-sales-record-gta-5/
The Lighter Side Winter 2014 Page 11
Sensor tracks in all of “Stormingrobotsland”. Obituaries… However, the Arduino Circuit is also the This new section details fictional obituaries for sensors or electronics that were somehow destroyed in Storming Robots. They create stories that allude to the mistakes that they themselves, or that a student made while using the sensor. The deceased RGB LED Sketch of the deceased ping sensor by Ashley. The following obituary describes electronic devices that were destroyed nine volt surge, Steve jumped in front of most hazardous of them, as it has the by roboclub students at Storming the family and took one for the team. He lowest survival rate. However, a crash in Robots. Most likely high voltage was fried like a tempura shrimp, and his his last race had damaged his occipital source was the cause of death. identification badge was shriveled. There lobe and caused him to become colorblind. was smoke rising from the scene of the As a result, he had thought the red tragic accident. The ambulance wasn't tape leading to a shortcut on the circuit able to arrive in time. Steve will be was actually green. Consequently, he had remembered as a great, wonderful, and Steve the Ping Sensor not realized he had to accelerate in order heroic father. R.I.P. old man. to make a very long jump. Moreover, he By: Ashley Yang neglected to install the necessary speed RGB the LED resistors on his car as he thought it Steve the ping sensor was a great would’ve slowed him down. As a result, he father. Everyday he would take his kids, By: Bhavik Shah couldn’t hit his brakes before the jump. Matt (16), Mauro (14), Josephine (10), and Therefore, he fell into the fire pit below, Janet (8) out to spot white walls in a huge Roy G. Barrington, before his untimely where he burnt to death. He will be maze. Unfortunately Steve, at age 37, death, was regarded as one of the greatest remembered as a brave and courageous was killed in a freak 9V storm. When the racers. His place of death was on the LED. Salian clouds set forth a pure shocking Arduino Circuit, one of the most famed
Robotics Puzzle...
A c ro ss 1- “Robot” comes from the Czech word robota, meaning ______
4- ______sensors measure the angular rate change.
5- In 2005, Professor James Tour from the Rice University designed a nanobot run by a single-molecule car using ______as wheels.
9- An ______is a mechanism that puts something into automatic actions.
11- In 1981, there was the first case of robot homicide, when a robotic arm crushed a factory worker to his demise. In which country did it happen?
14- Robots may use ______sensors to calculate the distance travelled. Do w n 15- You use ______sensor to detect UV light. 2- Robots eat sewage!? Yes, researchers at the Bristol Robotics Lab developed robot to use Microbial Fuel Cell technology to create energy! What is the name of this robot? 16- The world’s smallest robot is a nanowalker made with ______Acid. 3- Scientists attach these nano particles to cancer cells to emit light like IR or UV .
4- Usually, you calculate the distance traveled for the robot based on the size of its tire, encoder reading, and 17- A soccer ball is about 10 septillion ______. times bigger than a buckyball, which are molecules that have 60 carbon 6- ______is a device that used in Wii Controller to allow motion sensing control. atoms. How many digits does one septillion contain? 7- What science fiction writer wrote the three laws of robotics?
18- What is the name of the world’s 8- Robots with two independent motors most likely do not run straight, because of the ______output. first humanoid robot, which could walk and talk. 10- ______nanorobots can identify their host (human) by chemical signature, much like a bloodhound or mosquito following a human.
19- "Dead ______" is a process 12- Atomic Force Microscope invented by two physicists Gerd Binning and Heinrich Rohrer in the early 1980s at of estimating a robot's current position the IBM Research Zuich. It is an instrument for imaging surfaces at the ______level. based upon a previously determined
position. 13- Roboticist Mark Rosheim produced miniature bot named “Anthrobots” for NASA to ______Mars.
actuator * gearRatio * Infrared * Accelerometer * Gyro * rotation * Reckoning * inconsistent * IsaacAsimov
* * e Airborn * Atomic * buckyball * twentyFour * Colonize * EcoBot * Japan * QuantumDots * Drudgery * DeoxyriboNucleic * Elektro : Bank Words
Page 12 Winter 2014 On the Lighter Side
Puzzle - Simple Key words about Gears... Across
3. The name for a gear that is meshed between a driver and a follower gear.
5. When gears have higher turning force, it means it is ______.
7. You use gears to increase or decrease the ______of rotation.
9. When you put two gears together, they turn ______direction.
Down
1. When gears have higher turning speed, it means it is ______.
2. A smaller gear "drives" a bigger "gear". This will make it ______.
4. You use gears to change the ______of rotation.
6. When you put three gears together, the first gear turns the same direction as the ______gear.
7. When two gear wheels are mounted on the same axle, they turn at ______speed.
8. You usually lose in turning ______when you gain in turning
speed.
e c r o f r e t s a f r e g n o r t s e m a s n o i t c e r i d d r i h t
e t i s o p p o n w o d r a e g r e l d i d e e p S : k n a B s d r o W
Comics…
Credit for this comic: http://xkcd.com/1296/ Credit for this comic: http://selfhelpmagazine.com/sites/default/ files/AlwaysGive110percent.gif
ppening...
Ha Home Site: http://www.stormingrobots.com
Roboclub : http://roboclub.stormingrobots.com Calendar http://cal.stormingrobots.com
Summer http://summer.stormingrobots.com Center Policy: http://policy.stormingrobots.com Program: Schedule will be announced no later than January 31st, 2014. Phone: (908) 595-1010 Highlights: Weeks of various Robotics Projects for Gr. 4 to 8 Fax: (855) 595-1010 Two to three weeks on Ardunio and NXT cross-platform One week focus on RobocupJunior Projects Editor-in-chief: Nikhil Shah One to two weeks of Physics with Robotic. Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stormingrobots Co-Editor-in-chief Tanya Glushkova Winter Event: ISS-Final by MIT/NASA ZeroRobotics—January 17th of 2014. Director: Elizabeth Mabrey 10 of our high school students will be at the competition held at MIT. Administrator: Madhura Pai Feb 15: Renewal for 2014 Spring Term Roboclub starts. Editors Bhavik Shah and Ashley Yang Mar 5: New students registration for 2014 Spring Term Roboclub starts. Emails: