Photo By 2nd Lt. Jeremy Dunkle | Sgt. Rocky Vickery, an EOD technician, hands guests wristbands with a Talon robot to...... read more read more
Subscribe
The 167th Theater Sustainment Command (TSC) opened its doors for the Central Alabama BEST Robotics Gameday at the Armed Forces Readiness Center, Anniston, Alabama, Oct. 21, 2017.
Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology (BEST) is an organization that hopes to encourage middle school and high school students to pursue degrees in engineering and science based fields. They host a national competition each year.
Members of robotics teams from 17 schools in the region competed for trophies in several categories. They were given six weeks to plan and build working robots to compete on gameday, with three specific tasks to complete in the allotted time.
The first task was to move a wooden stick-figure over to an area designated as a stretcher. The second task was to relocate three cans that represented hazardous material to a safe area. Finally, they used ping-pong balls to knock down cups stacked at various heights.
Sgt. 1st Class Jamie Keith, a local Alabama National Guard Recruiter, kicked things off by talking a little bit about the new Alabama National Guard Educational Assistance Program (ANGEAP) and the role that technology plays in an ever-changing Army.
“It was a good opportunity to talk to these students about the new ANGEAP for Soldiers, which provides up to $5,080 per semester to in-state colleges,” said Keith. “The way the military is evolving, technology and robotics have an important role in helping us accomplish the mission. This event perfectly highlights how technology can help get tasks done. The BEST organization’s goal of encouraging students to pursue degrees, and our goal of helping Alabama National Guard Soldiers get their college degrees, go hand-in-hand.”
Also in attendance was Sgt. Rocky Vickery, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) sergeant in the 666th EOD unit from nearby Jacksonville, Alabama. He felt there was an obvious comparison between what the students do in the BEST competition and what his Soldiers do in their missions.
“They are getting tasks accomplished without having someone physically do it,” said Vickery. “That is the exact same thing we do. What they do here is a small scale, less intense version of what we do out in the field, but the concept is the same.”
Vickery talked about the role of robotics in today’s operational environment and the emphasis being placed on protecting the lives of Soldiers and civilians through the use of robots.
“Specifically, a huge obstacle we face right now is the use of improvised explosive devices (IED),” said Vickery. “We use robots to assess and address any threats, which protects our Soldiers in the field from having to be directly in harms way.
Hosting the event is another way that the 167th Theater Sustainment Command tries to involve itself in the community.
“It helps give back to the community,” said Staff Sgt. Howard Storey, a training noncommissioned officer at the 167th TSC. “We get to give back to the kids of Alabama and give them the opportunity to show off their skills. We get to provide a platform.”
Storey said it is the first time that the Armed Forces Readiness Center was the site for this competition.
“We hope they come back,” Storey added. “It was an exciting event.”
| Date Taken: | 10.21.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.24.2017 14:18 |
| Story ID: | 252825 |
| Location: | ANNISTON, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 167 TSC hosts BEST Robotics Competition, by 2LT Jeremy Dunkle, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
