Northwood School is known around the region for its brilliance and ingenuity in the field of robotics. Even though robotics is officially listed as a class at Northwood, it is considered less of an academic discipline and more of a respected sports team due to the numerous competitions the Robotics Team attends.
The Robotics Team at a competition during the 2017-18 school year (Photo: provided).
Led by Mr. Jeff Martin, chair of the Innovation, Engineering, and Entrepreneurship (IEE) Department, Northwood Robotics Team works tirelessly to design robots that they test in a number of different ways. One such test involves the robots being placed in a giant padded room in which a short wall of plexiglass creates a rectangular playing surface. The robots are then programmed to pick up foam footballs from inside of a box and then drop them outside of the playing area. Whichever robot gets the most footballs out of the playing area wins.
This is just one example of the many tests the Robotics Team faces. Throughout the year, their robots must overcome a vast array of different tests, games, and feats. The student robot designers then bring the machines to competitions where they face robots from other schools.
Yes, there is quite a buzz at Northwood about robotics. Northwood Robotics Team member Paul Han ‘19 said, “I’m wishing that our team will win a competition so that we can go to the international games.”
So all and all, it’s shaping up to be another great year for Northwood’s Robotics Team. Let’s just hope that the team will be able to push through the season to come and seldom be left grinding their gears.
