A robotics team at Flat Rock Middle is heading to the Georgia FIRST Lego League (FLL) state championship in February.
The Impressive Coalition of Eagles, better known to their competitors as team I.C.E., will square off against the best-of-the-best middle school robotics teams at the statewide competition taking place February 2 at Georgia Tech. Team members are Madison Lohr, Bre’Yon Guidry, Imani Newton, Dylan Felker, Nicholas Jenkins, Tyson White, Darion Nandlal, Jaden Torres, and Michael Baksh. The team is coached by Melissa Lohr.
In order to get an invitation to compete at the state level, teams must perform well enough at their regional competitions to advance to the super regional event, and from there, they have to score high enough to make the cut to compete at the state championship.
I.C.E. won the research project award at the regional competition, and then advanced to the super regional competition where they won the project award again.
Each year FLL teams are challenged to think like scientists and engineers to solve a real world problem. This year’s challenge was to solve a problem humans could face during long distance space exploration. I.C.E. chose to focus on the mental health of astronauts being separated from their lives back on earth.
After the team discussed what they would take with them if they were traveling to Mars, one thing was constant, a cat. So, they got to work researching the benefits of pet ownership, and from there developed a two-part innovative solution.
The first part uses an augmented reality (AR) program that would allow astronauts with AR glasses to view their pet floating in space with them. The second part is a lifelike plush companion pet, custom made to look like the astronaut’s pet, with sensors designed to stimulate many of the senses associated with pet ownership; therefore, helping to reduce the feelings of isolation and loneliness.
This is the second team from Flat Rock Middle to compete in a state FLL championship.
