Academic Magnet Robotics Team Competes in the Nanoline Competition

Seniors create an underwater rover to compete nationally.

Academic+Magnet+Robotics+Team+Competes+in+the+Nanoline+Competition

The Academic Magnet High School (AMHS) Robotics Team competed in the National Nanoline Contest in Harrisburg, PA.  AMHS seniors Gage Gailbreath, Stephen Hilton, Daniel Killough, John Paradise, and Bohan Wang qualified for the national competition with impressive performances in the regional competition February 2, 2019.  Their presentation at Regionals was skyped to the judges who consisted of Professors of Engineering and Computer Science at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. Among 28 teams competing, the Magnet team qualified for one of the top 8 spots and advanced to Nationals.

Sponsored by Phoenix Contact (a leading developer of industrial electrical and electronic technology), the National Nanoline Competition presents an opportunity for high school students to learn about STEM-related fields using the company’s Nanoline controllers. The competition challenges students to build a robot for a societal purpose of their choosing; this encourages scholars use their creativity and test their knowledge of robotics while solving a real-world issue.

“Being a part of a coastal community, we understand the tragedies that natural disasters cause,”

— John Paradise

The AMHS Robotics Team created and presented an underwater rover after seeing firsthand the devastation caused by Hurricane Florence in 2018. Witnessing parts of the Carolinas flooded led the team to invent a machine to make the process of finding people more efficient, safe, and less costly for search and rescue teams. The team created a rover

to search within large bodies of water, allowing human resources to be concentrated in specific locations.

“Being a part of a coastal community, we understand the tragedies that natural disasters cause,” remarked team member John Paradise.

The team’s rover includes infrared sensors and GPS technology, allowing it to detect and avoid debris while simultaneously identifying and pinpointing possible rescue persons and locations.  It was made using PVC pipe and pool noodles for neutral buoyancy with  sensors attached.  As the national competition would not allow them to bring water to the competition,

they were forced to video their robot using the hotel pool.  Ultimately

they finished 3rd in the National Competition. The winners developed a

walk-in shower for the elderly and another team invented  a device that cleans paintbrushes.

The team was sponsored by AMHS science teachers Tyson McCormick and Maria Desbrow.

(A large portion of this article comes from a press release from Charleston County Schools.)