2004: Larry

The 2004 game was quite complex. The four main challenges were as follows: 1) cap a 30” diameter ball on a goal; 2) grip a movable goal; 3) herd kick balls into an opening where a human player would then shoot the balls into a goal; and 4) perform a “pull-up” on a nine-foot-high bar. Larry, the “well-built ‘bot” had a two-jointed arm and a gripper similar in structure to that of Lola’s; however, the hooped arms were built to encircle the 30” ball. Larry sported a pneumatic PVC “wing” on either side of the main body which flipped out to herd in kick balls and was able to grip the moveable goal by using a specially designed lock-on goal grabber. The only challenge Larry did not execute was the ability to hang from the bar.

At the New York City Regional we placed in the top eight seeded teams, so we selected an alliance and got to the quarter-finals. We also won the Entrepreneurship Award for our progressive marketing ideas.

In March we organized an event called “Robotics Marvels” held in the Winter Gardens solarium at the World Financial Center. We featured our two robots and invited the F.I.R.S.T. Lego League team from IS 89 and the F.I.R.S.T. Robotics Team from High School of Economics and Finance to join us.

In May, we presented Larry at the Tribeca Film Festival. We attracted great crowds as we demonstrated our newest robot atop a street stage. Before school ended in June, Larry represented Stuy in a F.I.R.S.T. exhibition at the CeBIT Technology Exposition at the Javits Center. We were one of several NYC F.I.R.S.T. robotics teams in attendance and we enjoyed the friendly rivalry of playing some mock matches together.

Also in June, our robots took part in welcoming Stuyvesant alumni at the Centennial Reunion. The alums were, of course, impressed with the technology skills now being taught at Stuy. Both generations enjoyed the camaraderie of sharing stories of school life then and now.