Deerfield School students saw Pokey spin. They saw him knock down a giant blue ball from a basketball hoop and nudge a 19-year-old Westwood High graduate across the gym floor.
But the 6-foot-tall robot really wowed kids when he pushed the ball back and forth with them yesterday morning in one of two demonstrations that served as the kickoff to Deerfield's seventh annual science fair, slated for Feb. 11.
The Westwood High School robotics team went to Deerfield yesterday to show off Pokey, the remote-controlled gizmo they used in last year's state robotics competition. Team members visit Deerfield every year.
The visiting contingent included senior Kate Aloisio, 17, senior Chris Graves, 16, and junior Xander Ventola, 17. Also appearing were former team members Chris Aloisio, 19, and David Anderson, 19, who are now college sophomores.
The team demonstrated Pokey in two sessions - initially for kindergartners through second-graders, and then for third- through fifth-graders.
"This probably weighs as much as two or three of you guys, so it's pretty big. But it's basically a giant remote-controlled car," Ventola told students in the latter session as he described Pokey.
The box-shaped bot features a 12-volt battery, the same motors that are used to power an RV's jacks, and six-wheel drive.
"When it's turning, it's just riding on those two center wheels, and it's very maneuverable," said Anderson, a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Anderson, who is studying engineering, worked over the summer with robotic kayaks, crashing them into each other. "It was quite fun," he told Deerfield students.
Chris Aloisio is a robotics major at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he is working on a guide blimp and a robot that can drive your car.
In a display of Pokey's strength, Aloisio sat down in front of the robot, which then gently pushed him across the floor, drawing cute giggles from the crowd.
Westwood's team competes every year in FIRST - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology - a contest that includes regional competitions held across the country.
The team's 2006 robot was aptly named Woody, as he was mostly made out of wood. Graves said past robots were strictly functional and did not include some of the decorative touches that Pokey has, such as "Wolverines" emblazoned on its base.
The Westwood squad must create a new robot for this year's Boston regional, to be held in early March.
At one point, a student asked if the team would destroy Pokey. Kate Aloisio said Pokey's 2007 predecessor, which featured a giant claw, is "now in shambles," but some of its parts are in Pokey.
Pokey will be spared, though.
"(Pokey) works so well that we kind of want to keep this one intact," she said.
Daily News staff writer Edward B. Colby can be reached at 781-433-8336 or ecolby@cnc.com.
