Hero Maker

For  Fun Page, Manila Bulletin

When Efren Peñaflorida, Jr. became CNN 2009 Hero of the Year for his education project for Filipino street children, many aspired to be like him. With cloning not an option, three high school students from Bocaue, Bulacan, created the next best thing-a teaching robot that could do what Peñaflorida's Kariton Classroom project could do.

HERO (Humanoid for Educational Reinforcement Operation) is the country's first ever multi-purpose teaching assistant robot and like Peñaflorida, it also won an international competition: giving the Philippines the gold in the recently-concluded 2012 World Robotics Olympiad held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

The five-foot tall robot can mimic facial expressions, play rock, paper and scissors, segregate plastics from papers, teach basic English, Math, and Science lessons through instructional videos and can, occasionally, make water when the room temperature ascents to 30 degrees Celsius.

According to senior student, Claire Receli Renosa, 16, and juniors Chelsea Andrea Morales, 15, and Trisha Carmela Santos, 14, of Dr. Yanga Colleges Incorporated, it took them eight months of brainstorming, preparing, and constant reinventing to come up with HERO.

“HERO has undergone series of reinvention because from time to time another idea pops in so we have to reassemble and design him according to the new plan,“ said team leader Chelsea Andrea Morales.

The sleepless nights, overtime, academic struggles, and pressures from in and out of the campus (their high school also bagged a championship award two years ago in another robot-themed competition) paid off as they bested more than 300 teams from 30 countries, all over the world.

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“The competition was tough to think that Japan, South Korea, China, and Russia among others are our competitors,“ Coach Romyr Gimeno said, “but of course we are glad and proud to represent the country and get the championship.“ Despite having competitors that were known for their country's robotics expertise, HERO bagged the crown because he “is an all-around robot, something that set him apart from the other robots. We tried to follow each criterion given and adhered to it, unlike the other countries that only focused in one aspect,“ said senior student Claire Receli Reñosa. The criteria included ingenuity, creativity, environment-friendliness, closeness to being a human, and being education-oriented. The theme this year was “Robots Connecting People“. HEROic deeds  But the essence of the competition didn't stop after they brought home the bacon. The three teeners used the dark-haired and long sleeves-clad HERO to teach elementary pupils basic education during outreach programs. The team had also toured elementary schools in Bulacan. Though it was tedious, the reception was “memorable, flattering, and exciting.“ “At first, they were curious. They asked us how we do it. Some teens our age asked us how we did it. `Ang galing mo naman, ako 15 din pero wala akong alam sa ganyan.' It is flattering that they find us inspiring. Some kids are still asking us how HERO is doing, they even want us to come back even if their sessions are already finished,“ 15-year old Chelsea said with a smile. But mind you, when you see them, they would not be the stereotypical robotics “geeks“ people envision. Team captain Chelsea, for instance, would often represent Dr. Yanga in badminton competitions; Trisha is a self-confessed math-enthusiast while Claire, the bubbliest of the three, regularly joins public speaking competitions. All three are consistent honor students.   Their session with the students would usually take three hours depending on the number and the availability of the pupils. Kids were rewarded with chocolates if they got high grades in the quizzes. Also, HERO has push buttons that dispensed colors, pencils, and papers if the kids wanted to practice art skills. HERO, like other gadgets, would get “low batt.“ His usual maximum lifespan was only three hours and his memory was limited. However, these restrictions did not hinder the trio in fulfilling their dream of touring all the elementary schools in the country.  According to the girls, the robot made from empty peanut butter cups and styro boards, (and of course, metals) that were painted with acrylic colors, was inspired from the tattered and humble beginnings of the pushcart educator Efren Peñaflorida. “We were inspired by Efren Peñaflorida. Besides helping the less fortunate people, h was also able to concretize the concept he had in mind and made it work. It did not just remain as a dream,“ the team said. “In fact, before going to Malaysia, we consulted Efren Peñaflorida and he liked it,“ coach Gimeno shared, “He even invited us recently in Cavite, to show his Kariton Classroom, which teaches the kids.“ Models of education Besides Peñaflorida as “muse,“ the trio considered their triumph the product of hard work and faith. “Not everybody is given the chance to join competitions like ours but I always believe that “if you can dream it, you can do it,“ just like what Walt Disney says,“ Claire shared. To which Chelsea chipped in: “We should always strive more. Let us compete with e ourselves and not with others. Daigin mo ang sarili mo.“ The three achievers dreamt of giving all Filipino children the chance to study. “We should not only excel in beauty pageants like the Miss Universe, but also in technology and education as well.“ They are again set to join another robot-themed contest this February. Though they could already be considered robotics “experts,“ Chelsea, Trisha, and Claire never subscribed to robotic doomsday scenarios. In fact, the possibility of robots invading the earth never crossed their minds: “It will not happen because we will always be smarter than them. They are designed to help and not invade us.“

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