Photo submitted
The Mechanical Mavericks, a homeschool robotics team comprised of two mechanically-minded boys, achieved a remarkable feat by winning the Teamwork Champion Award in the Minnesota State VEX IQ Challenge Tournament. This achievement earned the team an invitation to Vex Worlds in Dallas, Texas.
Their outstanding performance marks the end of a competition season that began in October. Joseph Lemke of the Money Creek area, and Jack Ingvalson of Rushford designed and built a robot to meet the game challenge of the year, Full Volume. Following the engineering design process, their robot had numerous design iterations leading up to the state competition. Since this was their first year competing, every step along the way brought new challenges. They competed in two regional tournaments in January, bringing home three awards that earned a spot in the state tournament on March 2 in St Cloud, Minn.
The culmination of their hard work and dedication came during the state tournament, where the Mechanical Mavericks delivered a team drive that propelled them to victory. In a display of teamwork and precision, they won the Teamwork Champion Award by strategically placing just one more block in a goal than their competitors, securing a dramatic win.
Ingvalson is a builder and driver for the robot. Lemke builds, drives, and writes code for the motors, controller, and the autonomous program. Both work on the engineering notebook.
When asked how it felt to win at Vex State, Ingvalson said, “Really cool. I was really surprised that we won by one point. I went home with a good attitude. I learned that you have to have patience to build the bot and if you don’t win, it’s all right.” But he did admit, “The best part of competing this year was when we realized we won.”
From Lemke, “Homeschooling helps because it allows us to have more free time, therefore more time working on the robot. Also we own the parts, so it is easier to work on the robot at home. The best part of this year was meeting all the teams.”
VEX IQ is a robotics system that offers a hands-on learning experience and practical applications of math and science. The system’s plastic snap-together pieces are specifically designed to build highly functional robots, empowering students like the Mechanical Mavericks to explore STEM concepts in a fun and engaging manner.
Thinking ahead, Lemke stated, “I would like to continue next year, and start earlier in the season so we have more time to work on the robot, as well as our driving.” Over the summer, the Mechanical Mavericks hope to educate local groups on robotics and engineering.
For more information about the Mechanical Mavericks and their achievements, check out their Facebook group, Mechanical Mavericks Vex IQ Robotics.