Lynn Mahuta, CEO, Mahuta Tool Corp
"We often find ourselves wishing more young people were well-versed in problem solving, math, communication and teamwork, and NRL helps with all these things."
"Among the things we've heard from young people about our industry is that there are no jobs in manufacturing—and the jobs there are boring, doing the same thing over and over. But the reality is that precision manufacturing needs highly skilled workers, the kind who could go on to engineering, but would rather work with their hands as well as their head. (Many, after earning a journeyperson's card, do go back to school and earn their engineering degrees later on.)"
"So Mahuta Tool Corp. has gotten involved with the National Robotics League to find qualified candidates for apprenticeships so we can continue to grow our business. As a sponsor and mentor of a local high school team, we've seen these students become interested in considering the machine tool trades. We were able to hire a student after his graduation from high school. And within a month on the job we offered him a tool-and-die apprenticeship."
"We often find ourselves wishing more young people were well-versed in problem solving, math, communication and teamwork, and NRL helps with all these things. Students on a robotics team often are on different class schedules, so they must find ways to communicate about progress or problems. The students learn to work as a group to get a project done on time and on budget. And at the matches, they learn what works and how they will improve their 'bot to compete another day."
Cpl. Zac Holmes (USMC), former NRL competitor
"Some of the more technical things I remember doing was determining which of two materials offered less drag. We used a makeshift gauge, made with cardboard, some notches and a spring."
"There was some talk of starting a BattleBots club at our school and I was quite interested, having seen the show. We worked mostly out of the school's racquetball court. It was pretty loud. Eventually we progressed to 15-pound robots, which are cheaper and easier to work with."
"Some of the more technical things I remember doing was determining which of two materials offered less drag. We used a makeshift gauge, made with cardboard, some notches and a spring. On another occasion we needed to test something for torque. Again, without store-bought tools, we simply used a wrench of a known length and a known weight at the end of it. A little math later and we had it in foot-pounds."
"I also used some equations from my physics book in an attempt to find out how much mass, at what radius and RPM, we would need to take advantage of the gyroscopic effects it would produce. We hadn't covered the material in class yet and it was a bit above our heads so I'm not sure if the final formula was accurate, but it was fun to work on nonetheless."
Matt Gallagher, NRL competitor
"Last year I ended up winning first in the state, nation and world, with an overall record of 45-4."
"A friend of mine and I started building robots as a hobby on our own, then when NRL came along we started building more towards that. So we learned a lot through the years, with the help of a crazy smart engineer/machinist in a machine shop here. He taught us a lot about how to use the CAD [computer-aided design] systems and how to do machining and a lot of general metalworking.
"Then the next year my friend went back to St. Cloud Technical College —where I am now. He built his own 'bot and I built mine, called Humdinger 2. And last year I ended up winning first in the state, nation and world, with an overall record of 45-4. For Humdinger 2 I machined and designed every single part. I learned a lot of CAD skills. I can now fully design in 3-D CAD and get all the weights and center of gravity and all that stuff, then actually have all the parts machined."
"I recently got a job, an apprenticeship, at Ultra Machining Company in Monticello, Minn. They make a lot of cool medical and aerospace stuff. Connections I made through doing all the robot stuff helped me get the job. I had no idea what I wanted to do before I started getting into robot combat. Otherwise I'd probably still have no idea."
Alex Leonhardt, NRL competitor
"I basically learned how to lead, pushing the group to strive for more. Through leading the club my knowledge of robotics, people skills and academics grew tremendously."
"I helped start a robot battle club at Slinger High School [in metro Milwaukee, Wisc.]. It was a perfect place to get kids involved. We had shop kids, graphics kids, design students and kids who didn't know how to use a drill show up to make a team. Our team built two robots; one competed and took fourth of 16 teams. I basically learned how to lead, pushing the group to strive for more. Through leading the club my knowledge of robotics, people skills and academics grew tremendously."
"After I graduated, in 2007, I started attending Moraine Park Tech College full-time as a Tool and Die student, and thought my robot days were behind me. But on one of our field trips we ran into a competition at the Tool and Die show in Milwaukee. Lynn from Mahuta Tool approached me and said that we should build one through school. Then when she found out about my previous involvement, she invited me to Mahuta Tool for an interview. A few months later I had a full apprenticeship for Tool and Die.
"There's no doubt in my mind that I'd probably be running production—bored out of my mind in a nowhere job—if it weren't for these experiences."
Rick Volker, educator and NRL team advisor
"Our team members routinely apply academic classes, such as physics and algebra, to design an effective weapon system."
I became involved with NRL because I thought that it would be a good fit with the energy technology program that I teach. It's gratifying to see students engaged and applying problem solving skills. We're constantly being challenged to find a better way to build a more offensively formidable and defensively tough robot.
"Our team members routinely apply academic classes, such as physics and algebra, to design an effective weapon system. Some of the parents of our former team members have told me this program has motivated their son or daughter to pursue a career related to activities that they did while working on the project."
"The most valuable knowledge and skills this program instills is that of design and what it's like to work in a real-world setting. Students design and build a prototype using a laser engraver, then they manufacture the robot, test, compete and redesign as necessary to improve performance. Another important factor is the time involved. Team members put in considerable amount of extra time during and after school to meet the deadlines for competition. Teamwork is another big takeaway: we've encountered conflicts among team members and have resolved them, just like what's required in the workplace."
"This is one of the most challenging and rewarding projects that I have encountered in my 30-plus years of teaching. Students involved with this program gain a wealth of knowledge they'll carry with them the rest of their lives."
Callie Nichols, NRL competitor
"To be successful in robot combat you have to be able to recognize a problem and solve it fast. I love finding out what's wrong with things, then fixing them. I think that's exciting."
My brother had been on my school's NRL team and I thought it looked really cool. After I joined I really got into wiring. We started with a kit 'bot—we put it together and I wired it. Then we made our main 'bot, Juggernaut, which had a 5-inch-diameter cylinder in which all the components had to fit. I loved the challenge. So when I got to wire it I was able to learn different ways to do it in the small space."
"To be successful in robot combat you have to be able to recognize a problem and solve it fast. Usually you only have 20 minutes between matches—and sometimes less. Once I had to completely rewire our 'bot in that time. You learn that you can't take a break—you have to want it and keep working for it. So every time something went wrong was another learning opportunity. We had to put our belts on backwards to prevent them from snapping, and we had to figure out how to keep our 'bot running even though it was hot. We used so much science there that my brain hurt after our four-hour meeting. I don't think there is any better way to learn about engineering than robot combat."
"The most exciting competition was the national one at Mall Of America because that was the first time our robot worked perfectly. It was great because we'd put so many hours into it. Getting second place in the rumble was great because all our hard work had paid off. We had a switch fire and I got to get rid of it and fix the problem. I love finding out what's wrong with things, then fixing them. I think that's exciting."
All Girls Team in Wisconsin
"I hope that, if we do well . . . maybe we'll have two girls teams next year," said Cat Chausow, a junior on the Germantown team. "It's mostly male-dominated, and it was a little awkward walking into a room full of guys. But we're making friends."
"I am definitely excited, and I think we will be ready," said Seidler, who is in charge of programming the machines so they fabricate the robot's pieces correctly. "We are getting it done, and we're getting it done right."
An all-girl team from Germantown High School defies the stereotypes and expectations with its own entry in this year's Wisconsin competition, a remote-controlled robot battle royal at Discovery World in Pier Wisconsin.
