Young inventors develop creative solution for seniors
By GuestDo you have a loved one who is struggling with something because of an age-related issue? Is your parent or grandparent having difficulty opening a jar, picking up a newspaper, or climbing a few stairs without a railing? Most of us know someone who is having trouble, but what do you do about it?
The Robots Downstairs: Gill Rosenthal, Jack Healey, Matthew Larsen, Andrew Salvatori, Matt McGann, Geoffrey Bonnanzio, Chris Milne, and Thomas Cahill with the team’s senior partner, Patricia Reilly, and their ReadyRail prototype. (Missing from photo: Avery Morgan)
A group of Canton students decided to take on this challenge as part of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League Competition. The team, the Robots Downstairs, has developed a prototype of a portable rail system to allow seniors to enter loved ones’ houses where no railing exists, helping to keep seniors independent, engaged, and most importantly, connected.
As part of the FIRST competition, teams of up to ten children, with one adult coach, are tasked with programming an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing field. They must also develop a solution to a problem they have identified while guided by the FIRST Lego League core values.
This year’s theme on the robot playing field and for the project is on senior solutions. To develop ideas and brainstorm for the project, the team visited the Senior Center and Orchard Cove in September to discuss some of the difficulties associated with growing older. Among other issues, they found many seniors had trouble getting into homes with a few steps at the entryway since a railing is not required by the building code. After doing a patent search and finding little on the market addressing this need, the team decided to pursue the idea of developing a portable PVC pipe railing, the ReadyRail.
After meeting with Canton Building Inspector Ed Walsh to ensure the railing system met the building code, the team previewed their idea with their team partner and grandparent, Patricia Reilly, who declared the idea “very good” and said it would “certainly make it easier getting up the few steps into my home safely.” The team spent some time with Mrs. Reilly discussing her childhood and how it differs from their young lives today.
The Robots Downstairs will take their ReadyRail and robot to compete at the First Lego League (FLL) Senior Solutions Competition to be held this Saturday, November 17, at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical School in Upton. The competition is free and open to the public. Doors open at 7 a.m. with robot competitions beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing throughout the day until the award ceremony at 3:15 p.m. Please come and cheer on Canton’s Robots Downstairs team!
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