Students battle it out in game of robot basketball

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MANILA — For 2 days this week, a different kind of ball game unfolded in this city of basketball junkies.

While teenagers sweat it out shooting hoops in the neighborhood court, a group of robots butted steel bars in an air-conditioned hall with glass enclosing their smaller, modified court.

At the sidelines, high school students cheered as their robots blocked each other in a basketball game that at times looked a bit like demolition derby.

For the last few months, students from 16 schools in Metro Manila have been constructing and programming their robots from scratch, using a basic kit provided by the Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI).

Dubbed “Tagisang Robotics,” the competition aimed to engage public high school students into studying robotics, engineering and computer programming.

“For young people, science should be fun,” said Dr. Ruby Cristobal, head of DOST-SEI’s Science and Technology Manpower Education Research and Promotions Division (STMERPD).

Dominating the game was the red-painted cube-shaped robot of Makati’s Pitogo High School, which can quickly collect and launch several rattan balls into the goal.

Apparently, it is the third time that the school won the competition, which originally involved robots playing soccer when it first started in 2011.

While the robot’s ability to shoot quickly allowed Pitogo High School to get the highest score and be awarded Best Team, a technical problem made it unable to participate in the finals. Winning the Best Alliance award were Malabon National High School and Caloocan National Science and Technology High School, which was just established several years ago.

Florante Ferrer, coach of Pitogo High School, said the competition is a great opportunity for public high school students to be exposed to science technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“Usually these (robotics and engineering) [are] taught only in private schools,” he said.

“Playing a game is also a good application of programming because you can immediately see if your program or code is effective,” he added.

Luke Pons, a grade 9 student of Pitogo High School, said he was initially intimidated by the idea of trying robotics and programming.

“But it’s not that difficult if you have the passion,” he said.

Pons said he has long been curious about computers and robots and the competition has further fueled his interest in pursuing a computer engineering course in college.

Meanwhile, his teammate Jamella Ragasa, also a grade 9 student, said they were almost worried that they would be unable to compete after their robot's brain short circuited.

“We had to look for new parts and assemble it again,” said Ragasa, who wants to become a meteorologist because of the influence of her parents who also teach science.

Ferrer said the strength of their team lies in their unity and their ability to solve problems together.

“The work is distributed among all members,” he said, allowing each of them to fully understand the process.

Cristobal said the team really wanted to impart the values of collaboration, which is important in the field of science.

“Mahalaga sa amin matuto sila hindi lang ng scientific process but also 'yung ginagawa ng mga scientist, respeto sa kapwa at pakikipagcollaborate, pakikipagtulungan para sa gitna ng kompetisyon meron pa ring professionalism,” she said.

(It’s important for us that they learn not only the scientific process but also what scientists do - respect, collaborate and help each other - so that even if it’s a competition, there is professionalism.)

Engr. Angelo Javier, a staff member of DOST’s STMERPD, said they were quite impressed with the output of the students who were trained for 5 days in September on electronics and programming.

“From there they were given the instruction to build from scratch,” he said, explaining that the students spent months testing and improving their prototypes.

He said what makes the program effective is that students are enticed to further study when they see how it is applied in the real world.

Cristobal said participants of the competition may continue to pursue their love for science by applying for DOST scholarships for college.

“Hopefully that will translate to more scientists and engineers to improve our industry and our economy,” she said.