Gruspe starts 2nd robotics, automation class at SCS

Saipan Community School has offered a robotics and automation class for students led by Systems Integrator of STEMify CNMI Robotics and Automation owner Arnel Gruspe.

This marks the second time Gruspe has conducted a robotics and automation class at SCS, the first time being in 2021.

He told Saipan Tribune that this robotics project was a year and a half in the making through the Northern Marianas College initiative SEED to Sail which awarded start-up money to those who had the best pitch for a business. He pitched in the idea of robotics and automation training for kids and he was selected in SEED to Sail’s Top 5.

SCS principal Amanda Dunn is excited over this latest collaboration with Gruspe.

“Both as a learner and school principal I love embracing technology in education! Robotics for example opens the door for students to not only express their creativity but also to engage in complex problem-solving on a grander scale, fostering a dynamic learning environment.”

Gruspe taught 6th-8th grade students of SCS different things: automation, coding, and motor controls by using both hardware and software. The 6th graders used blocks in programming while the 7th and 8th grade students did actual coding which involved typing in certain letters and configurations to get the robot to move.

In every class, he patiently demonstrated to the junior high students how to program and assemble robots from cars to even music boxes. Their final project in the future would be a robot Tesla car or a self-driving car, an application of all that they had learned from the program.

As to his assessment, Gruspe shared that the students navigated through the program with flying colors. Some of the students expressed frustration at first because they could not make it work, but eventually they were able to have it functioning in no time.

Many of the students expressed their delight in having the robotics program.

Emma Sablan, an 8th grade student, shared that “It’s great. We learn how to code and learn about new technology.”

Mickaella Yang, a fellow 8th grader, added that the program helped them “learn about the C-language (programming), the blocks, and learn new parts about it as well as the inside of the robot by using different apps such as Tinkercad.”

Gruspe stressed that the timeliness of this program could not have been any sooner. He explained that “Every year technology changes, and right now it is industry 4.0 wherein welders are not the physical ones anymore… they’re now robots. Industry 4.0 is also the year of artificial intelligence.”

Having programs like this would therefore provide an upper edge for students to understand how technology and electronics work in a world where the technological landscape is ever-changing. He added that, “This would be beneficial for the students if they decide to become a telecommunications engineer, or an electrical engineer,” he added.

Gruspe also shared that eventually there would be an open house for parents to come and see what the students have assembled through the robotics program.

Gruspe’s 45-minute Robotics and Automation Training classes are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.