Life Lessons Learned While Working with Robots

Luke Mullock boarded a bus for a 12-hour ride to compete in a gym with no air conditioning during a heat wave. It was the beginning of the end that is leading to a new beginning for Mullock, co-captain of Wissahickon High School’s (WHS) robotics team, Team 341.

The team traveled to Indianapolis with students from two New Jersey high schools July 21 for the “summer all-stars game” of robotics, FIRST’s (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Indiana Robotic Invitational (IRI), said WHS science teacher and coach, Alan Ostrow.

Each year, Team 341 creates a new version of Miss Daisy, by Patch.

During the two-day invitational, 66 of the world’s best robotics teams competed in two-minute matches. Alliances comprised of three teams were formed, and two alliances battled in matches.

Mullock controlled Miss Daisy’s arm and claw during matches.  His job was to get Miss Daisy to pick up tubes and place them on pegs in a certain order to score for the alliance.   

The first day of the competition, the high school gym air conditioner was broken. Mullock said the heat reached 105 degrees. 

"They kept us well hydrated," said Mullock.

The students were able to compete. But, Miss Daisy had a harder time. Mullock said the bottom claw’s belt kept falling off. 

The team could still score, but the student coach quickly switched the team from offense to defense, Mullock said.

“We would [have Miss Daisy] run into people [human players on the floor], play defense and cause mayhem. We were pretty good at it,” he said. 

The interference helped Team 341’s alliance concentrate on scoring.

Alan Ostrow said the drive team of Luke Mullock, Sean Stevens, Evan Ostrow, and mentor and booth coach Jared Russell, “performed brilliantly, but it was not enough to overcome the technical problems they faced.”

“We had little technical problems throughout the competition, nothing big,” Mullock said.

Team members had to put on their thinking caps. Problem solving is a skill he and others learn being part of the team.

Mullock said one of the coaches figured out the heat withered polymers in the belt, affecting its elasticity.

Mullock said Alan Ostrow stresses problem solving and tells students, "Your idea’s not the only one—you have to be open, and realize your idea might not work."  

Alan Ostrow also stresses keeping an open mind to help find the “final product,” Mullock said.

The final product produced for Team 341’s 2011 version of Miss Daisy includes the claw voted best in the world, Mullock said.

While the team finished with a 3-6 record at the IRI, Mullock leaves Team 341 with a fistfull of medals from a banner year of competitions in 2010. 

The team received the World Championship Chairman’s Award.  It is FIRST’s highest accolade for “being a role model team, performing community service and having a record of sustained excellence,” Alan Ostrow previously told Patch.

After winning the Chairman’s Award, the team met President Obama at the White House Oct. 18, 2010. 

Mullock leaves for Penn State University in August to study engineering, and he heads there with more than knowledge of gears and tools.   

In observing teachers helping the team, Mullock gleaned: “There’s always a solution. It may take a while to figure it out,” he said.

“You gain a lot of patience. You definitely need it. At times, we tried five or six things, and couldn’t figure out how to solve the problem,” said Mullock. “All we could do was think.”

“If a part doesn’t work, and it has been ordered, but it hasn’t arrived, you have to be patient,” he said.  

Mullock’s mother, Jackie, vouches for the patience her son has learned. 

She said because her son was part of Team 341, he has also become “more focused as an engineering-minded person."

Jackie said Luke keeps an open mind to all issues, listens well, and is a respectful team member and team leader.

Jackie says Alan Ostrow encourages each team member in his or her strengths and is compassionate, while pushing each member to develop as an individual, teammate and competitor.

“There is such a nice mix of kids, personalities, talents and academic levels. All are welcome [on Team 341], and this coach values them,” said Jackie.

Alan Ostrow’s influence on the lives of Team 341 members is making Jackie return to fund raise for the team, despite Luke Mullock graduating from the team.

He heads off to college with a declared major, life skills and an array of T-shirts from competing with team members from around the world that he met during competitions with Team 341.