Milby Robobuffs Design World’s First Lego Android
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| "LARA," an autonomous robotic android built from Legos by students from Milby High School, will be used as the basis of an instructional kit for other robotics students to study. |
If it hadn’t been for a shipping mishap on the way to the competition in Michigan, a humanoid robot built by students at Charles Milby High School might have literally walked away with the top prize from the 2008 World Robofest on April 26.
As it was, the android creation, dubbed “LARA” by its makers (an acronym for “Lego Autonomous Robotic Android”), had to settle for Honorable Mention and the Judges’ Award. It had previously won first place at nationals (as a robot with a head, spinal cord, and rib system) and regionals (it was only “Larry the Head” at the time).
“The robot was able to stand when we shipped her,” explained team co-sponsor and Milby High School English teacher Stephanie Hobbs, “but due to spinal cord injuries she sustained on the way to Michigan, she was not able to stand when she got there. During competition, we have to focus on what the robot can do, not what it did or what we want it to do.”
The android is anatomically correct in that it has skeletal, nervous, and muscular systems. It also has arms and legs with moving wrists, elbows, and knees, and it is autonomous in that it can be operated using only verbal commands and gestures (independent of a computer or a remote control).
“The rationale behind making it was to prove that an inexpensive, lightweight plastic android could be built using Lego parts,” said team member Pablo Pesquera.
“By making it as anatomically correct as possible, students have a better opportunity to study the different systems and how they work, the physics and kinesiology of the human body,” added Isain García.
Dr. Douglas Kleiner, the president and CEO of the Education Foundation of Harris County, has agreed to help the Milby Robobuffs copyright and trademark their creation (deemed the “first Lego android”) as an assembly kit complete with instructions that other schools can use as an educational tool.
The Milby Robobuffs are: Eric Ávila, Enrique Cardenas, José Hernández, Isain García, Alex González, Cynthia González, Erika González, Thuy Lui, Diana Martínez, Elijah Millender, Rosalba Muchaca, Pablo Pesquera, Zulema Ramos, and April Siharath.
Robofest is an annual autonomous robotics competition created in 2000 by Lawrence Tech University. It is targeted for students in grades 5–12 and promotes the study of “STEM” subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math). Robofest challenges teams of students to design, build, and program robots to compete in regional events and advance to the World Robofest Championship.
Milby’s robotics team is supported by Executive Principal Sam Sarabia, Principal Richard Barajas, sponsor Marie Smeets, co-sponsor Stephanie Hobbs, East Region Science Specialist Sharon Fontaine, and the entire Milby faculty and staff.
