The Montco Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad loans old robot to Wissahickon robotics club

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Unit blew the dust off of their old PEDSCO bomb detection robot and loaned it to the Wissahickon High School 341 Miss Daisy Robotics Club on Tuesday, October 7, 2014. The retired robot, which is in need of a few repairs, will be used to inspire and teach kids about real world robotics, according to Alan Ostrow, who is an advanced physics instructor at Wissahickon High School and founder of the 15 year-old robotics club.

The robotics team is led by their head coach Kirsten Jahn Richardson, who is a 2003 graduate of Wissahickon High School and was robotics club team member for three years and has stayed involved since then.

Miss Daisy VIII the robot, built by the robotics club, welcomed the retired loaner with a few tricks. The students in the club programmed Miss Daisy VIII to toss, chase and capture a large yoga ball. Miss Daisy can engage in high speed ball chases too, by sprinting up to 17 feet per second.

This is the first time the robotics team will have the opportunity to work on a robot of its kind. The old PEDSCO had been used by the MCSO Bomb Unit to aid in the remote handling of improvised explosive devices and other hazardous situations. After years of wear and tear, it has been replaced by a new robot. The students are hoping to get the old robot cleaned up and fixed so that it can be driven again and can be used for public demonstrations.

MCSO Bomb Unit Commander Lt. Allen Stewart, Cpl. Mark Huzzard, Dep. Ryan Volk and Dep. Andrew Noto unloaded the old robot, which weighs over 300 lbs. and rolled it into the atrium at the school for the presentation. Sheriff Russell Bono was also on hand to offer encouragement and was interviewed by a student for the high school’s news station.

Dep. Ryan Volk was instrumental in setting up the loan to the high school through his younger sister, who is a member of the robotics team.

There is no doubt that the old PEDSCO is in good hands in its retirement. Getting the loaner has provided new motivation for the robotics team, which is preparing for a national off-season competition called Ramp Riot, which will be hosted by their high school on November 1, 2014. Ramp Riot brings together 36 robotics teams that spend six weeks building a competitive robot of up to 120 lbs. that will compete in an Aerial Assist game. The robots will be scored on their ability to score balls into goals.

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