Of boys and bots

It is the afternoon of a school day and yet, in this mall, there are students in numbers that should get the Department of Education very worried.

But, wait, if these kids have cut classes just to go malling at SM North Annex, they have some nerve to be doing it in their uniforms. Something must be going on.

That something is the 10th Philippine Robotics Olympiad (PRO). And the students are not truants after all.

As it turns out, they are the robot builders, the whiz kids, the brainiacs who one day may lead this country out of the blight and into the techno light.

In the center of the Cyberzone activity area, competition is going on for the Regular Category. First up are the grade schoolers, to be followed by the high school kids. The arena is bounded on three sides by the school booths competing in the Open Category.

In front of the International School Manila booth, sitting between his two younger brothers, is Lucas Ramos. He’s busy on his iPad. Hunched over notebooks on the booth’s table, also engaged in video games, are his teammates. Like him, Cristian Ayala and Rom Villarica are 14-year-old ninth graders.

The boys are killing time. This is the new generation’s way of cooling their heels, No pen-and-paper tasks for them. Their brain exercises have amazing graphics dissolving into labyrinths that can seem too intimidating to the uninitiated.

Down to the braces

The ISM Bearcats are in the Open Category instead of the regular competition. In many ways, however, Cris, Lucas and Rem are regular teenage boys, down to the braces and video games, although, in some ways, they are not. For one, they have clear skins, no doubt a credit to mothers who know either good skin cleansing regimens or crack dermatologists. For another, they have accomplished fathers who are willing to spend hours talking, working and breathing robotics with them.

Cris was already competing in the Open Category when Lucas joined him on the ISM team last year. They were a team of two and got the bronze in the World Robotics Olympiad (WRO) that was held here. After their third-place performance, they felt they needed help to build and program more complicated robots. So in January, Lucas asked his classmate Rom Villarica to join them when they started brainstorming on this year’s entry.

The boys like the Open Category because there’s more room for creativity and teamwork, according to Sheila Ramos, mom to Lucas.

The other challenge of the open competition is the on-the-spot judges’ review. Usually IT professors or professionals, the judges interview the team members about their presentation and their robots.

This year, the Bearcats are going for the gold, or at least the silver. And why not? Having gone through what they have, having given up summer trips to stay home and build robots, having spent two to three hours day after day since June to fine-tune their machines, they might as well set their sights on the top two prizes that will give them the right to represent the country in November at the WRO in Abu Dhabi.

Moment of truth

In a few minutes, the judges are coming to see what ISM has to offer along the theme of “Robotics Improving Life.” The boys put on their uniforms. The dads look more nervous than the boys. The moms put aside their cameras. Sheila Ramos fixes her son’s collar. Dory Villarica sweeps her son’s hair away from his face with her fingers. Ina Ayala whispers something to her son.

Team ISM starts testing the wireless microphones. This is too loud, says Rem. Lucas clicks his fingers to his mic to test it.

Felta executive Mylene Abiva leads the judges to the ISM booth. This is clearly not child’s play anymore.

The Bearcats are presenting “NucleaTrons: Life Preservation Squad Disaster Scenario and Response,” a concept inspired by Clive Gifford’s book “Robots.”

The background music and the opening video, both edited by Cris, start playing.

The video shows an alarming newscast about an earthquake and a tsunami, a double whammy that has damaged the Coastal Nuclear Power Complex. One reactor has exploded. How to save the team of scientists whose path to safety is blocked by fire and hazardous waste? Not to worry, Commanders Ayala, Ramos and Villarica are in control of the situation.

To save humans trapped in a dangerous environment, put out hazardous fires, get rid of nuclear waste, evacuate the victims to safety—all these have always required human rescuers whose lives are likewise put in peril when they take on the mission.

Now, before the judges, the ISM squad presents an alternate scenario.  Why not use robots? Why not manipulate them from a remote command center?

Using hand gestures and voice commands, the boys prompt their four robots—the transporter CarrierTron, waste-clearing ClawTron, the fire-fighting HydroTron and the victim-evacuating  EvacuTron—into action.

Lucas, who speaks with authority even at a young age, strings the presentation together with his annotations.

“Our biggest scare was nontechnical,” says Cris’ dad Fred Ayala when asked about any troubles they’ve had to contend with along the way. “The night before the competition, Lucas completely lost his voice!”

A good night’s rest gave Lucas his voice back and today, his words are moving the presentation forward, as in a well-scripted movie. But Lucas is not just the take-charge guy who speaks for the team. He is also the mechanics guy.

He devoted himself to building the CarrierTron, with the guidance of Marc Andre Bazergui and programming assistance from Cris. Mobility is key here, as is size. The robot is to house and transport two robots, the ClawTron and the HydroTron.

There is a back story to the CarrierTron. According to Fred, after two months of building this big robot, the team realized it was so heavy the bottom would collapse and the robot wouldn’t move. The boys then used mega tracks on each side, interlocking grids and four motors to make it stable and capable of transporting its heavy load.

Lucas also built the ClawTron, which he armed with, well, a claw that “in one fluid movement” with the use of  only one motor, grips a drum of toxic waste, lifts it and drops it before the judges, thanks to Cris’ programming.

The HydroTron is up next. With the use of his voice, Rom commands the robot to extinguish the fire. He himself programmed the interactive voice controls, with his dad’s guidance. It was also Rom who designed the brochures and the posters.

Finally, the moment of truth arrives. The EvacuTron has to collect the “scientists” and quickly move down the escape ramp to bring them to the safety of the CarrierTron.

It was Cris who programmed the system for motion control, and now he is inside the booth, using hand gestures to “drive” the EvacuTron robot toward the CarrierTron.  Everyone holds their breath. It is almost certain the parents and the grandparents are calling on the saints in silence. This is the make or break moment, after all. If the robot stops on its tracks, mission remains unaccomplished.

The EvacuTron inches its way toward the landing dock of the CarrierTron as Cris moves his hands—and makes it!

“It’s teamwork at its finest,” says Sheila. “Each child has his own strength that made the team stronger.”

So did the parents. “The division of labor was pretty clear cut,” says Fred, who took care of logistics. Al Villarica, Rom’s dad, handled the technical stuff and gets credit as team coach. Fred notes that the moms “helped with the costumes, set and plenty of snacks and dinners for the many late nights the boys spent working on their entry.”

The boys give one another high-fives after they wrap up their presentation with a resounding “The NucleaTrons save the day, improving the lives of all!”

The judges then grill the boys about their robots. They throw in a feel-good question: What’s your favorite part? The boys each pick their own machines.

Smooth as silk, someone says to Lucas with a high five after the judges leave. “Yes, I know,” says Lucas, with an impish grin. It is obvious he’s relieved and happy.

The competition goes on the rest of the afternoon. At 6 p.m., the Philippine Robotics Olympiad people are ready to announce the winners. Lucas and his teammates, as well as their supporters, gather to the right of the stage for the gripping moment.

Mylene announces the good news that the top two winners in each category will be going to the World Robotics Olympiad in November in Abu Dhabi. This perks up the kids who are all tired by now. Some, including the ISM boys, have been here since 7 a.m. to set up their robots.

The winners are named. The top two teams in the Elementary Regular Category are public schools—Tibagan Elementary School Team B and Comembo Elementary School Team A.

Ranked first and second in the High School Regular Category are Grace Christian College Team A and First Institute of Technology and Humanities, respectively.

In the Robot Soccer event, Philippine Science High School-Bicol Campus wins over four other schools.

In the Open Category, the third place goes to Grace Christian College from among the 12 competitors.

Now the ISM Bearcats have a shot at winning the top award. If only they can vanquish the girls of Dr. Yanga’s College team, namely, Alexandra Guevarra, Claire Renosa and Chelsea Morales! The same school won the gold in the WRO last year.

Rom and Cris are seated and Lucas is standing when someone makes the suggestion that they walk like proud astronauts toward the stage when their team is called. The boys smile. Lucas shakes his head.

Mylene announces the second-place winner, and it’s—Dr. Yanga’s College!

Upon hearing that, Lucas reacts with a clap. The other two holler. Everybody in the group cheers. The boys get kisses from their parents and grandparents. Hugs and high fives all around. The mothers are ecstatic but don’t stop taking pictures. The fathers, ever low-key, just look happy.

Once the boys are standing on stage to accept their medals as the best team in the PRO Open Category, the emcee invites the moms and dads to join them. The parents decline.

As Fred puts it, “Let the attention be on the boys.” They do deserve it.