Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chuck Walker
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  For the first time ever, some of America's next leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics competed in the VEX robotics competition on an Air Force Base, as Team Dover hosted the Delaware State VEX Championship Oct. 6, 2012, in an airfield hangar on Dover Air Force Base, Del.

37 teams from Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland competed in four categories: head-to-head robot competition, skills competition, programming and design.

Having a robotics competition on an active-duty Air Force base was the brainchild of Steve Rhoads, co-founder of VEX Robotics and Lt. Col. Ricardo Trimillos, commander of the 314th Air Force Recruiting Squadron. They decided to combine technological problem solving of bright young minds in a robotics competition, with exposure to the Air Force.

Rhoads, who was a former KC-135 pilot with the Air Force for eight years, wanted the competitors to see for themselves the amazing technology the military and the Air Force, in particular, offer.

"Lt. Col. Trimillos and I met at one of our competitions and he offered up McGuire and Dover [Air Force Base]," Rhoads said. "I wanted the kids to see the flightline and to have a C-5 in the background as they competed. I also wanted Air Force people to be the judges, so these kids could see what the Air Force offers and the opportunity they have to do something for yourself and country."

The competitors not only had the opportunity to compete in a real-life Air Force hangar on a flightline, but also had the opportunity to see the Air Force's technology up close.

Members of the 436th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordinance Disposal team showed the competitors what their robot, a F6A EOD robot could do. This brought home to the competitors how what they were doing with their own robots, compared to what the Air Force offers.

Rhoads said his goal was to expose the competitors, some for the first time, to the Air Force and to the idea that the things they are doing with their own robots and the types of problem solving skills they use in competition, can be transferred over and applied to an Air Force career.

"It's really about exposure," Rhoads said. "You can read about this stuff in a textbook, this is not science fiction, this is real life. And seeing that they can find similar technology in an Air Force career does it for them."

One competitor who had never thought about the Air Force before the competition was Jonathan Paras, captain of his team, Team 169 A The Calvary, from the Haverford School in Haverford, Pa.
Paras, who has been competing in robotics for two years and over 14 competitions, said having the competition at Dover opened his eyes to new possibilities.

"It certainly shows that the Air Force is interested in American scientists and that they support home-grown scientists," Paras said. "I never really saw or thought about the Air Force until today and seeing their level of support. I can't say that I'm going to join, but it has definitely opened my mind up to different possibilities."

Col. Rick Moore, 436th Airlift Wing commander, said the competition was a great success.

"We're thrilled to have the competition here and are pleased to get the opportunity to expose the participants to the prospects of an Air Force career," Col. Moore said. "We are honored to be chosen as the first base to host this competition, and hope other bases will follow our lead."

Joe Meseke, whose team from Parkton, Md. won the tournament championship, the excellence award and the driver and programming skills competitions, was awed by the overall experience of competing at an Air Force base.

"This was amazing," Meseke said. "Really, this hangar, sets the tone for the day. It is so nice [the Air Force base] would host a competition like this. It's been great and it definitely has been a learning experience. "