Mang’u High School Students Build Robot
Tech-savvy students from Mang’u School have collaborated with their peers from the United States to create a robotic machine capable of shooting foam rings with precision into a bucket from a distance of seven meters.
This ambitious project involved over 30 students from Mang’u High School and Horace Mann School in New York, who worked together intensively over a two-week period to build the robot from scratch.
A group of five students from the Horace Mann School’s robotics team traveled to Mang’u for the second time, following an initial visit in July of the previous year, to assist their Kenyan counterparts in completing the project.
The project commenced last year after the initial interaction with Horace Mann students, resulting in the creation of an automated drone capable of hovering within the school compound.
The Horace Mann School, a renowned champion in robotics, has been competing as Team 5806 in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) since 2015.
The FRC aims to inspire and recognize science and technology advancements through an international, student-centered celebration of robotics, hosting annual competitions that involve nearly ten thousand teams building industrial-sized robots to perform complex tasks.
Funding and Workshop Implementation
In 2023, Horace Mann School received a grant from the Alexander Capelluto Foundation, which challenges students to develop practical projects that improve community conditions.
This funding enabled a one-week series of robotics workshops at Mang’u High School in Kiambu, Kenya, where 30 students selected by their mentor, Mr. Serem, learned the fundamentals of building, programming, and electrically engineering a robot. By the end of the week, Mang’u students had successfully created a driving robot from scratch.
This year, the collaboration expanded on the previous chassis to build a robot capable of shooting foam rings, potentially competitive in the 2024 FRC season.
Horace Mann student Sebastian Baxter highlighted the remarkable achievement of Mang’u students, who completed in one week what typically takes two months in the official FRC season, demonstrating their immense potential as a team.
Baxter discussed the increasing relevance of robotics in everyday life, particularly in hazardous jobs like firefighting and policing, suggesting that robots could help mitigate risks.
Fellow student Berk Yilmaz emphasized the revolutionary impact of robotics, especially with advancements in AI and space exploration.
Vision for Robotics Education in Kenya
Ellen Wang, another student from Horace Mann, expressed a vision of making robotics education accessible to all Kenyan students, aiming to ignite a technological and innovative revolution across the continent.
By establishing robotics programs and organizing workshops and competitions, they hope to create a vibrant STEM education ecosystem in Kenya and beyond.
Yilmaz outlined plans to establish Mang’u Robotics as the first East African team to compete formally in the FRC by 2025. With guidance from Horace Mann available overseas, Mang’u students will work five days a week to prototype, construct, wire, program, and test their robot.
The team plans to travel to Istanbul, Turkey, in mid-March to compete with 50 other FRC teams, aiming to qualify for the World Championships in Houston, Texas, USA.
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Lawyer Oiboo Morintat, an alumnus of Mang’u and a trustee of the Mang’u Foundation, affirmed that robotics represents the future of problem-solving in various sectors such as agriculture, health, and infrastructure.
He expressed hope that corporations and the government would support the students’ participation in the international competition, which would cost approximately Ksh 130,000 ($1,000) per student.
Mang’u High Chief Principal John Kuria noted the growing interest in robotics among students, emphasizing the importance of early exposure to technology. He highlighted the numerous benefits and emerging fields associated with robotics, asserting that the skills learned could help students tackle complex future tasks.
Mang’u High School Students Build Robot
