Hands on with an F-6A

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nicholas Benroth
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
VALDOSTA, Ga. --  Most children have a dream of what they want to be when they grow up, from a princess, to a police officer or even a robotics technician.

Thirty two high school students from the Governors' Honors program have always been interested in working with computer programs or even building their own robot.

Two Moody Airmen, who also share a love of technology met with these students and demonstrated the power and capabilities of their robot, the F-6A explosive ordnance disposal robot.

"This was a great opportunity to talk to kids that have an interest in the robots that we use every day," said Senior Airman Andrew Welsh, 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal journeyman. "Who knows, some of these kids in the technology course could one day build a robot we may use some day."

The EOD Airmen began their demonstration by showing a video of what EOD Airmen do and gave a brief overview of the kind of robots they use in their work.

After speaking with the students and answering their questions, each student had the opportunity to operate the robot and maneuver it around the room.

"This is an excellent opportunity for them to see how a robot this advanced can maneuver," said Welch who has been and EOD member for four years. "Another fun piece of equipment that we brought was our EOD 9 bomb suit that some of the students tried on."

Students in the program enjoyed having the chance to use the disposal robots and it sparked their interest even more.

"I love to build things with my hands so I decided I would join the technology program and have the chance to build a robot," said Alex Gradey, Governors' Honors Program student. "Having this robot here is very interesting and being able to use and learn about it is amazing."