8th graders hope to help repair Spokane Bomb Squad robot

SPOKANE, Wash. — There’s enough pressure in middle school. From juggling homework and activities to fitting in. For one Spokane middle school class, there is no time for worrying, though.

Kimberly Taylor’s 8th grade Advanced Engineering class at Sacajawea Middle School has a much bigger task at hand. Her students are working with the Spokane Bomb Squad to help fix their robot, responsible for things like helping to detonate bombs.

The problem with the robot is it’s claw. There’s been issues with it picking things up and gripping things like door handles due to it’s metal on metal composition.

Students decided to make a glove that could go over the existing claw to make these tasks easier. If it works, their design could potentially be shared with bomb squads across the country. No pressure!

“If we are already doing this stuff in 8th grade, I wonder what we are going to be able to do in high school and when we grow up,” said student Buzz Hamilton.

So far, they’ve completed the prototypes. Next, they’ll print models using their 3D printer. The robot will then return to the school to test the claw out.

We will be sure to keep you updated on their progress!

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