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Robotic Society Hosts Festival: Whatcom Residents Can Learn to Make Their Own Robots

Posted on: Sunday, 14 May 2006, 18:01 CDT

By Kira Millage, The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Wash.

May 14--R2D2 and C-3PO weren't there, but Nicky Mangan still bounced around excitedly as he examined the robots on display at the second annual Bellingham Robotics Festival on Saturday.

"It's amazing that people could build these machines," the 7-year-old robot enthusiast said, after watching a robotic dog play with a rubber ball. "What's mainly exciting me is I've never been here before."

He was among hundreds of people who came through the Bellingham Public Library to see robots constructed by members of the Bellingham Artificial Intelligence Robotic Society.

Jianna Zhang, a Western Washington University professor in the computer science department, and Terry Harmer, a retired engineer, started the organization a few years ago. They realized that robotics organizations and competitions were lacking in Whatcom County and decided to remedy the problem. The festival is a way to get the community more involved.

"We want to promote artificial intelligence and robotics in Bellingham and Whatcom County," said Zhang, president of BAIRS. "We want to get people to know exactly what a robot is and how they can make one. We want to let everyone know they can make a robot."

"It's so wonderful," said Arlan Norman, dean of College of Sciences and Technology at WWU. "To have something in science and math that combines with the community is essential these days."

The robots on display varied from kids with small machines made with LEGOs and gears to WWU grad students with remote-controlled mobile video-transmitting robots.

One of the displays included Harmer's robot, a "household pet" named Topspin.

"When I started, I didn't know a resistor from a diode," he said. "Now I'm building circuit boards."

The two-year project isn't done yet, but the robot can move around the house, tell time, sense light and dark, and watch for burglars and fires at night.

"It's a smart device," he said. "It doesn't waste time staring at a blank wall looking for fire."

Mangan, a student at Happy Valley Elementary School, hopes he can build a robot as successful as that some day. He's been using his K'Nex set to build walking robots, but is having a bit of trouble.

"Only once I've had success," he said, bouncing excitedly while trying to see other displays. "But, the four legs do move together."

Mangan's mom, Leslie Adams, tried to keep up with him. "I think he's gone to heaven," she said.

His parents were pleased to see interest in robotics growing in Whatcom County and his dad, John Mangan, just wanted opportunities to be available by the time Nicky was older.

"I hope opportunities for this at the high schools grow," he said.

Reach Kira Millage at kira.millage @bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2266.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Wash.

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Source: The Bellingham Herald, Wash.

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