Robotics Aerial Drone Competition is the next frontier for New Richmond High School students who are studying robotics with Teacher and Coach Alan Lindner.
Before New Richmond students can compete, however, they must first master the art of piloting drones. It’s a skill the students in Mr. Lindner’s Robotics III class are striving to master.
They had hoped to enter at least one competition this school year, Mr. Lindner said. Due to the pandemic, this posed a challenge. The few competitions that could be found were several states away. Despite this, his students are focused on refining their skills in preparation for robotics and aerial drone competitions in the 2021-2022 school year.
“This is the perfect time to get into this,” Mr. Lindner said. “And, hopefully, as this grows and there are more competitions closer to home, New Richmond will be ready.”
Mr. Lindner and students in his robotics classes are not new to embracing new and unfamiliar challenges.
Last school year, a New Richmond High School Robotics Team made school history when it became the first-ever NRHS team to compete in a VEX Robotics Competition. Despite the newness of the robotics competition for students, the team members surprised everyone by placing 10th out of 32 teams.
In January of this year, the Robotics Team traveled to Indiana for a competition. Once again, the skills of the individual team members earned New Richmond 15th out of 40 teams.
While the competition is fun and provides unique opportunities for the Robotics students, it also has practical benefits. The real-world applications for the skills the students gain from both taking the robotics classes and the competition are nearly limitless.
For example, career fields where drone skills are in demand include real estate, photography, surveyor, powerline and rooftop inspector, and rescue team member to name a few.
The Robotics program continues to grow at NRHS. Next school year, a Robotics 4 class will be introduced. Several students are already signed on.
The Robotics 4 students will work with the incoming Robotics 3 students. By blending the classes, a team-type atmosphere will develop and the experienced students will be able to mentor others with less experience, Mr. Lindner said.
This is how other districts develop robotics programs. This is how they help their students to develop the necessary skills to compete and possibly pursue careers or continue their education in robotics, he said. This is the direction Mr. Lindner said he hopes New Richmond Schools can continue to grow.