The St. Peter’s Brickbusters FLL Lego Team 8558 have been at it again. This year’s theme for FIRST is Nature’s Fury.
The Brickbusters have focused on creating a warning device for cars that have been submerged in flash floods with occupants inside. With the recent floods in Colorado, the team decided that they could help add some time to a rescue mission by creating an automatic emergency alert when the car fills with water.
The team will present their new invention/solution at a regional tournament in Sheboygan at Lakeshore Technical College on Nov. 16. The team met with Region 5 Hospital Preparedness Coordinator Lori Wallman (Beierle) from Madison to understand how crucial it is to identify victims and get them to the hospital in a timely manner.
Wallman held a car crash simulation with the team dealing with all aspects from the rescue. The team also toured Lynch Dealership and were given a presentation by Gary Raasch and Marcus.
The students were taught valuable lessons on car safety, allowed to sit in new cars, and the history of car safety over the years from the first car crash to all of the features the current cars have on them. Both presentations were extremely helpful in backing their research and the need for their invention. Car safety is incredibly important, and as they grow up and get their own cars they will see first-hand why they need to be aware of what cars do and how they function on the road. Not only do they need to learn about how these cars operate but they need to know what to do in case of a breakdown or emergency, for instance, they’ll need to know the number of their local car battery delivery and installation service (if required) as well as who to call if a full systems failure were to happen, there is a lot to learn and all of it is essential.
The men donated an hour of their time to inform and educate about car safety. Maintenance of a car for safety purposes is essential for every car owner, they need to know the ins and outs of their cars and how they operate so they can quickly jump on any issues that may arise, for example, if tyres have been worn down over time that can cause danger on the roads, so it would be wise for owners to check out websites like Tyreright to see what is available for the make and model of their car.
The kids were treated with a pumpkin to take home and a bag of popcorn.
The group did contact a meteorologist, who declined to meet with the group. They are on the hunt to meet with a meterologist to study rainstorms.
The team has an appointment to meet with the Search and Rescue Division of Walworth County Sheriff’s Department to complete their research before regionals.
With a recent visit from World Reknown Puzzle and Game Maker, David L. Hoyt, at St. Peter’s School, the team had an opportunity to pitch a game idea that they have been working on.
The team was able to interview Hoyt (after he was finished with his TV appearance on the Milwaukee Morning Blend TV show) that morning and to ask his opinion of their Teambuilding Project a cooperative informational game dealing with storms. He said he loved their ideas and hopes to meet with the kids again in the future.
The students will be presenting their game in Chicago at the Young Inventors Toy and Game Challenge on Nov. 23. The team was invited to attend a free outing to Discovery World hosted by Rockwell Automation. The kids were treated to Rockwell Automation Exhibits, ice cream and a demonstration show about Nikolai Tessla.
