Anyone who has ever built anything with building blocks has imagined it moving around and performing tasks.
A group of ten Huntsville students used their imagination to make that a reality as part of their LEGO Robotics Team, affectionately called MUFFINS. The students are from Huntsville Public, Riverside, Pine Glen, and VK Greer public schools and built an “awesome robot” that has done well in recent competitions.
The team is made up of students from Grades 4 to 8 who meet weekly under the guidance of coach Leslie Cuthbertson.
“Well, I actually have to give some credit to Hoya Robotics,” said Cuthbertson. “Lego League existed in Huntsville before COVID. Hoya mentors ran two FIRST Lego League teams. And my kids were part of it, and it was an amazing experience, and we wanted to try and bring it back and share it with more kids.”
The MUFFINS competed in a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League qualifying tournament in North Bay in December, where they placed third to advance to the provincials in Oshawa in early February.
In Oshawa, the team won two awards. The first award they won is the Core Values Award, which celebrates teamwork, respect, inclusion, and gracious professionalism.
The second is the Advancing Award given to teams that embody the entire FIRST LEGO League experience: Core values, innovation project, robot design, and robot game. The robot game can involve the robot picking up and moving objects to a specific place or even more advanced functions.
Placing sixth out of 43 teams, they have earned advancement to one of the FIRST LEGO League international tournaments in June.
Their first choice is to be placed in the brand-new Canada Cup of Robotics, being held in Niagara. However, other potential placements include events in Texas, Australia, Korea, or Mexico.
“We’re hoping to get into the Canada to cup,” said Jaxon, who is part of the team and said he enjoys working with his MUFFINS teammates. “I’m pretty excited personally. There are ninety-six teams, so I’m going to get like top 50 per cent … I would also love to win an award, so I’m gonna work my tail off so I can make that happen.”
He said between now and June, the team will be working diligently on improving the already award-winning robot they have. And his teammates agree with him, with most saying they love being able to fix issues, come up with new code, and test the robot to get the best results.
Greer, another team member, said her favourite part is the robot game practices, when they get to test what they’ve built.
“You find out that doesn’t work right, and let’s change the code or rebuild an attachment because it broke,” she said. “And then we figure it out, and it’s like, ‘oh, that actually makes more sense,’ And then we try it again . . . I think it’s been working really well for us.”
Another huge part of what this team has done is raise funds for a Huntsville High School archaeology (or a related field) scholarship.
The subject archaeology was selected because it was the FIRST LEGO League theme in Ontario this year, titled UNEARTHED. Focusing on archaeology, teams are challenged to design robots for specific field tasks, such as navigation, artifact handling, and more.
Creating their very own muffin mixes, the team has sold them to the public and raised $7,700, enough to fund an $850 annual scholarship for the next nine years.
“It’s not just archaeology, it can be like paleontology or anthropology,” said Greer. “It will go to a deserving graduate who meets the criteria.”
Like all the teammates, Lara says the social part of being on the MUFFINS team is as important as the technological process. She explained why someone should join a robotics team.
“I would say because it’s a really awesome subject,” said Lara. “We get to code robots that we build ourselves. We get to work on real-life problems and find solutions, as well as bonding with the people on your team and communicating. If someone lacks social skills, you can just introduce them to people . . . the people here make me talk more than I usually do, which is a lot.”
With a unified team of dedicated students, MUFFINS will be aiming high in June at the Canada Cup – or whichever international competition they get placed in.
You can find more information about the team on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576086179807
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“We get to work on real-life problems and find solutions, as well as bonding with the people on your team and communicating.”
The best combo. Awards are internal. Bravo!
Excellent work by the MUFFINS
Congratulations to the MUFFINS LEGO Robotics Team on an outstanding achievement.
Advancing to the international stage is a remarkable accomplishment, and your hard work, teamwork, and dedication have made the entire Huntsville community proud. You are not only building impressive robots, but also building confidence, leadership, and a strong sense of community.
Well done, MUFFINS. We are cheering you on.
FIRST stands for: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Thanks team muffins for inspiring the next generation of robotics team members!