Robotics students form "Brotherhood of Steel'

Cooper Gould, Wyatt Hougham and Brandon Pollard have known each other since kindergarten. Different interests pulled them in different directions as they hit middle school and high school, but the three young men have come back together to form the "Brotherhood of Steel."

That's actually a team name for the 4-H-sponsored threesome's entries into robotics competition. They entered the FIRST Tech Challenge in Tigard last month, where they tested their robot against other teams in competition that challenges a robot's agility, maneuverability and ability to perform tasks like hanging rings on a multi-tiered rack.

The competition, created by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, consists of three parts. In part one, the robot operates autonomously; in the second part, it is operated under remote control. In the "End Game," teams pair up to lift one of the robots to a certain height (eg. one robot throws down a ramp for the other robot to drive up).

The competition calls for "defense," where a robot can be used to interfere with another team's robot, an aspect of the competition at which the rookie Brotherhood of Steel team excelled.

"They found out that they were better at blocking the other guy than they were at scoring ... the strategy worked really well for them," said team advisor Joey Hougham.

So well, in fact, that the Brotherhood managed a second-place finish out of 14 teams - thanks in part to teaming up for the End Game with a skilled veteran team.

"It kind of blew us away that they did so well," Hougham said.

The three students were hard at work last Friday, taking apart their robot and "tweaking" it based on performance.

"After their first competition, they decided they needed to make some changes based on what happened," Hougham said.

Competition has made the project all the more engaging for the three friends.

"For me, it was something different from anything I've normally done," said Cooper Gould.

For Brandon Pollard, robotics represents a departure from his focus on sports - and a chance to reconnect with his old buddies.

"I though maybe it would be cool to hang out with them again," he said. "I haven't been around this stuff; it's been a lot of fun."

Wyatt Hougham is purpose-driven.

"This is really relevant to my interests because I want to go into some kind of engineering field," he said. "It's a good experience, fun and a departure from the norm."

The Brotherhood's next competition is on February 16 in Hood River. They appreciate the support they've received, including Steve McGhehey's donation of space for a training facility in the former Weitech Building.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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