Before Matthew Hoffman even tested his robot in the competition arena set up in a meeting room at the Carroll County Agriculture Center, he ran into a problem.
No matter what the 10-year-old pressed on the control in his hands, the machine he had constructed and programmed, with his father's help, wouldn't budge.
A quick peek in the back of the box he held revealed the trouble.
"The battery's not in," he said, turning to exchange the control for the correct -- and fully equipped -- one.
Matthew tried again.
"There we go," he said, as the metallic object on wheels rolled forward, heading toward a small hill of neon yellow softballs.
Matthew and fellow members of the Sparks 4-H Club were having practice robot runs in preparation for this year's Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair, which begins Saturday.
For these youths, July 28 marks their first larger-scale appearance at the event, where they are scheduled to put on a robotics demonstration.
"A lot of people think of 4-H as agriculture. But even in agriculture, technology is becoming a big part," said Dave Franc, the club's leader. "Technology is becoming more and more a part of everything."
Last year, the club used a table and smaller robots that moved balls from one side of the surface to the opposite end, Franc said. But time has fortified Sparks' ranks -- growing from about 20 to 30 members, many of them new to 4-H, Franc said -- and its show. Now an official competition arena -- from a company that makes the robot parts -- serves as the playing field.
The club's younger members will also have their turn, Franc said. They plan to have a Lego Mindstorms display, he said, featuring a small model of the fair with a Lego machine making its way through, picking up things.
The competition field consists of a gray foam floor, with corners marking off goals with red and blue tape, respectively. Although there are five teams with their own unique robots, there are two alliances, red and blue, each with two teams working together.
The teams have been preparing for the game off and on since January, Franc said. Beyond fostering the spirit of competition, the activity is a lesson in creative thinking -- and teamwork.
