Students Build Robot Aimed To Help With Autism

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Building robots is like second nature for two New Hope elementary kids, but their newest gadget is catching a lot of attention because it’s built to help kids with autism.

5th grader Ashton Budgins and 4th grader, Aubri Stacy built a robot named CAT. CAT, stands for Calming Autistic Tendencies. They won a state championship and they’re now heading to compete in worlds.

The extensive project took hours of research.

“The hardest part was programming it,” said Ashton Budgins.

Aubri went on to say that programming it took time.

“Then you have to look at this, then look at that,” said Stacy.

However, the two are a little modest.

“It really wasn’t that hard,” said Budgins.

The two built CAT specifically for a high school student who suffers from autism. After gathering all the information they needed from medical experts, it was time for a field test.

“He came in and he was having bad morning, so they turned it on for about 20 minutes and he was already calming down, just in a couple of minutes,” said Stacy.

With different autism spectrums, the little Einstein’s knew that some may like different textures, so they made the tail of the robot interchangeable.

“He liked this one. It’s real soft and he liked to rub it on his arm. This one he liked too. It’s, think of it like a grill brush,” said Budgins.

CAT got a lot of attention at the VEX IQ robotic contest in Jackson. Ashton and Aubri won state and will soon compete at worlds.

“I’m really excited! It’s really exciting,” said Stacy.

Their teacher and coach, Jennifer Caldwell, says it’s inspiring to see two young minds working to help other kids.

“It really works. They’re on to something. We’re hoping it goes further than this competition. They’re making a difference,” said Caldwell.

Making a difference is what Ashton and Aubri say it’s all about.

“It means I could possible help lot of people around the world,” said Budgins.

“Knowing you can help a lot of people makes you really glad,” Stacy said.

The world’s competition is in Kentucky at the end of the month. They’ll compete against kids from across the world.

There is a fee for the two to compete in the contest. They are seeking sponsors.

Anyone interest can email Carol Brown at carol.brown@lowndes.k12.ms.us.

Jennifer Caldwell can also be reached at jennifer.caldwell@lowndes.k12.ms.us.